Recruitment agency fees in 2026: what a recruiter charges
Last updated · By the Scowter team
Short answer
Most recruitment agencies charge a percentage of the new hire's first-year salary. Published guides put contingency fees at about 15% to 25%, and retained search at about one-third. On a $100,000 hire that is $15,000 to $25,000 for contingency and about $33,000 for retained. Flat fee and RPO models charge a fixed amount.
How do recruitment agencies charge?
There are four common models. Contingency: a percentage, paid only if you hire. Retained: a percentage, paid in stages for a dedicated search. Flat fee: a fixed amount per hire or project. RPO, or recruitment process outsourcing: a provider runs part or all of your hiring for a per-hire or monthly charge.
There is no official fee table. The figures on this page come from one network's placement data, one company filing and recruiter and vendor guides. Each is named with its date.
What are typical fees in each model?
These are the ranges we could confirm from sources we opened on 12 November 2026.
| Model | Published figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Contingency | 15% to 25% of first-year salary, with 20% the most quoted | Pin, updated Oct 2026 |
| Contingency | 15% to 30% of first-year base salary | ISG Partners, June 2026 |
| Contingency, real placements | Average fee 21.5%, average fee $20,283, average starting salary $93,407 | Top Echelon Network data for 2018 |
| Retained | About one-third of first-year annual cash compensation | Korn Ferry annual report, fiscal 2019 |
| Retained | 25% to 35% of total first-year compensation | Pin, updated Oct 2026 |
| Flat fee | Typically $5,000 to $20,000 per hire | Pin, updated Oct 2026 |
| RPO | $3,000 to $10,000 or more per hire, or $8,000 to $15,000 a month | Pin, updated Oct 2026 |
How much does a recruiter charge for a $100K hire?
The table applies the published rates to a first-year salary of $100,000. It is arithmetic, not a quote. Your contract may use base salary or total cash pay, which changes the result.
| Model and rate | Fee on a $100,000 hire |
|---|---|
| Contingency at 15% | $15,000 |
| Contingency at 20% | $20,000 |
| Contingency at 25% | $25,000 |
| Retained at one-third | About $33,333 |
| Flat fee | The fixed amount you agreed. One guide gives a typical $5,000 to $20,000 |
What else changes the price?
The headline rate is only one part of the cost. Check these terms in every agreement:
- The fee base. Base salary only, or salary plus bonus and signing bonus.
- The replacement period. Pin says most contingency agreements include a period of typically 60 to 90 days in which the agency replaces the hire or refunds part of the fee if the person leaves.
- Payment timing. Contingency is due on hire. Retained is often billed in thirds. Korn Ferry notes the retained fee applies whether or not the position is filled.
- Exclusivity. A lower rate may be offered if one agency has the role alone.
- Volume. Several hires at once can lower the rate or make a flat fee the better choice.
Are recruiter fees negotiable?
Often, yes. ISG Partners states that contingency fees are negotiable. Agencies are more open to a lower rate when you give them exclusivity, several roles or fast feedback on candidates.
Be careful about pushing the rate very low. An agency that works many roles will give most time to the roles that pay best and move fastest. Clear terms and quick decisions can matter as much as the percentage.
How do agency fees compare with hiring in-house?
SHRM's 2025 benchmarking, released on 15 October 2025, put the average cost per hire at $5,475 for nonexecutive roles and $35,879 for executive roles. That is an average across all hiring methods. An agency fee on one mid-salary role is usually higher than that average. In return you save internal time and reach candidates you may not find yourself.
How Scowter helps
Scowter offers employers pre-vetted talent from a pool of candidates who are actively looking, for one flat success fee with no percentage commission. Profiles arrive in days. We do not list the fee here. Ask for it, then put it next to the percentage examples above.