Can recruiting fees be capitalized?
Emma Jordan
Published Apr 21, 2026
A recruitment fee is an current expense and would not be capitalized. It may produce a future benefit but the expense is in the year paid.
Should fees be capitalized?
All expenses incurred to bring an asset to a condition where it can be used is capitalized as part of the asset. They include expenses such as installation costs, labor charges if it needs to be built, transportation costs, etc. Capitalized costs are initially recorded on the balance sheet at their historical cost.
What does it mean to capitalize fees?
To capitalize is to record a cost or expense on the balance sheet for the purposes of delaying full recognition of the expense. In general, capitalizing expenses is beneficial as companies acquiring new assets with long-term lifespans can amortize or depreciate the costs.
What are recruiting expenses?
Internal recruiting costs are organizational costs and internal expenses, like recruiters’ salaries and money you spend on your referral program. External recruiting costs refer to every expense you pay outside of your company, like job board fees, agency fees and costs associated with a background check service.
Can placement fees be amortized?
Fees paid to the placement agent would also be considered a syndication expense. These expenses are not deductible for tax purposes when incurred, and they cannot be amortized.
How is recruitment cost calculated?
You can calculate your recruiting budget in two ways: Use your average cost per hire. Calculate it by adding the actual recruiting expenses from last year and divide by the number of hires you made. Then, multiply your average cost per hire by the number of hires you plan to make this year.
How are recruitment fees calculated?
How are permanent recruitment fees calculated? Fees are normally based on a percentage of the candidate’s annual salary. This percentage rises as the seniority of the role rises – as highly skilled roles tend to be more difficult to fill and involve a lengthier recruitment process.
Are placement fees deductible?
Placement fees are often not tax deductible by a manager, making the manager reluctant to bear such fees directly. The typical solution is for the fund to bear the placement fee, but require an offset against management fees of 100% of any placement agent fees paid by such fund.
How much are recruiting fees?
The standard recruiting fee for agencies is between 15% and 20% of the first-year salary for a permanent job the recruiter is filling. Some agencies may charge as much as 25% for hard-to-fill roles. Fees can vary significantly across industries, market conditions, and specialization of the position.
How expensive is recruiting?
A recent survey by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that the average cost per hire is just over $4,000. This number is the average across all the companies SHRM surveyed. However, several factors may affect each company’s individual average. For example, cost per hire depends on hiring volume.