How much do recruitment agencies charge in Ireland?

Recruitment agency fees in Ireland are normally a percentage of the new hire's first year pay, charged when the hire is made, with a guarantee that returns part of the fee if the person leaves early. Very few agencies publish their rates. The clearest public example, one large agency's Irish terms of business effective 1 March 2025, charges 22% to 27% depending on the guarantee, and it is one data point, not a market average.

Why a straight answer is hard to find

How much do recruitment agencies charge in Ireland? Most will tell you only when you ask for terms. A review on 6 October 2026 of the public employer pages of eight other large agencies operating in Ireland found no fees, guarantee period or time to hire stated on any of them. That covers web pages only, not private proposals, and no industry benchmark for the average fee was found.

So the figures below come from one source: the published Irish terms of one large agency, which we do not name. Two versions are public. This article uses the one stated to take effect on 1 March 2025. An older version, effective 1 October 2019, shows lower percentages for the same guarantee lengths, so published figures differ, and neither was confirmed with the agency as current.

Permanent placements

For permanent hires, the 1 March 2025 terms set three service levels at 22%, 25% and 27%. The detail around the percentage matters just as much.

• What it is applied to. Not base salary, but total first year gross remuneration including commission, bonuses and benefits, with a company car counted at a minimum of €5,000.
• Minimum and payment. The minimum fee is €2,000 and invoices are payable within 14 days.
• Other triggers. A 50% cancellation fee applies if the employer withdraws an offer the candidate has accepted, and the fee is still due if the employer engages an introduced candidate within one year.

The same terms list a 17% service for certain business support, administration, hospitality and facilities roles under €35,000, with a €500 deposit that is not refunded and no guarantee.

Contract, temp and retained search

Under the same terms, fixed term contracts of up to 6 months are charged at 50% of the permanent fee. For temps and contractors, an agency normally bills an hourly or daily rate that covers the worker's pay plus the agency's margin. No reliable published figure for Irish temp or contract margins was found, so we do not quote one. Ask for the pay rate and the margin to be shown separately.

Retained search is paid in stages. The agency's earlier terms, effective 1 October 2019, describe a retainer that is not refundable, due on signing, with the balance of the permanent fee due when the candidate starts.

Rebate or replacement: what the guarantee covers

A rebate returns some or all of the fee if the hire leaves within a set period. A replacement means the agency searches again without a new fee, but no money comes back. In the 1 March 2025 terms the guarantee is a rebate on a sliding scale, and its length depends on the fee level.

• 22% level: 8 weeks. 100% rebate if the hire leaves in the first 2 weeks, 50% up to week 8.
• 25% level: 12 weeks. 100% in the first 4 weeks, 50% up to week 12.
• 27% level: 6 months. 100% in the first 6 weeks, 50% from week 6 to week 26.

So a guarantee described as 6 months returns the whole fee only if the person leaves in the first 6 weeks.

What can void a guarantee

Under the same terms the guarantee is void if the invoice was not paid on time, or if the agency was not told in writing within 7 days that the person had left. It excludes redundancy and a material change to the role. With payment due in 14 days, an invoice stuck in an approval queue can cost you the guarantee.

Questions to ask before you sign terms

These apply to any agency, FH included.

• Is the fee calculated on base salary or on total pay including bonus and benefits?
• Is the guarantee a rebate or a replacement, how long does it run, and how much comes back at each stage?
• What must I do to claim, by when, and what cancels or excludes it, including late payment?
• What do I owe if I withdraw an offer, or later hire someone you introduced?
• For contract work, what is the margin, and what applies if I take the person on permanently?
• For retained search, what is paid at each stage, and is any of it refundable?
• Do you hold a current employment agency licence?

The Workplace Relations Commission states that an employment agency must hold a licence to carry on business. This article does not set out FH Recruitment's own terms: FH confirms its fee, what it is calculated on and its guarantee in writing before any work begins. This is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice, so confirm the details with the relevant authority or an adviser.

Sources

Research for this article was completed on 6 October 2026.

• One large recruitment agency's published Irish terms of business, version effective 1 March 2025 (agency not named). An earlier version, effective 1 October 2019, was also read.
• Review of the public employer pages of eight other large agencies operating in Ireland, 6 October 2026
• Workplace Relations Commission, guidance on employment agencies