Updated September 2026
A fixed-fee recruiter charges a set amount per hire that is agreed before the search starts, instead of a percentage of the new hire's salary. The fee does not change if the offer goes up during negotiation, so you know the full cost of the hire on day one. Funded.club's fixed fees run from $4,900 to $21,900 per hire, averaging 6 to 9% of salary.
The defining feature of a fixed fee is when the number is set, not how small it is. A percentage fee is only known once the offer is signed. A fixed fee is known at kick-off. Everything else about the model, from budgeting to the recruiter's incentives, follows from that one difference.
Recruiting is usually paid for in one of four ways. Retained search firms charge a percentage of pay and bill in stages while the search runs. Contingency recruiters charge a percentage of pay once someone is hired. Job boards charge for listings and leave the screening to you. A fixed-fee recruiter runs the search and charges an amount agreed upfront.
Each model has its place. Retained search suits a confidential board-level appointment. Contingency can work for a role where several firms compete to fill it quickly. A job board works when your brand already draws strong applicants and you have time to screen. A fixed fee suits founders who want one recruiter doing the work and a cost they can put in the plan.
Fixed fees are often priced in salary bands, so a junior hire and a senior hire don't cost the same. Here are Funded.club's bands with one illustrative salary in each, next to what a 20 to 25% contingency fee would be for that same salary.
| Salary band | Fixed fee | Example salary | Fixed fee as % of it | 20 to 25% contingency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to $70,000 | $4,900 | $65,000 | 7.5% | $13,000 to $16,250 |
| Up to $110,000 | $7,500 | $105,000 | 7.1% | $21,000 to $26,250 |
| Up to $150,000 | $11,500 | $140,000 | 8.2% | $28,000 to $35,000 |
| Above $150,000 | $15,900 to $21,900 | $200,000 | 8.0% to 11.0% | $40,000 to $50,000 |
Take the product designer in the second row. On a $105,000 offer, the fixed fee is $7,500. If the candidate negotiates up to $110,000, it is still $7,500. Under a 25% contingency fee, the same negotiation adds $1,250 to the invoice. The example salaries are illustrative, so check current pricing against your own roles.
"Fixed fee" is used loosely, and not every offer that carries the label works the same way. These four questions tell you what you are actually buying.
A provider that answers all four clearly is offering a fixed fee in the sense that matters for your budget.
Fixed fees pay off most when you have several hires to make after a round, when salaries are rising faster than you planned, or when you want to be sure your recruiter is focused on fit rather than on the size of the offer. They make less difference for a single junior hire you could fill from a job post in a week. For a broader view of the models, read our guide to fractional recruiting, RPO and recruitment agencies.
We're a fixed-fee recruiting partner for funded startups and fast-growing teams across North America, Europe and APAC. Since 2019 we've helped 500+ startups from Seed to Series D hire across engineering, product, sales, marketing, operations, customer success and leadership.
Part of our fee is an advance at the start of the search, with the balance due when your candidate accepts the offer. If we don't deliver a shortlist of at least 3 qualified candidates within 30 days, you can claim the advance back in full, and first-time customers can ask to defer the advance until they see their first candidates. One dedicated recruiter runs each search end to end. First screened candidates arrive within 7 days, and the average time from kick-off to hire is 33 days.
A fixed-fee recruiter charges a set amount per hire, agreed before the search starts, instead of a percentage of salary. Funded.club's fixed fees run from $4,900 to $21,900 per hire.
Usually, yes. Contingency fees are typically 20 to 25% of salary, while Funded.club's fixed fees average 6 to 9%. For a $140,000 hire, that is $28,000 to $35,000 against $11,500.
The terms are often used for the same thing, a set price agreed upfront. Check whether the price varies by salary band and what happens if no suitable candidates are found.
It depends on the provider. With Funded.club, part of the fee is an advance at the start of the search and the balance is paid when your candidate accepts the offer.
Worth a brief chat about your next hire? Book a free call.