UK Search Fee Regulation
The UK Search Fee Regulation carries 4 published figures read from 1 source's own page, from 2 to 10 year, read 11 November 2026.
2 of the 7 named sources read in full publish a figure; 5 publish none, read 11 November 2026.
By rule and enforcement
| Breakdown | Median | Range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| rule transfer fee relevant period (first assignment) | 14 week (one figure) | one figure, no range | 1 |
| rule transfer fee relevant period (end of assignment) | 8 week (one figure) | one figure, no range | 1 |
| rule gap between assignments | 42 day (one figure) | one figure, no range | 1 |
| rule work-seeker publication information (entertainment and sport) | 30 day (one figure) | one figure, no range | 1 |
| rule work-seeker publication information | 60 day (one figure) | one figure, no range | 1 |
| enforcement Labour Market Enforcement Undertaking (maximum duration) | 2 year (one figure) | one figure, no range | 1 |
| enforcement Labour Market Enforcement Order (maximum duration) | 2 year (one figure) | one figure, no range | 1 |
| enforcement maximum imprisonment for breach of an LMEO | 2 year (one figure) | one figure, no range | 1 |
| enforcement prohibition order (maximum duration) | 10 year (one figure) | one figure, no range | 1 |
Every figure, with its source
One row per published figure: the figure as the source's own page publishes it, the page, and the day it was read. A figure that is not on a page we read is not on this one.
| Source | Figure | Breakdown | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conduct Regulations 2003, regulation 26 | 60 day | work-seeker publication information | 2026-11-11 |
| GOV.UK: overview of the Conduct Regulations 2003 | 42 day | gap between assignments | 2026-11-11 |
| Conduct Regulations 2003, regulation 26 | 30 day | work-seeker publication information (entertainment and sport) | 2026-11-11 |
| GOV.UK: overview of the Conduct Regulations 2003 | 14 week | transfer fee relevant period (first assignment) | 2026-11-11 |
| GOV.UK: overview of the Conduct Regulations 2003 | 10 year | prohibition order (maximum duration) | 2026-11-11 |
| GOV.UK: overview of the Conduct Regulations 2003 | 8 week | transfer fee relevant period (end of assignment) | 2026-11-11 |
| GOV.UK: overview of the Conduct Regulations 2003 | 2 year | Labour Market Enforcement Undertaking (maximum duration) | 2026-11-11 |
| GOV.UK: overview of the Conduct Regulations 2003 | 2 year | Labour Market Enforcement Order (maximum duration) | 2026-11-11 |
| GOV.UK: overview of the Conduct Regulations 2003 | 2 year | maximum imprisonment for breach of an LMEO | 2026-11-11 |
The sentence each figure was read from (9)
- Conduct Regulations 2003, regulation 26, read 2026-11-11:
where an agency includes, or proposes to include, information about a work-seeker in a publication, the work-seeker is entitled to a full refund of the fees paid if the publication including that information is not produced and made available to potential hirers within 60 days from the date on which payment is made by the work-seeker].
- GOV.UK: overview of the Conduct Regulations 2003, read 2026-11-11:
If the worker has undertaken more than 1 assignment for the hirer and there is a gap of more than 42 days between assignments, the later assignment is treated as if it were the first.
- Conduct Regulations 2003, regulation 26, read 2026-11-11:
where an agency proposes to include information about a work-seeker seeking employment as an actor, background artist, dancer, extra, musician, singer or other performer in a publication, for 30 days from the date of the agency and the work-seeker entering into a contract for such a service, whether written or oral and whether or not expressly mentioning fees permitted under this paragraph—
- GOV.UK: overview of the Conduct Regulations 2003, read 2026-11-11:
14 weeks from the day after the worker starts their first assignment with the hirer, or
- GOV.UK: overview of the Conduct Regulations 2003, read 2026-11-11:
The Secretary of State can also consider applying for a prohibition order against a person from carrying on, or being concerned with the carrying on of, an employment agency or employment business for up to a maximum of 10 years on the grounds of misconduct or unsuitability.
- GOV.UK: overview of the Conduct Regulations 2003, read 2026-11-11:
8 weeks from the last day the worker worked for the hirer, whichever ends later
- GOV.UK: overview of the Conduct Regulations 2003, read 2026-11-11:
Where FWA believes that an offence has been committed, we may consider seeking a Labour Market Enforcement Undertaking (LMEU), for a period of up to 2 years.
- GOV.UK: overview of the Conduct Regulations 2003, read 2026-11-11:
If an LMEU cannot be agreed or, once in place is not complied with, we can apply for a Labour Market Enforcement Order (LMEO), for a period of up to 2 years, through the courts.
- GOV.UK: overview of the Conduct Regulations 2003, read 2026-11-11:
If a person fails to comply with the LMEO, they could be fined or imprisoned for up to 2 years.
Read in full, publishes no figure
5 named sources were read in full on the dates shown and print no usable figure. They are counted, never filled in.
- Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, read 2026-09-12: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- Employment Agencies Act 1973, read 2026-11-11: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- Conduct Regulations 2003 (Amendment) Regulations 2019, read 2026-09-12: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
- GOV.UK: employment agencies and businesses, read 2026-09-12: every candidate on the page was refused
- Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, read 2026-10-12: read in full and no accepted figure on the page
Methodology
Every row is a verbatim sentence read from the named source's own page through our fetch service on the date shown, hash-pinned to the stored read (the sha of the page's visible text; the raw page is mirrored to R2).
2 of the 7 named sources that could be read published a usable figure; 5 published none and are recorded as not published, never filled in; 0 could not be read (blocked, dead or unreachable) and count nowhere.
The headline figures (median, minimum, maximum, quartiles) are over ONE figure per source for each breakdown it prices, in year (a source's median where its page yielded several accepted sentences for one breakdown), so a page that gives figures for several breakdowns gives one for each and N counts 4 figures, never sentences; 4 candidate sentence(s) were refused by a reviewer with the reason recorded.
The fuller derivation this dataset is chartered to grow into (not yet what the figures above are; they are each source's own published figure as read): a plain table of what the law fixes about a search fee - who may be charged (the Conduct Regulations bar a fee to the work-seeker outside the named entertainment and sport occupations), what a hirer's terms may and may not contain, what the 2019 amendment changed, who enforces it - set beside what the market charges, so a buyer can see which parts of a quoted fee are negotiable and which are statutory
4 candidate sentences on these pages were refused by a reviewer; each refusal and its reason is recorded in the review ledger.
Sources (7)
- Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Conduct Regulations 2003, regulation 26(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Employment Agencies Act 1973(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Conduct Regulations 2003 (Amendment) Regulations 2019(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- GOV.UK: overview of the Conduct Regulations 2003(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- GOV.UK: employment agencies and businesses(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
- Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate(the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment)
Cite or embed this figure
The UK Search Fee Regulation carries 4 published figures read from 1 source's own page, from 2 to 10 year, read 11 November 2026.
2 of the 7 named sources read in full publish a figure; 5 publish none, read 11 November 2026.
UK Search Fee Regulation, rule transfer fee relevant period (first assignment): median 14 week across 1 source, read 11 November 2026.
UK Search Fee Regulation, rule transfer fee relevant period (end of assignment): median 8 week across 1 source, read 11 November 2026.
UK Search Fee Regulation, rule gap between assignments: median 42 day across 1 source, read 11 November 2026.
UK Search Fee Regulation, rule work-seeker publication information (entertainment and sport): median 30 day across 1 source, read 11 November 2026.
UK Search Fee Regulation, rule work-seeker publication information: median 60 day across 1 source, read 11 November 2026.
UK Search Fee Regulation, enforcement Labour Market Enforcement Undertaking (maximum duration): median 2 year across 1 source, read 11 November 2026.
UK Search Fee Regulation, enforcement Labour Market Enforcement Order (maximum duration): median 2 year across 1 source, read 11 November 2026.
UK Search Fee Regulation, enforcement maximum imprisonment for breach of an LMEO: median 2 year across 1 source, read 11 November 2026.
UK Search Fee Regulation, enforcement prohibition order (maximum duration): median 10 year across 1 source, read 11 November 2026.
Cite as: "executivesearchfees.co.uk UK Search Fee Regulation", updated 2026-11-12, https://executivesearchfees.co.uk/datasets/uk-search-fee-regulation/.
Download the CSV (9 rows, computed 2026-11-12)
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Questions this data answers
What may a UK employment agency charge, to whom, and what do the public-sector frameworks and the tax rules add to it?
The UK Search Fee Regulation carries 4 published figures read from 1 source's own page, from 2 to 10 year, read 11 November 2026.
Where do the figures in the UK Search Fee Regulation come from?
Every figure is quoted from its source's own page and dated (last read 11 Nov 2026). 7 named sources were read and 2 publish a figure; the 5 that publish none are recorded as not published, never estimated.