How much does a recruitment agency cost in 2026? Fees, models, traps.

The short answer

Behind these ranges sit very different models, and it is the model, more than the percentage, that decides what you really pay.

The 4 billing models, in plain terms

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All amounts exclude VAT. French VAT at 20% applies, recoverable for most companies.

A percentage of what, exactly?

This is the point commercial proposals leave vague, and where the invoice moves. Three bases are in use:

• Fixed gross annual salary: the most favourable base for you, and the most readable.
• On-target package: fixed + variable at target. For a salesperson on €60,000 fixed and €30,000 variable, the base jumps from €60,000 to €90,000, i.e. 50% more fees at the same percentage.
• Total compensation: package + valued benefits (car, stock options, bonuses). Rare, but it exists.

Before comparing two agencies on their percentage, compare their base. 18% of total package often costs more than 22% of fixed salary.

What drives the price

• Profile scarcity. A senior developer on a scarce stack, a bilingual CFO with fundraising experience, a confidential profile to poach from a competitor: the narrower the pool, the higher the rate. It is the first factor.
• Salary level. The percentage is often degressive: 22% at €45,000, 18% at €120,000. Ask for the grid.
• Exclusivity. An exclusive mandate negotiates 2 to 5 points cheaper than one shared with three agencies, because the firm knows it will be paid if it succeeds.
• Volume. From three similar roles, the rate drops, or RPO becomes more cost-effective than search per unit.
• The guarantee. A 6-month replacement guarantee costs more than a 1-month one. It is worth what it covers: read the conditions, not the duration.
• The imposed deadline. A role to fill in three weeks mobilises more resources than one at three months. Some firms charge an urgency premium.

Simulator: what a hire costs by mode

Three salary levels, four ways to hire. Amounts are orders of magnitude excluding VAT, from the market ranges above.

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In-house cost includes job ads, sourcing licences, recruiter and manager time in interviews. It says nothing about the outcome: on a scarce profile, in-house can cost less and never close. To decide, see headhunting, RPO or in-house.

What fees include (and what they do not)

In a serious search engagement, the price covers:

• The brief with the hiring manager and the role scorecard
• Market mapping and sourcing by direct approach, where the profiles who never apply are
• Qualification interviews and a shortlist of 3 to 5 candidates with a written summary per profile
• Reference checks, support through negotiation and closing
• A replacement guarantee if the candidate leaves or is let go within a defined period, usually 3 months, sometimes up to the end of probation

What is almost never included unless stated: paid psychometric tests, drafting the employment contract, onboarding, and a refund if the hire fails (a guarantee gives you a new search, not a credit note). If an item from the list above is missing from the proposal, ask why.

The 6 contract traps

• The widened base. Fees calculated on on-target package or total compensation, presented as "the salary". Get "fixed gross annual salary" in writing.
• The guarantee that guarantees nothing. One month, or a guarantee conditional on payment within 30 days, or void if you change the job description. Require at least the length of the probation period, with readable conditions.
• Long exclusivity with no obligation of means. Six months of exclusivity with no deadline or reporting commitment is a blocked role. Exclusivity against a written commitment: first shortlist within 3 to 4 weeks, weekly check-in.
• Non-refundable deposits with no deliverable. In a retainer, each instalment must match a deliverable: mapping, shortlist, signature.
• The "introduced candidate" clause. Some contracts bill you if, within 12 to 24 months, you hire anyone the agency introduced, even for another role and even if you reconnected on your own. Cap the duration at 12 months and the scope to the mandated role.
• One-way non-solicitation. Check that the agency also commits not to poach from you during and after the engagement. It is the most often forgotten clause, and the most expensive when missing.

The 6 questions to ask before signing

• "On which base do you calculate your fees?" Fixed, package or total.
• "What is your guarantee, and under which conditions?" Duration, cases covered, what voids it.
• "Who actually works on my search?" The consultant who sells is not always the one who searches.
• "What is your time to first shortlist and your fill rate?" A serious firm has both numbers.
• "How will you approach candidates?" A reworded job ad or personalised direct approach: sourced candidates are close to 8 times more likely to be hired than inbound applicants (Gem, 2026). That is what you pay for.
• "What happens if I hire on my own during the mandate?" The answer tells you whether the contract is balanced.

Is it worth the cost?

The right comparison is not "fees versus zero", it is fees versus a vacant seat and versus a failed hire. Hiring a manager or professional takes 12 weeks on average in France (APEC, 2026). For a scale-up generating €150,000 of revenue per employee, each vacant day represents about €680 of value not produced: four weeks saved is €13,600, the order of magnitude of fees on a €60,000 role. And a failed hire costs between €30,000 and €150,000 depending on seniority (Manpower, HR Voice, Opensourcing, via Welcome to the Jungle).

In other words: on a common role your team knows how to fill, an agency is a luxury. On a rare, urgent or strategic role, it is often cheaper than the alternative. Headhunting produced 11% of hires of managers and professionals in 2025 (APEC, 2026): as a rule, these are the 11% a job ad would not have filled. For the detailed calculation, see reduce your time-to-hire.

And what does the candidate pay?

Nothing, ever. Article L5321-3 of the French Labour Code prohibits demanding any direct or indirect payment from a job seeker in exchange for a placement service. An "agency" that asks a candidate for money, for access to openings or an introduction, is breaking the law. Fees are always borne by the employer.

Our rates, since you are here

We think a guide about prices should state its own.

• Headhunting and direct approach: 20 to 25% of gross annual salary depending on profile scarcity, 100% success-based. No deposit, no set-up fee, invoiced when the candidate signs. No signature, no invoice. 3-month guarantee with a pro-rata refund of the remaining time if the candidate leaves or is let go during that period: where the market offers a new search, we give the money back.
• RPO, embedded recruiter: €600 to €800 excl. VAT per day, engagements of 3 to 12 months, 5 to 30+ hires, with written monthly targets and weekly reporting. The rate decreases with the length of commitment.
• Advisory (hiring process structuring, employer branding, employee experience): fixed fee, quoted after a scoping call.

What it includes: brief and scorecard, market mapping, personalised direct approach, structured interviews, shortlist with written summaries, references, closing, and a weekly check-in. What we decline: launching a search without a brief, presenting a candidate we have not spoken to, and mandates where the budget is out of line with the market. We prefer to say so upfront.