How to post a job on Indeed, and what it costs you
Here is how to post a job on Indeed. Create an employer account, open Jobs and choose Post a Job, enter the details and description, add screening questions, then choose free or sponsored. In the US you get 3 free jobs a calendar month, each live up to 30 days.
Posting on Indeed, in short
- In the US, posting directly on Indeed is free for 3 jobs a calendar month, each live up to 30 days.
- The free count resets on the 1st, and every account under the same parent company draws on the same 3 jobs.
- Jobs fed in from an applicant tracking system are not affected by that monthly limit.
- Sponsoring is a choice at the last screen, and it bills only when someone engages with the posting.
- Indeed reviews a new post before it is searchable, so it is not live the second you submit it.
How to post a job on Indeed, step by step
- Sign in and open the posting form Create an employer account or sign in to the one you have. In the dashboard, select Jobs from the menu on the left, then click Post a Job at the top right.
- Enter the job details Indeed asks for the title, location and location type, pay range, job type, shift details, benefits and the qualifications you require. Location type options are in person, fully remote, hybrid, and on the road. Title the role the way someone would type it into a search box, not the way your org chart spells it.
- Add the job description Indeed's guidance is to define the role's purpose first, then list 5 to 10 key responsibilities, and to separate must-have qualifications from nice-to-have ones. Short paragraphs and bullets. Indeed explicitly advises against big blocks of text.
- Include applicant qualifications The Applicant Qualifications tool offers pre-made screening questions by job title, and you can write your own. Indeed says to include as many as you need. Ask a question only where the wrong answer genuinely rules a person out.
- Choose free or sponsored This is the only screen that can cost you money. Decline sponsoring and the post runs free, counting against your monthly limit. Sponsoring is also how you keep posting once that limit is used up.
- Wait for the review, then check the live post Indeed's Trust and Safety team reviews the job, and it will not appear in search results until that clears. Confirmation arrives by email from a no-reply Indeed address. Check that mail from do-not-reply@indeed.com is not being filtered to spam.
Is it free to post a job on Indeed?
Free job post on Indeed A job you publish directly on Indeed without paying. In the US it is capped at 3 per calendar month and shows for up to 30 days. Indeed's own footnote adds that terms, conditions, quality standards and usage limits apply.
The 3 jobs are shared across every account linked under one parent company, and the count resets at midnight on the first of the month in your time zone. Jobs posted through an applicant tracking system do not draw on it.
Free vs sponsored job posting on Indeed
| What changes | Free job post | Sponsored job |
|---|---|---|
| How many you get | 3 per calendar month in the US, shared across the parent company | No monthly free-post cap applies once a job is sponsored |
| How long it runs | Up to 30 days in search results from the day you post it | Runs while the budget does, until you pause or close it |
| Visibility over time | Falls back in job seeker search results as new jobs are posted, in Indeed's words | Stays in paid placement for as long as the budget is live |
| What triggers a charge | Nothing | Engagement only: a click, or a started application, depending on the budget type |
| Who sets the amount | Not applicable | Indeed recommends one from your title, location and description; you may set your own above its minimum |
| Stopping it | Pause, close or remove the post at any time | Pausing and closing both stop spend; pausing keeps applications in the dashboard |
On price
Indeed publishes no fixed sponsored rate. Its pricing page says the minimum depends on job seekers in your market, similar posts bidding for placement and the plan you pick, and that it appears on the sponsorship page before you commit.
How does Indeed charge for job postings?
Indeed ties charging to engagement rather than to the posting itself. Its pricing page states you only pay when your job posting is engaged with: per click under a daily budget, or when someone clicks to apply under a monthly budget. The budget can be adjusted, paused or stopped at any time from the Employer Dashboard, and Indeed says there are no long-term contracts.
Indeed suggests a budget from your job title, location and description, and says the suggestion is not mandatory. You are free to set a different amount as long as it meets the minimum. Billing arrives on the first day of the month or when account spending reaches Indeed's stated threshold, whichever comes first, and the invoice reflects spend on clicks or started applications.
Before you hit post
- Title written as a candidate would search it, not as an internal grade
- Pay range stated, with the currency and the period
- Location and location type both set correctly
- The purpose of the role landed in the first 2 lines
- 5 to 10 responsibilities as bullets rather than one dense block
- Required and preferred qualifications labelled as two separate lists
- Screening questions kept to the ones that genuinely disqualify
- Apply route clicked through end to end, from a signed-out browser
An Indeed job post you can paste and edit
[Job title as a candidate would search it] [One sentence on what this role exists to do and who it works with.] What you will do - [Responsibility 1] - [Responsibility 2] - [Responsibility 3] - [Responsibility 4] - [Responsibility 5, up to 10 in total] What we need (required) - [Must-have skill or experience] - [Must-have qualification, licence or certification] - [Must-have availability, such as a shift pattern] Nice to have (preferred) - [Preferred skill] - [Preferred tool or system] Pay and schedule - Pay: [range] per [hour or year] - Job type: [full-time, part-time, contract, temporary] - Schedule: [days, shift, hours per week] - Location: [city and state], [in person, fully remote, hybrid or on the road] Benefits - [Benefit 1] - [Benefit 2] How to apply Apply through Indeed. [Say what happens next and roughly when, for example: we read every application and reply within 5 working days.]
Indeed employer job posting guidelines, and where posts go wrong
Do
- Post one real, open role that a person could start
- Label which qualifications are required and which are preferred
- State pay, location and location type on the post itself
- Close the post the day you hire, which also stops any spend
Do not
- Wording that signals a protected-characteristic preference, which the EEOC says is illegal in a job ad
- Clickbait or misleading titles, which Indeed's posting rules prohibit
- The same job duplicated across several locations, which Indeed may require you to sponsor
- A confidential or generic company name, which Indeed lists for the same reason
- Assuming the job is live at submit, when Indeed reviews it first
When a job post is not enough
A job post reaches the people who are searching Indeed while it happens to be live, and Indeed says a free post falls back in job seeker search results as newer jobs arrive. For a common role in a deep local market, that is usually all you need, and the applications turn up.
For a scarce skill, a senior seat, or a market where nobody is browsing, you have 2 options. Pay Indeed to keep the post in front of people, or go and find the people who were never going to apply in the first place. The second one is sourcing, and it runs from a description of the hire rather than an advert.
Find the people who never applied
Describe the hire in one sentence. The agent searches, judges every candidate against your requirements, and ranks them.
That one line of plain English becomes structured filters in 2 groups: what the person knows, and what their current employer does. Set each requirement to Must have, Prioritise or Preferred. Only the must-haves are hard gates, so a near miss on a preference still surfaces.
Job posting tools and guides
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The 5 things to remember
- 3 free jobs a calendar month in the US, each shown for up to 30 days.
- That allowance is per parent company, not per account, and it resets on the 1st.
- Jobs sent in from an applicant tracking system sit outside the limit entirely.
- Sponsoring charges on engagement, not on the act of posting.
- There is no published rate, so read Indeed's own pricing page for your role and market.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to post a job on Indeed?
Yes, within limits. In the US you can post up to 3 free jobs per calendar month directly on Indeed, and each one shows for up to 30 days in search results. Indeed's own footnote adds that terms, conditions, quality standards and usage limits apply. It also states that the free job posting offer does not apply to job sites, all staffing agencies or certain other types of jobs at Indeed's discretion.
Does Indeed charge to post jobs?
Not for a free post inside the monthly limit. Indeed charges when you choose to sponsor. Its pricing page describes sponsored billing as engagement-based: you only pay when your job posting is engaged with, either per click under a daily budget or when someone clicks to apply under a monthly budget. You can adjust, pause or stop that budget at any time, and Indeed says there are no long-term contracts.
How do I post a free job on Indeed?
Follow the same 6 steps, then decline sponsoring at the final screen. The post counts as 1 of your 3 free jobs for that calendar month and runs for up to 30 days. Your free count resets on the first day of each month at midnight in your time zone. Every account linked under the same parent company shares those same 3 jobs, so check what colleagues have already posted.
What are Indeed's job posting rates?
Indeed does not publish a single rate, so there is no fixed reasonable budget for an Indeed job advertising campaign. Its pricing page says the minimum appears on the product sponsorship page and depends on the job seekers available in your market, similar job posts bidding for priority placement, and which Sponsored Jobs plan you select. Indeed generates a recommended price from market factors, and you may set a different amount that meets the minimum.
What are the differences between free and sponsored job posting on Indeed?
A free post is capped at 3 a month in the US, shows for up to 30 days, and Indeed says it falls back in job seeker search results as new jobs are posted. A sponsored job has no monthly cap, runs while its budget does, and charges on engagement rather than on the posting. Pausing or closing a sponsored job removes it from search results and stops the spending.
How long does a job posting stay on Indeed?
Up to 30 days from the day it is posted, or until you pause, close or remove it yourself through Edit Job in the Employer Dashboard. If you are posting jobs on Indeed regularly, plan the repost before that window closes. The limits differ by country: Indeed applies the 3-job monthly cap in a named list of countries, says free posts are not limited at this time elsewhere, and lists other countries where a free job shows for up to 120 days. Check the rules where you are hiring.
Why is my Indeed job not showing up?
A new post is not searchable straight away. When you add a job, Indeed's help centre says its Trust and Safety team reviews it, and until that review clears your job will not appear in search results. Confirmation comes by email, so check that messages from Indeed's no-reply address are not going to spam. If the post shows as Flagged, Indeed has a separate help article on why a job is not shown.
Can a staffing agency post a job for free on Indeed?
No. Indeed's footnote on its post a job page says the free job posting offer does not apply to job sites, all staffing agencies or certain other types of jobs at its discretion. Indeed separately lists jobs posted by a staffing agency among the types it may require you to sponsor. Agencies should plan on sponsoring, or on sourcing candidates directly instead of advertising.
Does Indeed offer volume discounts for large employers or agencies?
Nothing on Indeed's published pricing page describes one. Its self-serve plans are Free, Standard, Premium and Premium Plus, and the page sets the price per job from market factors rather than from how many jobs you run. If you are posting at volume, ask Indeed directly and read its current pricing page rather than budgeting around a discount you have not seen confirmed.
How do I tell whether an Indeed job posting is working?
Use your own numbers rather than a published benchmark, because no reliable typical return exists for sponsored job postings. Track applications per role against how many people you need to interview, your own cost per application from the Indeed invoice, and how many applicants you would actually screen. A post drawing plenty of applicants but nobody screenable is a job description problem, not a budget one.
Can The Cognitive post my job to Indeed?
No. The Cognitive does not post jobs to job boards, and it works the other way round. You describe the hire in one line, it searches and ranks people against your requirements, and you reach the ones you want by email or SMS. Use Indeed for the people who are already looking, and sourcing for the people who are not.
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