Can a legitimate employer ask me to pay a fee before I can start a job?
No. Legitimate employers pay you — they never charge fees for hiring, training materials, background checks, or equipment before you start work.
Last reviewed: 10 June 2026
Explanation
In a genuine employment relationship, all onboarding costs are borne by the employer. Background checks, training, uniforms, and equipment are employer expenses. Even where a worker eventually purchases their own tools or pays for professional certifications, this is done on the worker's initiative through independent providers — not as a precondition of being hired.
Advance-fee job scams use convincing fake job postings, professional-looking offer letters, and plausible reasons for the upfront payment: registration fees, clearance fees, insurance bonds, visa processing charges, or the cost of a work-from-home kit that is 'mailed to you after payment.' Once you pay, communication ceases or the fraudster invents more fees.
Be especially cautious with jobs that were unsolicited, pay unusually high wages for simple tasks, and request payment through untraceable methods like wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift cards. Legitimate recruiters and employers always provide verifiable contact details, registered business addresses, and references you can independently check.
Research any company name through official business registries and search engines before providing personal information or money. If you found the job through a job board, report suspicious postings so they can be removed.
Common red flags
- Asked to pay a registration, processing, or clearance fee before starting
- Offer arrived unsolicited via email, text, or social media
- Salary is unusually high for unspecified or simple remote work
- Company cannot be verified through official business registries
- Payment demanded by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency
- Offer letter contains spelling errors or generic branding
- Interviewer only communicates via messaging app, never video or phone
What to do now
- Refuse the payment request and do not send any money
- Research the company through official registries and independent search
- Contact the supposed employer through independently verified contact details
- Report the job posting to the platform where you found it
- Report the scam to your national employment or consumer protection agency
- Warn others by leaving a review on job sites if appropriate
Frequently asked questions
What about paying for my own professional certifications before a job?
Some industries require workers to hold certifications before applying. However, reputable employers always specify this in the job ad and never collect the certification fee themselves. You should pay accredited institutions directly, not the hiring company.
Is a refundable deposit for equipment ever legitimate?
Genuine employers occasionally require equipment deposits for expensive items, processed through payroll or formal HR paperwork — never by gift card or personal bank transfer. Any request for a deposit before your first day via an informal payment method is a red flag.