diff --git a/src/app/(app)/search/age.ts b/src/app/(app)/search/age.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..950b7d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/(app)/search/age.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+/**
+ * Compact age formatting for the universal-search result list.
+ *
+ * Lives outside the page file because Next.js App Router pages may only
+ * export a fixed set of names (default, metadata, generateMetadata, …)
+ * — an extra named export fails the generated route-type check.
+ */
+
+export type AgeBand = "fresh" | "recent" | "settled";
+
+/**
+ * Relative age of a record, e.g. "today", "3d", "2w", "1mo".
+ *
+ * Returns null when there is no usable date so the caller omits the
+ * chip rather than rendering a blank one.
+ *
+ * Compact by necessity: a group can carry 50 rows, and a full date on
+ * every one is noise. The exact date rides along as the chip's tooltip.
+ *
+ * Band boundaries are 14 days and 30 days — chosen so "1mo" is actually
+ * reachable. An earlier version used 60 days for the week ceiling,
+ * which made 30–59 days render as "4w"–"8w" and 60+ as "2mo", skipping
+ * "1mo" entirely.
+ */
+export function ageLabel(
+  createdAt: string | undefined,
+  now: number = Date.now(),
+): string | null {
+  const then = Date.parse(createdAt ?? "");
+  if (Number.isNaN(then)) return null;
+
+  const days = Math.max(0, Math.floor((now - then) / 86_400_000));
+  if (days === 0) return "today";
+  if (days === 1) return "1d";
+  if (days < 14) return `${days}d`;
+  if (days < 30) return `${Math.floor(days / 7)}w`;
+  if (days < 365) return `${Math.floor(days / 30)}mo`;
+  return `${Math.floor(days / 365)}y`;
+}
+
+export function ageBand(
+  createdAt: string | undefined,
+  now: number = Date.now(),
+): AgeBand | null {
+  const then = Date.parse(createdAt ?? "");
+  if (Number.isNaN(then)) return null;
+  const days = Math.max(0, (now - then) / 86_400_000);
+  if (days <= 7) return "fresh";
+  if (days <= 30) return "recent";
+  return "settled";
+}
+
+/**
+ * Tailwind classes per band.
+ *
+ * Three buckets, deliberately not a rainbow. The numeric label is
+ * always rendered alongside, so colour is a scanning aid and never the
+ * only carrier of meaning.
+ */
+export function ageClass(
+  createdAt: string | undefined,
+  now: number = Date.now(),
+): string {
+  switch (ageBand(createdAt, now)) {
+    case "fresh":
+      return "bg-emerald-100 text-emerald-800 ring-1 ring-emerald-200/70 dark:bg-emerald-500/15 dark:text-emerald-300 dark:ring-emerald-400/30";
+    case "recent":
+      return "bg-sky-100 text-sky-800 ring-1 ring-sky-200/70 dark:bg-sky-500/15 dark:text-sky-300 dark:ring-sky-400/30";
+    default:
+      return "bg-slate-100 text-slate-600 ring-1 ring-slate-200/70 dark:bg-slate-500/15 dark:text-slate-400 dark:ring-slate-400/30";
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/app/(app)/search/page.test.tsx b/src/app/(app)/search/page.test.tsx
index 4e6f1a2..9d41a1d 100644
--- a/src/app/(app)/search/page.test.tsx
+++ b/src/app/(app)/search/page.test.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { cleanup, fireEvent, render, screen, waitFor } from "@testing-library/re
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
 import UniversalSearchPage from "./page";
+import { ageLabel } from "./age";
 
 /**
  * The page talks to `/api/v1/search`, which is gated by
@@ -74,6 +75,7 @@ const RESULT = {
             { label: "Customer", value: "Telegenix Trading 168 CC" },
             { label: "Status", value: "po_generated" },
           ],
+          createdAt: "2026-10-10",
           timeline: [
             { label: "Order raised", at: "2026-10-12" },
             { label: "Driver assigned", at: "2026-10-14" },
@@ -390,3 +392,77 @@ describe("UniversalSearchPage — timeline rendering", () => {
     expect(screen.queryByText(/^Timeline$/)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 });
+
+describe("ageLabel", () => {
+  const NOW = Date.parse("2026-10-14T00:00:00.000Z");
+
+  it("formats compact relative ages", () => {
+    expect(ageLabel("2026-10-14", NOW)).toBe("today");
+    expect(ageLabel("2026-10-13", NOW)).toBe("1d");
+    expect(ageLabel("2026-10-05", NOW)).toBe("9d");
+    expect(ageLabel("2026-09-30", NOW)).toBe("2w");
+    // 24 days — still in the weeks band.
+    expect(ageLabel("2026-09-20", NOW)).toBe("3w");
+    // 31 days crosses the 30-day boundary, so "1mo" is reachable.
+    expect(ageLabel("2026-09-13", NOW)).toBe("1mo");
+    expect(ageLabel("2024-10-14", NOW)).toBe("2y");
+  });
+
+  it("returns null when there is no usable date, so the chip is omitted", () => {
+    expect(ageLabel(undefined, NOW)).toBeNull();
+    expect(ageLabel("", NOW)).toBeNull();
+    expect(ageLabel("not-a-date", NOW)).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
+
+describe("UniversalSearchPage — recency and age chip", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    fetchMock.mockReset();
+    vi.useFakeTimers({ shouldAdvanceTime: true });
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    cleanup();
+    vi.useRealTimers();
+    vi.restoreAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  it("renders an age chip per row carrying the created date", async () => {
+    fetchMock.mockResolvedValue(jsonResponse(RESULT));
+
+    render(<UniversalSearchPage />);
+    const input = screen.getByPlaceholderText(/Order no, quote no/i);
+    fireEvent.change(input, { target: { value: "truco" } });
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(400);
+
+    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByText("ORD-1")).toBeInTheDocument());
+    // Fixture date 2026-10-10 vs a "now" of 2026-10-14.
+    expect(screen.getByText("4d")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    // And the exact date is available on hover, since the chip is compact.
+    expect(
+      screen.getByTitle("Created 2026-10-10"),
+    ).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it("omits the chip when a source supplies no created date", async () => {
+    fetchMock.mockResolvedValue(
+      jsonResponse({
+        ...RESULT,
+        groups: [
+          {
+            ...RESULT.groups[0],
+            hits: [{ ...RESULT.groups[0].hits[0], createdAt: undefined }],
+          },
+        ],
+      }),
+    );
+
+    render(<UniversalSearchPage />);
+    const input = screen.getByPlaceholderText(/Order no, quote no/i);
+    fireEvent.change(input, { target: { value: "truco" } });
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(400);
+
+    await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByText("ORD-1")).toBeInTheDocument());
+    expect(screen.queryByTitle(/^Created /)).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/app/(app)/search/page.tsx b/src/app/(app)/search/page.tsx
index da15484..08bd733 100644
--- a/src/app/(app)/search/page.tsx
+++ b/src/app/(app)/search/page.tsx
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
 } from "@/components/ui/dialog";
 import getPocketBase from "@/lib/pocketbase";
 import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
+import { ageClass, ageLabel } from "./age";
 
 /**
  * Universal search — one box across orders, quotes, POs, suppliers,
@@ -46,6 +47,8 @@ type SearchHit = {
   preview?: PreviewRow[];
   /** Dated lifecycle steps, oldest first, where timestamps exist. */
   timeline?: TimelineEvent[];
+  /** Record creation date, YYYY-MM-DD — drives the age chip + ordering. */
+  createdAt?: string;
 };
 
 type Group = {
@@ -349,11 +352,30 @@ export default function UniversalSearchPage() {
                           </p>
                         )}
                       </div>
-                      {hit.meta && (
-                        <span className="shrink-0 text-xs text-muted-foreground">
-                          {hit.meta}
-                        </span>
-                      )}
+                      <div className="flex shrink-0 items-center gap-2">
+                        {hit.meta && (
+                          <span className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+                            {hit.meta}
+                          </span>
+                        )}
+                        {/* Age chip — colour-coded, but the label
+                            carries the meaning too. */}
+                        {ageLabel(hit.createdAt) && (
+                          <span
+                            title={
+                              hit.createdAt
+                                ? `Created ${hit.createdAt}`
+                                : undefined
+                            }
+                            className={cn(
+                              "rounded-full px-2 py-0.5 text-[11px] font-medium tabular-nums",
+                              ageClass(hit.createdAt),
+                            )}
+                          >
+                            {ageLabel(hit.createdAt)}
+                          </span>
+                        )}
+                      </div>
                       <ArrowUpRight className="h-4 w-4 shrink-0 text-muted-foreground" />
                     </button>
                   </li>
diff --git a/src/lib/server/universal-search-service.ts b/src/lib/server/universal-search-service.ts
index 2366b5a..61e2582 100644
--- a/src/lib/server/universal-search-service.ts
+++ b/src/lib/server/universal-search-service.ts
@@ -154,6 +154,13 @@ export interface UniversalHit {
    * underlying rows carry enough timestamps to build one honestly.
    */
   timeline?: TimelineEvent[];
+  /**
+   * When the record was created, YYYY-MM-DD. Drives the "newest first"
+   * ordering within a relevance tier, and the age chip in the list.
+   * Absent for sources where the collection has no meaningful created
+   * value — the chip is then omitted rather than showing a blank.
+   */
+  createdAt?: string;
 }
 
 export interface PreviewRow {
@@ -314,6 +321,37 @@ export function bestScore(
   return best;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Orders hits within a result group.
+ *
+ * RECOGNITION FIRST, THEN RECENCY — deliberately not recency-first.
+ * Sorting purely by date means searching an exact order number buries
+ * it beneath every newer order that shares a weaker match, which is the
+ * opposite of what you typed the number for.
+ *
+ * `score` already encodes the tier (identifier 100 > name 60 > body 20,
+ * with a <=25 bonus for exact/prefix), so comparing it puts a precise
+ * identifier match above any prose match automatically. Within a tier the
+ * bonus separates exact from prefix from contains, and the date then
+ * breaks what's left — which is the case that actually matters day to
+ * day: searching a company name matches every order they have, all with
+ * an identical score, and "newest first" is the only useful order for
+ * those.
+ */
+function compareHits(
+  a: { score: number; hit: UniversalHit },
+  b: { score: number; hit: UniversalHit },
+): number {
+  if (b.score !== a.score) return b.score - a.score;
+  return (b.hit.createdAt ?? "").localeCompare(a.hit.createdAt ?? "");
+}
+
+/** `created` → `YYYY-MM-DD`, or undefined when the column is empty. */
+function createdYmd(value: unknown): string | undefined {
+  const raw = value === null || value === undefined ? "" : String(value).trim();
+  return raw.length >= 10 ? raw.slice(0, 10) : undefined;
+}
+
 /**
  * Groups sort by their strongest hit, so the single most likely answer
  * ("TIAAN06") is the first thing on screen regardless of which
@@ -661,11 +699,12 @@ async function searchOrders(pb: AdminPocketBase, q: string): Promise<SourceResul
           ["Notes", clip(order.notes, 140)],
         ]),
         timeline: buildOrderTimeline(order, orderItems),
+        createdAt: createdYmd(order.created),
       },
     });
   }
 
-  scored.sort((a, b) => b.score - a.score);
+  scored.sort(compareHits);
   return {
     type: "order",
     label: "Orders",
@@ -794,6 +833,7 @@ async function searchQuoteSource(q: string): Promise<SourceResult> {
         : undefined,
       href: `/quotes/${quote?.id ?? ""}`,
       matchedOn: "quote",
+      createdAt: createdYmd(quote?.created),
       preview: previewRows([
         ["Quote", quote?.quote_number],
         ["Customer", expanded?.customer?.customer],
@@ -871,7 +911,7 @@ async function searchReferenceCollection<T extends Record<string, unknown>>(
     if (score === 0) continue;
     scored.push({ score, hit: opts.build(row) });
   }
-  scored.sort((a, b) => b.score - a.score);
+  scored.sort(compareHits);
 
   return {
     type: opts.type,
@@ -1012,11 +1052,12 @@ async function searchStockPurchases(
               .join(" · "),
           ],
         ]),
+        createdAt: createdYmd(header.created),
       },
     });
   }
 
-  scored.sort((a, b) => b.score - a.score);
+  scored.sort(compareHits);
   return {
     type: "stock_purchase",
     label: "Stock Orders",
@@ -1085,9 +1126,9 @@ export async function warmUniversalSearchCaches(): Promise<void> {
       loadReferenceRows(pb, "companies", COMPANY_FIELDS),
       loadReferenceRows(pb, "customers", CUSTOMER_FIELDS),
 
-      loadReferenceRows(pb, "stock_items", "id,name,sku,description,unit,current_qty,cost_price,selling_price"),
-      loadReferenceRows(pb, "purchase_orders", "id,po_number,status,total_amount,order,supplier"),
-      loadReferenceRows(pb, "stock_purchases", "id,purchase_number,status,supplier,ordered_value"),
+      loadReferenceRows(pb, "stock_items", "id,name,sku,description,unit,current_qty,cost_price,selling_price,created"),
+      loadReferenceRows(pb, "purchase_orders", "id,po_number,status,total_amount,order,supplier,created"),
+      loadReferenceRows(pb, "stock_purchases", "id,purchase_number,status,supplier,ordered_value,created"),
       loadReferenceRows(
         pb,
         "stock_purchase_items",
@@ -1156,7 +1197,7 @@ export async function universalSearch(
           // detail page in this app — POs are reviewed from inside the
           // order — so the parent order is the hit's destination, with
           // the PDF as the fallback for an orphaned PO.
-          fields: "id,po_number,status,total_amount,order,supplier",
+          fields: "id,po_number,status,total_amount,order,supplier,created",
           score: (r, q) =>
             bestScore(
               [
@@ -1182,8 +1223,9 @@ export async function universalSearch(
                   "Value",
                   r.total_amount ? `R ${r.total_amount}` : "",
                 ],
-                ["Created", r.created ? String(r.created).slice(0, 10) : ""],
+                ["Created", createdYmd(r.created)],
               ]),
+              createdAt: createdYmd(r.created),
             };
           },
         },
@@ -1219,6 +1261,7 @@ export async function universalSearch(
             subtitle: r.email ? String(r.email) : undefined,
             href: `/suppliers/${r.id}`,
             matchedOn: "supplier",
+            createdAt: createdYmd(r.created),
             preview: previewRows([
               ["Supplier", r.suppliername],
               ["Email", r.email],
@@ -1255,6 +1298,7 @@ export async function universalSearch(
             subtitle: r.address ? String(r.address) : undefined,
             href: `/companies/${r.id}`,
             matchedOn: "company",
+            createdAt: createdYmd(r.created),
             preview: previewRows([
               ["Company", r.company],
               ["Address", clip(r.address, 90)],
@@ -1291,6 +1335,7 @@ export async function universalSearch(
             subtitle: r.email ? String(r.email) : undefined,
             href: `/customers/${r.id}`,
             matchedOn: "customer",
+            createdAt: createdYmd(r.created),
             preview: previewRows([
               ["Customer", r.customer],
               ["Email", r.email],
@@ -1322,7 +1367,7 @@ export async function universalSearch(
           type: "stock_item",
           label: "Stock Items",
           collection: "stock_items",
-          fields: "id,name,sku,description,unit,current_qty,cost_price,selling_price",
+          fields: "id,name,sku,description,unit,current_qty,cost_price,selling_price,created",
           score: (r, q) =>
             bestScore(
               [
@@ -1338,6 +1383,7 @@ export async function universalSearch(
             subtitle: r.sku ? String(r.sku) : undefined,
             href: `/stock/${r.id}`,
             matchedOn: r.sku ? "SKU" : "item",
+            createdAt: createdYmd(r.created),
             preview: previewRows([
               ["Item", r.name],
               ["SKU", r.sku],