How much do recruitment agencies charge in the UK?
What the percentage fee costs in pounds, what you get for it, and when a fixed fee is the better buy.
Most UK recruitment agencies charge a percentage of the new hire's first-year salary, usually between 15% and 25% for a permanent role. On a £35,000 salary that is £5,250 to £8,750 for one hire. Senior and specialist roles can go higher. Some agencies, including us, charge a fixed fee instead: ours is from £1,999, agreed up front, no percentage, no success fee.
This guide sets out what the percentage model costs in pounds, what you get for it, and when a fixed fee is the better buy. It is written by a recruiter, so read the comparison with that in mind. The numbers are the numbers either way.
What the percentage fee costs in pounds
The fee is a share of salary, so it moves with the pay packet and not with the work. Here is the range for three common salary bands.
| Salary | 15% fee | 20% fee | 25% fee | Workvine fixed fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £4,500 | £6,000 | £7,500 | from £2,999 |
| £40,000 | £6,000 | £8,000 | £10,000 | from £2,999 |
| £50,000 | £7,500 | £10,000 | £12,500 | from £3,999 |
A £29,999 salary sits in our lowest band at from £1,999. The full bands are on the pricing page.
How the percentage model works
Most agencies work on a contingency basis. You pay nothing unless they fill the role, and the invoice lands when the candidate starts. The fee covers the advert, the search, the screening, the shortlist, interview arranging and offer handling. Many agencies include a rebate period, often 4 to 12 weeks, where part of the fee comes back if the candidate leaves early. Some offer a free replacement instead. Ask which, and get it in writing.
Retained search is the other model, used for senior roles. The agency works on the role exclusively and the fee is paid in stages during the search rather than when someone starts. The total is usually at the top of the percentage range or above it.
What you are paying for
The work behind a permanent hire is the same whether the salary is £28,000 or £48,000. A brief, a written advert, posting across the boards, searching the CV databases, screening the applications, phone or video conversations with the best of them, a shortlist, interview scheduling and an offer to negotiate. The time involved varies with how hard the role is to fill, not with what it pays.
That is the question to ask about any fee: what does the work actually cost, and does the price reflect it?
Why fees have stayed where they are
The percentage model dates from a time when finding candidates meant a filing cabinet of CVs, a phone and a lot of hours. The tools have changed. Multi-board posting, CV database search, applicant tracking and video screening have made the finding part faster and cheaper to do well. The percentage has not moved with it. On most roles the fee is now a long way from the cost of the work.
When a percentage fee makes sense
There are times when it does. A one-off senior or niche hire where you want an agency carrying the risk of not finding anyone, and you are happy to pay for that insurance. A confidential replacement. A role where you have no capacity to be involved at all. If that is you, pay the percentage and judge the agency on the shortlist.
When a fixed fee makes sense
If you hire more than once a year, if the roles are in the £25,000 to £60,000 range where the percentage fee is most out of step with the work, or if you want to know the cost before you start, a fixed fee is the better buy. You get the same process. Ours is ten steps: a detailed brief call, a branded advert in your name, multi-board posting, active sourcing from CV databases, screening every application with a reply to every applicant, a shortlist with notes, structured Teams video interviews, interview scheduling, offer and negotiation support, and a named consultant from brief to hire. The fee is agreed up front, before we start. A campaign runs for 4 to 6 weeks and that is the window we work to for a placement; a harder role may need a different kind of campaign, and we say so at the brief. On a difficult role any extras (sourcing, social media advertising, job board budget) are priced up front too, so nothing is added later. The candidates and the pipeline are yours.
The third option: do it yourself
If the role is easy to fill and you have someone to manage the applications, you may not need an agency at all. One advert on around ten UK job boards costs £399 with us and runs for 28 days. You write it, you manage the replies in the system we give you, and every applicant gets an automatic response. Our guide to DIY recruitment covers when that is enough and when it is not.
Questions to ask before you sign
- What is the fee as a percentage, and of what: basic salary, or salary plus car and bonus?
- When is it invoiced?
- What is the rebate or replacement term, in weeks, and does it cover resignation and dismissal?
- Is the search exclusive, and for how long?
- Who owns the candidate data afterwards?
- If the role is pulled, is anything payable?
Any agency worth using will answer all six without hesitation.
Weighing up all three routes? Read Agency, fixed fee or DIY recruitment? Which one, for which hire.
Want your own number? Our one-page sheet adds up last year's fees, hours and empty weeks: get the sheet.
Common questions.
Usually 15% to 25% of the new hire's first-year salary for a permanent placement. Senior and specialist roles can be higher. Some agencies charge a fixed fee instead.
At 15% to 25%, £4,500 to £7,500. A fixed fee for the same role is from £2,999 with Workvine, or from £1,999 for a salary under £30,000.
Not on a contingency basis: the fee is only due when a candidate starts. Retained search is paid in stages during the search whether or not the role is filled. A fixed fee is agreed up front, before the search starts.
A set number of weeks, often 4 to 12, during which part of the fee is refunded if the hire leaves. Some agencies offer a free replacement instead. Check which, and whether it covers dismissal as well as resignation.
For most roles between £25,000 and £60,000, yes, and the price is known before the search starts. For a one-off senior hire where you want the agency to carry the risk, a percentage fee can still make sense.
With Workvine: a detailed brief call, a branded advert, multi-board posting, active sourcing, screening with a reply to every applicant, a shortlist with notes, Teams video interviews, interview scheduling, offer support and a named consultant. Extras on a difficult role are priced up front too.
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