How much do recruitment agencies charge in the UK?
Recruitment agency fees in the UK are almost always charged as a percentage of the successful candidate's first-year base salary — not a flat amount. For most permanent tech roles that percentage lands somewhere between 15% and 25%, with the top of that range reserved for senior, niche or hard-to-fill positions.
On a £70,000 developer role, a 20% fee is £14,000. That single number is why hiring managers wince at agency invoices, and why it's worth understanding exactly what drives the figure — and what your alternatives are.
The standard percentage (and what moves it)
The headline range for contingency recruitment is roughly 15–25% of first-year salary, with 20% being the common middle. Agencies flex the number based on how hard the role is to fill, how senior it is, how exclusive your relationship is, and how many hires you're committing to. A single senior security hire will cost a higher percentage than a batch of five mid-level developers placed with the same agency.
Because the fee is a percentage, it scales with salary — the more you pay the hire, the more you pay the agency, even though the work of finding them isn't meaningfully harder. That's the structural quirk that makes senior tech hiring so expensive through traditional agencies.
Contingency vs retained: two very different models
Contingency recruitment is the default for most tech roles: you pay nothing until the agency's candidate is hired, and you can run several agencies against the same role at once. It's low-commitment, but it means agencies are incentivised for speed and volume rather than fit — they only get paid if their CV wins the race.
Retained search is used mainly for executive and very senior roles. You pay a portion of the fee up front (often split into thirds — on signing, on shortlist, on placement), the agency works the role exclusively, and the total cost is usually higher. You're buying dedicated effort and a guaranteed process rather than a lottery ticket.
What the fee actually pays for
At its best, an agency fee buys you sourcing (reaching candidates who aren't applying to job boards), screening, and a managed process — CV filtering, first-round conversations, scheduling, and offer negotiation. For a busy team with no in-house recruiter, that time saving is real.
At its worst, you're paying 20% of salary for a lightly-filtered CV forward and a lot of chasing. The quality varies enormously between agencies and even between individual recruiters, which is why so many companies end up frustrated with the value-for-money equation.
Watch the small print: rebates and off-limits clauses
Most agency terms include a rebate (or 'clawback') period — if the hire leaves within, say, 8–12 weeks, you get a partial refund or a free replacement. Read exactly how it's tapered; some rebates shrink fast and many exclude resignations you 'caused'.
Terms often also include an 'off-limits' clause preventing the agency from poaching the person they placed with you (for a period), and an ownership window that lets them claim a fee if you hire any candidate they introduced within 6–12 months — even via another route. These clauses are negotiable, but only before you sign.
How to pay less without losing quality
There are a few honest ways to reduce recruitment cost: build an in-house sourcing capability (worth it at volume, expensive to start), lean on employee referrals (cheap and high-quality, but limited by your network's size), or use a flat-fee or fixed-price service instead of a percentage.
Flat-fee and percentage-capped platforms are the middle path: you still get access to candidates and a managed introduction, but the cost doesn't balloon with salary. Get Me A Techie, for example, is free to post and browse and charges a flat 10% of first-year salary only when you actually hire — roughly half a typical agency fee, with nothing to pay if no hire happens. See our pricing for the full breakdown, or read how it works for companies.
Frequently asked questions
Is the recruitment fee based on base salary or total package?
Almost always base salary. Bonuses, equity and benefits are usually excluded, but check the terms — some agencies define 'salary' to include a guaranteed bonus.
Do I pay a recruitment fee if the candidate doesn't work out?
Contingency fees are only due on a hire, and most agencies offer a rebate if the person leaves within a short window. The exact terms vary, so read the rebate clause before signing.
Can I negotiate a recruitment agency's percentage?
Yes. Percentages are negotiable, especially if you offer exclusivity, a volume commitment, or a retained arrangement. It's much easier to negotiate before you sign terms than after a placement.
Tech recruitment without the noise
Free to join for techies and companies. Anonymous until it matters, and a flat 10% only when a hire actually happens.