What do UK recruitment agencies charge?

What do UK recruitment agencies actually charge?

The honest answer is: it depends on the model. There are three main ways to pay for recruitment in the UK, and each suits a different situation.

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1. Contingency agency (the traditional model)

A contingency agency does the work speculatively and charges a percentage of the candidate's first-year salary — only if you hire. The market rate is typically 15–25% of first-year salary, though this varies by sector and seniority. For a £45,000 role that could mean £6,750–£11,250, usually subject to VAT.

Contingency works well when you are not in a hurry, want zero upfront risk, and are willing to pay a premium for a successful placement. The trade-off is that the agency controls the process, the candidate relationship, and often the pace.

We are not a contingency agency. If that model suits you better, use one — there are hundreds to choose from.

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2. Flat-fee managed search

You pay a fixed fee and a recruiter handles sourcing, screening, and presenting shortlisted candidates. The fee does not rise with salary. Our managed-search fees, all quoted ex-VAT, are:

For roles above £79,999 we operate differently — see our executive search page.

If the role is not filled, we provide a 100% refund — no quibble, no partial credit. That is the guarantee, stated plainly.

Across 46 filled roles spanning 18 sectors, the median time to fill was 42 days (middle half: 29–68 days; fastest: 14 days; slowest: 169 days). To fill those roles we sourced and screened 1,542 candidates, presented 235 to clients, and 51 were hired. The median number of candidates worked per role was 26. These are the real figures — you can see the full breakdown on our recruitment data page.

Flat-fee suits employers who want cost certainty, especially for roles above £30,000 where a percentage fee becomes expensive fast.

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3. Job advertising (self-serve or managed)

If you can screen applicants yourself, advertising the role and handling the shortlisting is the cheapest route. Our advertising packages are:

See the full detail on our post a job page and our how advertising works page.

This is the cheapest option if the role is straightforward and you have time to sift applications. It is not the right choice if the role is specialist, the talent pool is small, or you need someone in post quickly.

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Which model is right for your hire?

There is no universally correct answer. A few honest pointers:

• Advertising only is often sufficient for junior, high-volume, or widely available roles.
• Flat-fee managed search makes sense when you want professional screening but find percentage fees hard to justify.
• Contingency agency suits situations where you genuinely want to pay nothing if the search fails, and where the salary is low enough that 15–25% is not punishing.

If you are unsure whether to advertise yourself or use a recruiter, the answers section of this site covers that question directly.

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A note on VAT

All UK recruitment fees are subject to VAT at the standard rate unless you are dealing with a non-registered supplier. Prices on this page are always quoted ex-VAT with "+VAT" shown. Check whether any quote you receive elsewhere is ex-VAT or inclusive — it makes a meaningful difference to your budget. There is more detail on this at our VAT on recruitment fees answer page.

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If you want to talk through your role before committing to anything, call us on 0161 327 2895.

FAQs

Do I pay a recruitment agency if I don't hire anyone? With a contingency agency, no — their fee is only due if you make a hire. With a flat-fee managed-search service like ours, you pay upfront, but if the role is not filled you receive a 100% refund. With job advertising packages, the advertising fee is non-refundable regardless of outcome, because the service — placing your advert — has been delivered.

How long does it usually take a UK recruitment agency to fill a role? Across the 46 roles we have filled and publish data on, the median time to fill was 42 days. The middle half of roles filled in 29–68 days. The fastest was 14 days; the slowest took 169 days. Time to fill varies significantly by sector, salary, and how quickly the employer can interview and decide. You can see the full figures at talentfinderuk.co.uk/recruitment-data.

Are flat-fee recruitment agencies as good as traditional contingency agencies? It depends what you mean by 'good'. A flat-fee service is not inherently better or worse — it is a different commercial arrangement. The recruiter's effort and candidate quality should be equivalent. The meaningful difference is cost certainty versus no-hire, no-fee. For roles above £35,000–£40,000, the maths usually favours a flat fee. For very junior roles or those where you genuinely cannot afford to pay anything upfront, a contingency agency may be the more practical choice.

What sectors do you cover? We have filled roles across 18 sectors including engineering, construction, accountancy and finance, legal, IT and technology, manufacturing, transport and logistics, care, charity, insurance and financial services, and several others. You can browse by sector at talentfinderuk.co.uk/recruitment.