Reverse Recruiting Cost Calculator
Compare reverse recruiters on what actually matters when you are deciding whether to spend: total cost for your scenario, the money you would lose if no offer ever lands, how many weeks of your pay the fee equals, and what your reclaimed search time is worth.
Every provider quotes a price. Almost none frame the real question: if the search does not work, how much of that money do you actually lose? A flat fee with a 50% refund clause, a non-refundable monthly retainer, and a performance model that only charges a retainer until you land all carry very different downside, even at the same headline price. This tool makes that downside the headline, next to the total cost, so you compare on risk, not just sticker.
Reverse recruiting cost calculator
Type your scenario. Every number below is arithmetic on your inputs and each provider's verified price. It says nothing about how well any provider works.
You hand off about 130 hours over this engagement, worth about $7,520, based on your inputs (your hours per week times the weeks times your hourly rate). Compare that against each provider's cost and money at risk.
| Provider | Model & refund | Total cost | Money at risk | Breakeven |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Career Agents Lowest money at riskFlat package verified 2026-09-11 | Flat-fee package 50% refund if no offer in 7 months | $6,993 to $14,999 | $3,497 to $7,500 | 3 to 6.5 weeks |
Find My Profession 3-month retainer verified 2026-09-11 | Monthly retainer Non-refundable retainer | $4,497 to $11,997 | $4,497 to $11,997 | 1.9 to 5.2 weeks |
Reverse Recruiting Agency Capped at 10% of salary verified 2026-09-11 | Retainer, capped at 10% Money back if under 9 interviews in 3 months | $12,000 | $4,500 to $7,500 | 5.2 weeks |
iCareerSolutions 3-month retainer verified 2026-09-11 | Flat monthly, capped Non-refundable, capped at 4 payments | $8,985 | $8,985 | 3.9 weeks |
How we calculate this▾
Total cost. Flat-fee providers show the done-for-you package range. Monthly retainers use your engagement months times the monthly rate (capped where a provider caps payments). Performance providers show the fee if an offer lands, capped at their percentage of your salary. The chip on each row states what its total is based on, since the months input drives retainers but not flat or performance models.
Money at risk is what you lose if no offer ever lands. Flat: the fee minus the refundable portion of its terms (for example, a 50% refund halves it). Monthly: every month you paid, since retainers rarely refund. Performance: only the monthly retainer you paid, because the success fee never triggers without an offer.
Breakeven divides the total cost by your weekly pay (salary divided by 52). It reads as: the engagement pays for itself if it shortens your search by that many weeks.
Reclaimed time is your hours per week times the weeks in the engagement, valued at your hourly rate (salary divided by 2,080). It is the same for every provider because it depends only on your inputs, and it is never a claim that a provider saves you time.
Estimates for comparison only, based on each provider's published pricing and the numbers you entered. Verify current terms and pricing directly with each provider before you commit. Empire Resume is independent editorial, and this is not financial advice.
How to read the results
Sort by money at risk first, because that is the number that changes most between pricing models and it is the one the providers themselves rarely lead with. Then look at breakeven: it tells you how many weeks your search would need to shorten for the fee to pay for itself out of salary earned sooner. If a fee equals five weeks of pay, the engagement only makes financial sense if you believe it saves you at least five weeks. That is a judgment you make, not one this tool makes for you.
For the full ranked comparison, the verified review data, and the guarantees behind each price, see our guide to the best reverse recruiters. For the pricing models explained in plain English, read what a reverse recruiter costs, and for the honest take on whether it is worth it at all, see is reverse recruiting worth it.
Frequently asked questions
How does the reverse recruiting cost calculator work?
It is pure arithmetic on two things: the numbers you type (your target salary, how many months you would engage a provider, and the hours a week you currently spend searching) and each provider’s verified published price. From those it shows your total cost for the scenario, your money at risk if no offer ever lands, the breakeven in weeks of your pay, and what your reclaimed search time is worth. It never estimates how likely you are to get hired or how well any provider performs.
Why does money at risk matter more than the sticker price?
Because the sticker price assumes the service works. Money at risk is what you actually lose in the bad case where no offer ever lands, and it varies a lot by pricing model. With a flat fee you lose the fee minus whatever portion is refundable. With a monthly retainer you lose every month you paid, since retainers rarely refund. With a performance model you lose only the monthly retainer, because the success fee never triggers without an offer. Two providers with the same headline price can put very different amounts of your money at risk.
What does performance-based pricing mean here?
It means part of the fee is tied to landing an offer. For example, one provider charges a monthly retainer that is credited against a success fee capped at 10% of your first-year salary, and refunds the first month when you are hired. So on success you pay the capped percentage, and if no offer lands you are only out the monthly retainer you paid. It lowers the money at risk relative to an open-ended retainer, which is why the calculator breaks it out separately.
Are the prices in the calculator current?
Each provider carries its own verified date in the tool, and we re-check pricing and reviews on the /best/reverse-recruiters page. Prices in this category change, and some providers do not publish pricing at all, in which case the tool asks you to enter the quote you were given rather than guessing. Always confirm the current terms directly with the provider before you commit.
Is this financial advice?
No. These are comparison estimates based on published pricing and the numbers you enter, to help you see the cost tradeoffs of your own scenario. Empire Resume is independent editorial and earns nothing from what you decide. Verify current terms with each provider, and treat the outputs as math on your inputs, not a recommendation.