Do Recruiters Charge Fees for Their Services? Staffing agencies do not charge fees to job seekers. Once you are hired, the company, not the job seeker, is responsible for paying the recruiter's fee. Additionally, no money is taken out of your salary, and recruiters receive no part of your pay. They also have no say in your pay rate or whether you will receive a job offer, which is all the decision of the client company. The client is responsible for the recruiter’s fee to compensate them for their work, which is entirely separate from the employee’s pay. Employers will only be charged a fee if the staffing firm fills their open positions. If you choose to hire one of the people the recruiter finds and presents to you, you will be charged a fee once they start work. The fee percentage is agreed to in advance and typically calculated based on the candidate's annual income or hourly rate. This means that high-paying or difficult-to-fill professions that require more expertise or effort to fill will typically have a higher fee. However, you owe nothing if you choose none of the recruiter's candidates. Allowing a recruiter to try to fill your available positions is risk-free if you're an employer because they only get paid if they are successful in their work. And if you’re an employee looking for work, using a staffing company is free!