This guide lays out the real fee bands in the Indian market, what sits behind each one, and how a founder should judge whether a fee is worth it. Treat the figures as current market ranges and replace them with Talhive's published bands before you rely on them.
How Search Fees Are Structured in India
Almost all search work in India is priced as a percentage of the hire's first-year cost to company. The two structures differ in when you pay and what you are paying for.
- Contingent: a success-only fee, paid as a percentage of CTC once a candidate joins. Nothing is owed if the role goes unfilled.
- Retained: a higher percentage split into installments across the search, in exchange for an exclusive, accountable process.
- Flat or fixed: occasionally used for volume or junior roles, decoupled from salary.
Contingent Fee Bands
| Role level | Fee (% of first-year CTC) | When paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-level engineering / product | 8.33% to 12.5% | On placement |
| Senior individual contributor | 12.5% to 16.66% | On placement |
| Specialized (AI, security, niche) | 16.66% to 25% | On placement |
Contingent fees look cheaper because the cost is concentrated in one visible invoice. The hidden cost is candidate quality variance and the screening time you absorb.
Retained Fee Bands
| Role level | Fee (% of first-year CTC) | Payment |
|---|---|---|
| Director / Head of function | 25% to 30% | Installments across search |
| VP / senior leadership | 28% to 33% | Installments across search |
| C-level / founding leadership | 30% to 35% | Installments across search |
A retained fee buys exclusivity and a defined process. For a leadership hire where the best candidates are off-market, that process is the product, not the candidate database.
What the Fee Actually Buys
Two firms quoting the same percentage can deliver very different value. The fee should cover a real market map, direct outreach to passive candidates, structured assessment against the role, and a replacement guarantee. If a fee covers only a database search and a CV forward, the percentage is too high regardless of the number.
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Book a Discovery Call →The right way to judge a fee is against the cost of getting the hire wrong. For a senior role, a mis-hire commonly costs 1.5 to 2 times salary once you count severance, lost momentum, and a re-run search. Seen against that, the gap between a contingent and a retained executive search fee is small. Our case studies show what that process delivers in practice.
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