Ask any recruiter what a split fee looks like and they’ll say 50/50. It’s the default, the industry standard, the starting point for every conversation.

But is it always fair? And when should you negotiate something different?

Why 50/50 is the default

The logic is simple: each agency contributes something essential that the other doesn’t have. One has the candidate. The other has the vacancy. Without both, there’s no placement. Equal contribution, equal share.

This framing works because it sidesteps the question of who did “more work”. Sourcing and qualifying a candidate takes effort. Winning and maintaining a client relationship takes effort. Arguing about whose effort was greater is subjective and unproductive. 50/50 cuts through that.

It also makes the conversation easy. When two agencies are exploring a potential collaboration, spending time negotiating the split is friction that can kill the deal before it starts. “50/50, standard terms” removes that friction entirely.

When 50/50 doesn’t fit

There are legitimate situations where a different split makes sense:

The vacancy side does significantly more work

If the vacancy-side agency manages the entire process (coordinating interviews, negotiating the offer, handling onboarding, managing the client through objections), they’re doing more than just providing access to a client. A 60/40 split (in their favour) can reflect this.

The candidate is exceptionally hard to find

If the candidate-side agency has sourced someone genuinely rare (a niche skill set, a passive candidate who took months to engage, a senior executive), the difficulty of finding that person justifies a higher share. Again, 60/40 (in the candidate side’s favour) can apply here.

One agency has a track record, the other is new

When an established agency collaborates with a newer agency, the experienced party sometimes negotiates a larger share. This isn’t always fair (the newer agency’s candidate or vacancy is just as valuable) but it happens in practice.

Platform arrangements

Split fee platforms typically take a facilitation fee (e.g. 10%), making the effective split 45/45/10. Both agencies receive a smaller share than a direct 50/50, but in exchange the platform handles matching, agreements, invoicing, and payment, eliminating the overhead that makes many manual splits not worth the effort.

The numbers: what fee splits actually look like

Let’s work through a real example. A permanent placement at £60,000 salary with a 20% recruitment fee:

	Client pays	Vacancy agency	Candidate agency	Platform
Direct 50/50	£12,000	£6,000	£6,000	—
Direct 60/40	£12,000	£7,200	£4,800	—
Platform 45/45/10	£12,000	£5,400	£5,400	£1,200

On a platform, each agency receives £600 less than a direct 50/50 split. But consider what that £600 buys:

The platform found the match (no time spent searching)
Agreements were pre-signed, removing contract negotiation
Invoicing and payment are automated
Candidate data was protected under GDPR-compliant sharing

For many agencies, especially smaller ones without dedicated admin support, the time saved on a single placement is worth far more than £600.

The real comparison isn’t 50% vs 45%

The most common mistake agencies make when evaluating split fees isn’t comparing 50/50 to 60/40 or 45/45/10. It’s comparing a split fee to a full fee.

That comparison doesn’t make sense. A split fee placement isn’t a placement you could have made alone. If you could, you would have. The real comparison is:

50% of £12,000 = £6,000 from a candidate you couldn’t place alone
0% of £12,000 = £0 from that same candidate sitting in your CRM

Every unplaced candidate and every unfilled vacancy represents a placement fee that nobody earned. Split fees exist to capture revenue that would otherwise be zero.

How to decide on a split

If you’re negotiating a split directly with another agency:

Start at 50/50. It’s fair, it’s expected, and it removes negotiation friction. Only deviate if there’s a clear, objective reason.

Base deviations on contribution, not leverage. “I have more candidates than you” isn’t a reason for a larger share. “I’ll manage the entire interview process and client relationship” is.

Agree before sharing details. Never share candidate or client information before the split is agreed and documented. Once details are shared, your negotiating position weakens considerably.

Put it in writing. Even between agencies that trust each other. Verbal agreements work right up until they don’t, and by then the relationship is damaged along with the revenue.

The upshot

50/50 is fair for the majority of split fee placements. It’s simple, it’s expected, and it reflects the reality that both sides contribute something essential.

When the balance of work is genuinely unequal, 60/40 is a reasonable alternative. Negotiate it upfront, not after the placement is made.

And whichever split you agree to, remember the real maths: any percentage of a placement fee is better than 100% of nothing.

What Is Split Fee Recruitment?. The complete guide.
How Split Fee Works. See the platform’s fee structure.