# Do I have to pay for training or equipment?

> No. A legitimate employer never asks you to pay anything to get hired - not for training, equipment, a laptop, a starter kit, a background check, software, or an 'onboarding fee.' If a job requires you to pay up front, in any form, it is the advance-fee scam. Real employers provide what you need or reimburse it; the money flows to you, never from you.

Source: https://realjobcheck.com/answers/job-asking-to-pay-for-training-or-equipment/  
Updated: 2026-06-02 - Real Job Check Trust and Safety Research Team

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This is one of the few questions in a job search with a flat, no-exceptions answer. You should never pay to get a job. Not a small fee, not a refundable deposit, not a "you will be reimbursed" purchase. The moment a job requires money out of your pocket to begin, it is the [advance-fee scam](/glossary/advance-fee-scam/).

## The shapes it takes

Scammers dress the upfront payment in whatever sounds reasonable for the role:

- **Training or certification** you must buy before you can start.
- **Equipment** - a laptop, a headset, a "secure" phone - you are told to purchase from a specific vendor.
- **A starter or welcome kit** for a remote role.
- **A background check or "processing fee"** you are asked to cover yourself.
- **Software or a subscription** required to do the work.
- **A deposit** that will supposedly be returned in your first paycheck.

The cover story varies; the structure does not. Money leaves you before any money reaches you.

<div class="warn" markdown="1">
**The rule, with no exceptions:** if you must pay to start, it is a scam. "We will reimburse you" does not change this. The reimbursement either never comes or arrives as a [fake check](/answers/job-paying-before-you-start-work/) that reverses later, leaving you out both amounts.
</div>

## What a real employer actually does

Legitimate companies treat the cost of equipping you as their cost of doing business. They ship you a laptop, set up a company account, provide training on their own systems, and pay for any background screening they require - after a written offer, through a named provider, with your consent. If reimbursement is involved, it is for expenses *they* asked you to incur on *their* account, processed through real payroll, not a wire to a stranger.

The [FTC](https://www.ftc.gov/) puts it plainly: honest employers do not ask you to pay for the promise of a job.

## How to respond

You do not owe anyone a payment to be considered for work. If asked, decline and verify:

> "I do not pay to start a job. If this role is real, I am happy to proceed through your official onboarding once I have a written offer."

Then confirm the company independently: find the role on the employer's [official careers page](/answers/is-this-job-offer-a-scam/), check the recruiter's email domain, or paste the message into the [free checker](/#check). A real employer will not lose your application over this. A scammer will pressure you or move on.

If you already paid, act quickly - the steps are in [I already gave a scammer my information or money - what now?](/answers/i-already-gave-a-scammer-my-information/).