Cost Management Services
Cost Management Services is a private HR software firm offering iRecruit (cloud ATS), iConnect (electronic onboarding), and WOTC tax credit administration to SMB and mid-market employers across the US, Canada, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersFarmington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Cost Management Services does
Cost Management Services, LLC (CMS) is a private HR software and tax credit administration company founded in 1997 and headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. The company sells iRecruit, a cloud-based applicant tracking system that includes resume parsing, job board publishing to Indeed and ZipRecruiter, weighted candidate search, social media posting, two-factor authentication, and OFCCP compliance reporting. iConnect, an add-on module for iRecruit, handles electronic onboarding paperwork including I-9, W-4, and state withholding forms. CMS separately offers a Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) administration service that screens new hires for federal tax credit eligibility across target groups (veterans, TANF recipients, SNAP recipients, ex-felons, SSI recipients) and is also offered without iRecruit as a standalone service. The two product lines were integrated in March 2010, allowing WOTC screening to occur natively inside the ATS workflow rather than as an external handoff.
The platform is fully hosted SaaS with no local installation required and integrates natively with Sage HRMS (formerly Sage Abra) through a Data Manager module, positioning CMS as a Sage Technology Partner. Additional integrations include Verified First (background screening), ZipRecruiter (job distribution with a $299/30-day TrafficBoost add-on that produces referral revenue), Indeed (job publishing), and social channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn). Security and compliance milestones include Veracode Verified Standard Status (December 2020) and SOC 2 Type 2 certification (June 2026). The WOTC service line leverages the proprietary CMS Pin Point WOTC Technology (CPPT) and, per company commentary, supports identification of the 10-15% of new hires who qualify for credits averaging $2,400 per qualifying hire, with veteran credits reaching up to $9,600.
CMS's business model combines subscription revenue (iRecruit Express, Professional, Enterprise tiers billed monthly at undisclosed quote-based prices), contingency-fee revenue on WOTC tax credits recovered (pay-as-you-go, outcome-based), iConnect onboarding add-on subscriptions, and ZipRecruiter TrafficBoost referral fees. Distribution is primarily direct via the websites cmshris.com, cmswotc.com, and irecruit-software.com plus inside sales at 1-800-517-9099, supplemented by the Sage reseller channel and co-marketing with CPA Academy and HR.com. The company serves SMB and mid-market employers across the United States, Canada, Guam, and the Virgin Islands, with Pilot Flying J identified as an enterprise customer reference. CMS is founder-owned and managed by Brian Kelly, has 11-50 employees, no institutional funding, no disclosed revenue, and has remained independent across its 27+ year operating history.
Cost Management Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cost Management Services
- Legal name
- Cost Management Services, LLC
- Website
- https://cmshris.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cost Management Services is a private HR software firm offering iRecruit (cloud ATS), iConnect (electronic onboarding), and WOTC tax credit administration to SMB and mid-market employers across the US, Canada, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cost Management Services industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Human Resources / Applicant Tracking Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Benefits Administration (BPACAPAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Benefits Administration & Enrollment Support (BPAAAIAB)
Keywords
Where Cost Management Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Farmington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cost Management Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- iRecruit SaaS Subscription: iRecruit is offered as a cloud-based SaaS recruiting and onboarding platform with multiple subscription tiers (Express, Professional, and Enterprise) designed to accommodate different business sizes and budgets. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed on the website.
- WOTC Screening Administration Services: CMS provides WOTC screening and administration services for employers. The WOTC service is offered for a small contingency fee based on tax credits recovered, allowing the service to pay for itself through recovered credits. WOTC administration is available with or without iRecruit.
- iConnect Electronic Onboarding Add-on: iConnect electronic onboarding is available as an add-on module to the iRecruit ATS, providing additional revenue from existing iRecruit customers.
- ZipRecruiter TrafficBoost Integration: ZipRecruiter TrafficBoost (consolidated at $299 for 30-day job sponsorship) is offered as a paid add-on through iRecruit's job distribution integration, with CMS earning referral/partner revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | ZipRecruiter TrafficBoost: $299 per 30-day job sponsorship campaign |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | WOTC Screening Administration - contingency fee |
| Subscription | Monthly | iRecruit SaaS Subscription - multiple tiers (Express, Professional, Enterprise) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Cost Management Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cost Management Services sells iRecruit, a cloud-based applicant tracking and electronic onboarding software platform, and provides Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) screening and administration services to US employers. iRecruit handles resume parsing, job board publishing, candidate tracking, OFCCP compliance, and integrates with Sage HRMS, while WOTC Administration identifies qualifying new hires and recovers federal tax credits on a contingency-fee basis. Together the offerings let employers run paperless recruiting, onboarding, and tax credit capture in a single workflow.
Product overview
Cost Management Services offers a unified HR technology platform consisting of three core products: iRecruit (cloud-based applicant tracking and recruiting software), iConnect (electronic onboarding module add-on), and Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Administration services. iRecruit serves as the core recruiting platform with features including resume parsing, job board publishing, social media posting, candidate texting, and comprehensive reporting. iConnect extends iRecruit for electronic new hire paperwork management. WOTC Administration provides tax credit screening and claims processing, which integrates directly with iRecruit. The three products work together to provide a paperless recruiting and onboarding process with built-in tax credit optimization.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- iRecruit: Cloud-based online recruiting, applicant tracking and onboarding system developed by CMS. Includes resume parsing, job board publishing, and ability to track and report on applicants. Completely paperless recruiting solution that integrates with Sage HRMS.
- iConnect
Products and services
- iRecruit Cloud-based online recruiting, applicant tracking, and reporting system for US employers that provides resume parsing, job board publishing (Indeed, ZipRecruiter), weighted candidate search, OFCCP compliance reporting, social media job posting, and native integration with Sage HRMS. Sold as the flagship CMS SaaS product in Express, Professional, and Enterprise subscription tiers.
- iConnect Electronic onboarding add-on module to iRecruit that enables employers to send offer letters, custom questionnaires, and new hire paperwork online, including I-9, W-4, and State Tax Withholding forms, eliminating paper-based onboarding for new hires.
- Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Administration Service that screens new hires against WOTC target group criteria (veterans, TANF, SNAP, ex-felons, SSI recipients, etc.) and handles the federal and state paperwork to claim Work Opportunity Tax Credits on behalf of employers, available with or without iRecruit and priced on a contingency fee tied to credits recovered.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10-15% of new hires qualify for WOTC tax credits, averaging $2,400 per credit
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Cost Management Services
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cost Management Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature10 records
Cost Management Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Sage (as Sage Technology Partner)coreCMS operates as a Sage Technology Partner, with iRecruit providing a fully integrated applicant tracking and onboarding solution for Sage HRMS (formerly Sage Abra) users. The integration is described as the best Sage HRMS integration available, with a universal export also available for other HR packages. CMS was featured in CIO Review Magazine's 20 Most Promising Sage Solution Providers.
- Verified FirstcoreVerified First is a background screening provider that has developed an integration with iRecruit, allowing seamless background screening directly from the iRecruit platform. The partnership is marketed as 'Award-winning HR system connections, for free,' providing streamlined and fast background screening solutions for mutual customers. CMS and Verified First co-host webinars (e.g., 'Fast & Thorough Background Screening with Verified First').
- ZipRecruitercoreiRecruit integrates with ZipRecruiter for job distribution across ZipRecruiter's network of 100+ job boards. CMS offers ZipRecruiter TrafficBoost ($299 per 30-day campaign) as a paid add-on through the iRecruit platform, with jobs prioritized on ZipRecruiter, in their job board network, and in daily candidate emails. Smart matching technology from ZipRecruiter finds candidates matching required skills and experience.
- HR.comminorBrian Kelly, Managing Partner of CMS iRecruit, participated in an interview with Sue Morton of HR.com Live discussing iRecruit and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. HR.com publishes content featuring CMS's products and expertise in the HR technology and WOTC space.
- Sage (Thought Leadership Podcast)minorBrian Kelly appeared on the Sage Thought Leadership Podcast with Ed Kless to discuss recruiting in a remote work environment, leveraging Sage's platform to reach HR professionals and Sage customers.
- CPA AcademyminorCMS hosts Work Opportunity Tax Credit webinars with CPA Academy, providing free 1-hour sessions for CPAs and employers to learn about WOTC and how to add value to CPA services or save money when hiring.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cost Management Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- JazzHR: SMB-focused applicant tracking system with tiered SaaS pricing, closely comparable to iRecruit in target customer (small to mid-market employers) and core ATS functionality including job board posting, resume parsing, and onboarding workflows.
- Jobvite: Mid-market ATS and recruiting platform offering applicant tracking, onboarding, and CRM functionality. Overlaps directly with iRecruit in paperless recruiting and onboarding for US employers, though at a larger enterprise scale.
- Breezy HR: SMB-focused ATS with drag-and-drop pipelines, job board distribution, and onboarding workflows. Comparable to iRecruit in serving small employers seeking easy-to-deploy recruiting software without enterprise complexity.
- Workable: Global ATS for SMB and mid-market employers with AI-assisted candidate sourcing and onboarding. Directly comparable feature set to iRecruit (job board posting, resume parsing, structured hiring) and competes in the same horizontal SMB recruiting segment.
- ApplicantStack: Small and mid-market ATS with onboarding workflows and HRIS integrations. Highly comparable in scale, customer segment (SMB US employers), and pricing tier approach to iRecruit.
Broad incumbents
- Greenhouse Software: Mid-market and enterprise ATS with structured hiring and onboarding. A larger, well-capitalized incumbent competing in the same applicant tracking category as iRecruit but with significantly greater sales coverage and enterprise traction.
- iCIMS: Enterprise talent acquisition platform spanning ATS, onboarding, and candidate relationship management. Broad incumbent in the same product category as iRecruit but operating at much larger scale with broader HR suite functionality.
- BambooHR: SMB-focused HR suite including ATS, onboarding, and HRIS in a single platform. Competes with iRecruit in the SMB HR technology buyer segment and represents the integrated-suite threat to standalone ATS vendors.
Emerging players
- Recruitee: European-headquartered collaborative ATS for SMB and mid-market employers, with job board distribution and structured hiring. Comparable to iRecruit in horizontal SMB positioning but operating primarily in EMEA, with growing US presence.
Others
- ZipRecruiter: Job distribution marketplace and ATS provider that is both a CMS channel partner (TrafficBoost) and an indirect competitor through its own employer-facing recruiting tools, making it a relevant comparable for distribution economics and SMB recruiting buyer behavior.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cost Management Services social profiles
Digital presenceCost Management Services compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Cost Management Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cost Management Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Cost Management Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cost Management Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cost Management Services
What does Cost Management Services do?
Cost Management Services sells iRecruit, a cloud-based applicant tracking and electronic onboarding software platform, and provides Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) screening and administration services to US employers. iRecruit handles resume parsing, job board publishing, candidate tracking, OFCCP compliance, and integrates with Sage HRMS, while WOTC Administration identifies qualifying new hires and recovers federal tax credits on a contingency-fee basis. Together the offerings let employers run paperless recruiting, onboarding, and tax credit capture in a single workflow.
Is Cost Management Services a public or private company?
Cost Management Services is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cost Management Services founded?
Cost Management Services was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cost Management Services based?
Cost Management Services is headquartered in Farmington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cost Management Services make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. iRecruit SaaS Subscription is the primary driver. The others are WOTC Screening Administration Services, iConnect Electronic Onboarding Add-on and zipRecruiter TrafficBoost Integration.
Who are Cost Management Services's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are JazzHR, Jobvite, Breezy HR, Workable and ApplicantStack. Broad incumbents are Greenhouse Software, iCIMS and BambooHR. Recruitee is listed as an emerging player. ZipRecruiter is listed as an others.
Does Cost Management Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cost Management Services.
What industry is Cost Management Services in?
Cost Management Services's product category is Human Resources / Applicant Tracking Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAPAC, Benefits Administration, with a secondary code of BPAAAIAB, Benefits Administration & Enrollment Support. Its NAICS code is 51821 and its SIC code is 7372.