Outplacement cost in 2026: published prices by level

The short answer

Published 2026 list prices for outplacement run from $600 to $22,800 per person, depending on the person's level and how long the program runs. FirstSourceTeam's Q4 2026 Outplacement Price Index found the lowest at $600 (INTOO, three months for hourly staff) and the highest at $22,800(Korn Ferry, twelve months for executives). Below the executive level, the top is $10,000 (LHH, nine months for professionals). FirstSourceTeam's own packages are $349 to $2,249 per person.

Most outplacement firms quote privately, so a published price is the only figure anyone can check. Large contracts with these firms are negotiated and may come in lower than list. The employer pays; for the person leaving, employer-paid outplacement costs nothing.

The FirstSourceTeam Outplacement Price Index, Q4 2026

Sources, read on November 5, 2026: INTOO, Randstad RiseSmart, LHH, Korn Ferry. RiseSmart's list prices apply to US organizations under 5,000 employees, and its director tier includes financial planning. LHH also sells a nine-month professional program at $10,000 and publishes no executive price. Korn Ferry publishes executive prices only, as minimums: $17,100 for six months or $22,800 for twelve. VelvetJobs advertises outplacement “starting at $500 per person”without saying which package that buys, so it isn't in the table (VelvetJobs). FirstSourceTeam publishes coaching hours with each package: Essentials 3, Professional 6, Leader 10, Executive 15. The Index is updated each quarter.

What moves the price

• Level. Every provider in the Index prices by level. At INTOO the executive program costs about six times the hourly one ($3,750 against $600).
• Program length.Three months is the common entry length; RiseSmart's director tier runs twelve. Searches at senior levels take longer, so length is where the money goes. See outplacement program length.
• Coaching hours. One-to-one coaching is the costly part. Ask every provider how many hours a person gets, not only how many months.
• Extras.RiseSmart's director tier includes financial planning. FirstSourceTeam includes start-a-business and retirement tracks, and opt-in financial planning, at every level. Check what each quote includes before comparing totals.
• Contract size. List prices are what anyone can buy at. Large or recurring contracts are quoted privately.

Three ways providers charge

• A fixed price per person, by level and length. The model behind every published price in the Index.
• Until the person lands. INTOO offers until-landing programs on a custom quote (INTOO); some Careerminds programs last until landing (Careerminds); VelvetJobs gives platform access until the person finds a new job (VelvetJobs). Ask what counts as landing.
• A private quote.Volume and recurring contracts with the larger firms are quoted privately, so their terms aren't public.

A worked budget for a reduction in force of 40

Take 10 hourly and entry level, 20 individual contributors, 8 managers, 2 directors and executives. At each provider's published price for those levels:

LHH and Korn Ferry aren't in the total because neither publishes a price for every level. To run your own numbers, use the FirstSourceTeam outplacement savings calculator. Outplacement is one line in the full budget; the others are in the total cost of a reduction in force.

FirstSourceTeam's prices

FirstSourceTeam publishes four packages: Essentials $349, Professional $499, Leader $779, Executive $2,249 per person. Each is at least 40% below the lowest published price from another coached provider at the same level. Software and AI handle the repetitive work, so coaches spend their hours coaching, and outplacement is priced to cover its cost rather than a large firm's overhead. Employers pay only for people who activate. Details are on the packages page; the questions to put to any provider, us included, are in evaluating outplacement providers.

Questions HR leaders ask about cost

Tax source: IRS Publication 525.