A specialized IT recruitment agency in the Netherlands charges between 18 and 25 percent of gross annual salary in 2026, with the market averaging around 22 percent. Executive search runs higher, at 25 to 33 percent. For a senior engineer at 95,000 euros, that works out to 17,000 to 24,000 euros per placement. Renforza charges 19 percent, so 18,050 euros at that salary, and only if the hire actually happens.
That’s the short answer. The longer one is about what sits inside that percentage, what doesn’t, and why the number at the top of the quote is rarely your most expensive line item.
Which pricing models will you run into?
Four, in practice, and they differ less in price than in who carries the risk.
| Model | Rate | When you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Contingency (no cure, no pay) | 18 - 25% of gross annual salary | only on a successful placement |
| Engaged search | 3,000 - 5,000 euros upfront, rest on placement | partly upfront |
| Retained / executive search | 25 - 33%, in three installments | two thirds before the hire starts |
| Contract staffing | 75 - 175 euros an hour, 10 - 20% margin | monthly, for as long as the assignment runs |
Contingency is the norm in the Dutch IT market. You pay only when someone starts, so the agency carries the entire search risk. That shows up in behavior: agencies working this way send CVs fast, because their model rewards volume. That’s the trap built into the model.
Engaged search splits the difference: a modest commitment upfront, the rest on placement. What you buy upfront isn’t a guarantee, it’s attention, and it filters out the searches a client doesn’t really believe in.
Retained search belongs to roles where a bad hire is expensive: a CTO, a first engineering manager, a confidential replacement. You pay two thirds before anyone starts. That feels uncomfortable, which is exactly the point. Both sides are committed.
Contract staffing isn’t a fee at all, it’s an hourly rate, and that makes it a different kind of decision. The math on that one lives in contract staffing or permanent placement.
What’s included in the fee, and what isn’t?
A normal placement fee covers the search, the outreach, the shortlisting, the scheduling, and shepherding the process through to signature. That’s labor, and for a scarce profile it’s a lot of labor: dozens of approaches for a handful of conversations.
What usually isn’t included, and what you should ask about explicitly:
Assessments and background checks. Often billed separately, sometimes at cost, sometimes with a markup.
Replacement if the hire leaves early. Nearly every agency offers something here, but the shape varies wildly. Free replacement inside a window, pro-rata refund, or a 50 percent credit note. At Renforza it’s a free replacement within ninety days, no fine print.
Holiday allowance and bonus in the base. “Gross annual salary” isn’t a legal term. Some agencies count twelve monthly salaries, others fold in holiday allowance, a thirteenth month, and expected bonus. That difference is worth roughly eight percent on the final invoice. Always ask what the fee is calculated on, not just what the percentage is.
Your own hours. The biggest invisible line item. Even with an agency, a good process costs you and your team real time: intake, interviews, technical assessment, decision making. An agency shortens your search. It doesn’t take over your selection.
Why is the fee rarely the expensive part?
Because the expensive part is the wrong hire, and that never appears on a quote.
Run the numbers. A senior engineer who leaves after four months costs you the fee you paid, plus four months of salary and employer charges, plus the onboarding time of two colleagues, plus the roadmap slip, plus the entire search again. At a salary of 95,000 euros that easily reaches several times the original fee. The gap between 19 and 22 percent is noise at that scale.
The same holds on the other side: a role that stays open for six months costs money too, you just never see the invoice. For specialized IT roles, six to twelve weeks to hire is normal, and senior or scarce profiles run longer. Those figures come largely from recruitment firms themselves, so build in margin, but the order of magnitude matches what we see in practice.
Why does Renforza charge 19 percent?
Because we want to sit at the bottom of the band for specialized IT recruitment while our track record is still short. That’s an honest position, not a gimmick. We were founded in May 2026, and a lower fee is what we put up against that youth. Once the track record is there, the rate goes up. We’d rather say that now than afterward.
What you get for it is deliberately narrow. We work only with Dutch IT scale-ups of 15 to 75 people, we qualify every search upfront with our MATCHED framework, and we say no when a role can’t be filled on the terms as stated. An agency that never turns work down is eventually selling you its own revenue problem.
What should you ask an agency before you sign?
Five questions, and the answers tell you more than the percentage does.
What exactly is the fee calculated on: twelve monthly salaries, or salary including holiday allowance and bonus? What happens if the candidate leaves within three months, and is that in writing? How many searches did you decline last year, and why? Who actually does the sourcing, the person in this room or someone I’ll never speak to? And: what would have to be true for you to tell me this role isn’t fillable?
That last one is the best filter there is. An agency without an answer hasn’t qualified your search. It has simply accepted it.
What does this mean for your budget?
Plan on 18 to 25 percent of gross annual salary for a senior IT role at a specialized agency, and 25 to 33 percent once it’s a leadership or confidential search. Put the percentage next to the calculation base, the guarantee period, and the question of who carries the search risk. Those three together determine what you actually pay.
Want to know what a specific role costs in your situation, including the line items that normally stay off the quote? Take a look at our page for employers and book an intake. We’ll do the math out loud, even when the answer is that you don’t need us.
More from this cluster: contract staffing or permanent placement, and hiring an agency or recruiting in house. Looking nearshore? See what a nearshore developer costs.
