Can a recruiter ask me to pay before starting work?
No. Legitimate recruiters and employers never require you to pay fees, deposits, or 'equipment' costs to get hired.
Last reviewed: 1 August 2026
Explanation
No. The direction of money in legitimate employment only ever runs one way: the employer pays you. Any request to pay before starting work — for training materials, a laptop or 'equipment kit', a background check, visa processing, uniform, or an 'onboarding' or 'registration' fee — is a defining mark of a job scam, whatever plausible-sounding reason is attached. Real employers absorb these costs as part of hiring, and licensed recruiters are paid by the companies they recruit for, not by candidates. The fee-based version simply takes your money for a job that never existed, often returning with a second 'unexpected' charge if you pay the first. The task-scam version is subtler: you 'earn' commissions on a dashboard, then must deposit your own money to unlock withdrawals that never come. If you've been asked to pay, stop contact, report the listing to the job platform, and if you already paid, contact your bank straight away — and don't be embarrassed; these listings are professionally produced and fool a lot of careful people.
Common red flags
- Upfront fees, deposits, or equipment costs to start
- Pay-to-withdraw 'earnings'
- Pressure to pay quickly to secure the role
- Unverifiable employer
What to do now
- Don't pay anything to get a job
- Verify the employer through official channels
- Report the listing; contact your bank if you paid
Frequently asked questions
What about paying for my own certification?
Choosing to get a qualification is different from an employer requiring you to pay them to start a specific job. Mandatory upfront payments to a 'hirer' are a scam.
The employer says the fee is refundable after I start. Is that OK?
No. The 'refundable' promise is part of the script — the refund never arrives, and a second 'unexpected' charge often follows the first. Legitimate employers do not take deposits from new hires at all.