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Indeed's 2026 Feed Rules: What Employers Must Change

One way in. Your ATS.

If your applicant tracking system (ATS) has an Indeed integration, Indeed says your jobs must come through it. Here's what changed on March 31, what ends on December 31, 2026, what to ask your ATS and agency, and how we keep your jobs seen beyond Indeed.

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Last reviewed November 2026 · Every rule from Indeed's own pages and terms

Short answer

If your ATS has an Indeed integration, post your jobs through it. Since March 31, 2026, jobs sent by a single-source XML feed show on Indeed only when sponsored. On December 31, 2026, integrated-ATS jobs on ad-agency multisource feeds stop showing.1

The rule

Indeed's single-source feed policy, in its own words.

If your ATS is integrated with Indeed, you must use that integration to post jobs.

Indeed Help Center, single-source feed policy, effective March 31, 20261

Indeed's advice to employers is short: "Plan your migration early."1

Four terms, in plain English.

  • The direct link

    ATS integration

    A direct link between your ATS and Indeed. With Indeed's Job Sync, for example, jobs you create in your ATS go into Indeed's search results automatically.2

  • One employer

    Single-source feed

    Indeed calls it "a job feed that includes jobs from only one employer." The company builds it, or an agency builds it for the company.3 It's usually an XML file.

  • Many employers

    Multisource feed

    One ad-agency feed that carries jobs for many employers. It's where the December 31 step lands.

  • For agencies

    Job Update API

    Indeed's tool for ad agencies to edit jobs that came from an employer's ATS, such as title, salary and tracking URL. It can't create jobs: "The ATS controls job creation and expiration." Indeed says the calls are free.14

Who isn't affected, for now.

Indeed says "feeds from ATSs without an Indeed integration (for example, Taleo or homegrown systems) are not affected." If your ATS isn't integrated yet, "this change does not apply to you right now."1 Note the words "right now." If your ATS adds an Indeed integration later, the rule can reach you.

Timeline

From one job source to December 31, 2026.

March 31 was one step in a longer shift.

  1. Aug 19, 2024

    Employers

    Indeed publishes a statement, "Delivering a Fair Marketplace."5 Its terms now say a job you post directly must be sponsored if any of your jobs already reach Indeed from a feed, career site or ATS.6

  2. Jun 2025

    US employers and agencies

    Indeed stops taking new single-source feeds for employers whose ATS is integrated. That holds "even if a third party or agency built the feed."71

  3. Mar 31, 2026

    All employers and agencies

    Single-source feed jobs from integrated ATSs are "visible only when sponsored." Agency organic single-source feeds move to Sponsored Only, where the ATS is integrated.1

  4. Jun 30, 2026

    Ad agencies

    Sponsored-only single-source feeds from agencies "will no longer be visible," where the ATS is integrated.1

  5. Dec 31, 2026

    Next step · Ad agencies

    Jobs from integrated ATSs on agency multisource feeds stop being visible. So do any agency single-source feeds still affected by the March 31 change. Agencies can then manage integrated-ATS jobs only through the Job Update API.1

Checked November 2026. Indeed lists no December 31 step for employers who post through their own integration.

Does it affect you?

Does Indeed's feed policy affect you?

Three questions, in order. Each answer says what to change before December 31, if anything.

  1. Q1

    Does your ATS have an Indeed integration?

    Check Indeed's Integrations Hub. Log in to your employer account, open ATS Integrations in the top menu, then search for your ATS. The hub is for US clients.2

    Yes

    Go to Q2.

    No

    The policy doesn't apply to you right now. Check the hub again each quarter.

    Not sure

    Ask your ATS provider, with the questions in section 05.

  2. Q2

    Do all your jobs reach Indeed through that integration?

    Some employers with an integrated ATS still send jobs by an old XML feed that a vendor or agency built.

    Yes

    No feed change is needed. Free visibility still isn't promised (section 04). Go to Q3.

    No

    Since March 31, jobs on that feed show only when sponsored. Move them to the integration, or budget to sponsor the ones you need. If an agency sends the feed, sponsoring won't help: Indeed stopped showing sponsored-only agency single-source feeds on June 30, 2026, and the rest stop on December 31.1

  3. Q3

    Does an ad agency send your jobs in a multisource feed?

    Ask the agency in writing. A multisource feed carries jobs for several employers at once.

    Yes

    After December 31, 2026, your integrated-ATS jobs won't show from that feed. Agree now how the agency will use the Job Update API, and which fields it may edit.

    No

    Nothing else changes for you on December 31. Keep each job on Indeed once.

Free visibility

Indeed organic visibility: what free reach is left.

Indeed isn't ending free reach. A spokesperson told ERE that "organic visibility will not be completely removed." But free visibility "is not guaranteed nor will it be consistent over time."8

Indeed free job postings in 2026.

Posting directly on Indeed96

  • Up to 3 free direct posts a month
  • Each live up to 30 days
  • Sponsored if other jobs already show free

The free allowance covers the US, Canada, Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. It rarely helps an employer with an ATS. If your ATS jobs already show free on Indeed, the last rule applies.

Refresh reposts and duplicates are limited.

Indeed told ERE: "We will limit 'refresh' reposts or duplicate listings intended to make old roles look new."8 Its help pages turn that into four rules.10

  • "Post each job only once."

    A role in several locations is posted once per location.

  • "Update an existing job post instead of creating a new one."

  • "Only repost if the role has closed and later reopens."

  • "You may lose access to free or organic job visibility."

    What happens after repeated issues.

Before you repost an old role, read our guide to ghost job laws.

Some jobs need sponsorship anyway.

Indeed may require sponsorship for certain jobs, whatever route they take.

Indeed's examples9

  • The same post in several locations
  • Generic or confidential company names
  • Commission-only jobs
  • Hard-to-fill jobs
  • Staffing-agency posts

Indeed's terms add two6

  • Jobs you post directly while your other jobs are indexed
  • Jobs on Indeed that send people to apply on another site

How sponsored billing works is in our guide to Indeed pricing for employers.

Free reach is possible. It isn't promised.

Questions to ask

Questions to ask your ATS, your Indeed rep and your agency.

Ask in writing, and keep the answers with your hiring plan. Copy all 13 into an email.

13 questions · three inboxes

Copy the 13 questions

Your ATS provider

  1. 1. Does our ATS have an Indeed integration? Which parts do we use: Job Sync, Indeed Apply Sync, Disposition Sync?
  2. 2. Do all our jobs reach Indeed through the integration? Do any still go by a separate XML feed?
  3. 3. Does each location go to Indeed as its own job, with its own job URL?
  4. 4. What do we need to change before December 31, 2026?

Your Indeed rep

  1. 1. Which source does Indeed use for our jobs: our ATS integration, a feed or direct posts?
  2. 2. Which of our jobs need sponsorship to show, and why?
  3. 3. Are any of our jobs flagged as duplicates?
  4. 4. Does anything change for our account on December 31, 2026?

Your ad agency

  1. 1. Do you send our jobs to Indeed in a single-source feed, a multisource feed or neither?
  2. 2. After December 31, 2026, how will you manage our jobs through the Job Update API?
  3. 3. Which fields will you edit? Indeed says an edited field stops taking later ATS changes. How will you keep our jobs current?
  4. 4. Can you list each job's Indeed status: organic, sponsored only with spend, sponsored only without spend, or nowhere?
  5. 5. If Indeed reach drops, where does that budget go, and how will you report it by role and location?

Indeed tells agencies to update only jobs their client has authorized.4 So agree in writing who approves each edit.

Check your jobs

How to check which jobs show on Indeed, location by location.

You need two views: what Indeed shows for each job, and how it got there. Each location is its own job, so check them one by one.

  1. Dashboard

    Open the Jobs tab.

    In Indeed's Employer Dashboard, the "Sponsored Job plan" column shows each job's sponsorship status.11 Note it for every location.

  2. Route

    Find each job's route.

    Your ATS provider or agency can tell you: integration, single-source feed, multisource feed or direct post.

  3. Status

    Ask your agency for each status.

    The Job Update API reports four: organic, sponsored only with spend, sponsored only without spend, and nowhere (rejected).4

  4. Search

    Search as a job seeker.

    Search Indeed for the title and town, then click through. You should land on the live job page on your careers site.

  5. Fix

    Fix it, then check again.

    Close duplicates, move feed jobs to the integration, and sponsor only the jobs that need it. Repeat after December 31, 2026.

YOUR BRAND · Indeed check sheet

Example
Job and location
How it reaches Indeed
Sponsored?
What it means
Warehouse associateSite 04
How it reaches Indeed: ATS integration
Sponsored? No
What it means: Can show freePossible, not promised. Confirm it shows in a search.
Maintenance technicianSite 07
How it reaches Indeed: Single-source XML feed
Sponsored? No
What it means: Move or sponsorShows only if sponsored, since March 31. Move it or sponsor it.
Shift leadSite 11
How it reaches Indeed: Agency multisource feed
Sponsored? Yes
What it means: Off after Dec 31Stops showing from this feed. Plan the switch with the agency.
Warehouse associateSite 04 · second copy
How it reaches Indeed: Posted directly on Indeed
Sponsored? No
What it means: DuplicateA copy of the first row. Close it. Indeed's terms also require sponsorship for it.6

Indeed sets the rules. You set the plan.

Sponsor what pays.

Indeed budget only on the jobs that need it.

Found beyond Indeed.

Google, Facebook, Instagram and other job sites.

Open jobs only.

Ads pause when a job closes.

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Where else to spend

Where to put budget if Indeed reach drops.

Don't move the whole budget at once. Start with the role that's furthest behind.

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Questions about Indeed's feed rules.

Anything else? A person replies within one business day.

Ask us anything

  • No. Indeed told ERE that organic visibility "will not be completely removed." In the US, employers who post directly still get three free jobs a calendar month. But if any of your jobs already reach Indeed from a feed, career site or ATS, a job you post directly must be sponsored. And Indeed says free visibility "is not guaranteed."

  • Indeed defines it as "a job feed that includes jobs from only one employer." The employer or an agency builds it, usually as an XML file. Since March 31, 2026, if that employer's ATS has an Indeed integration, jobs in the feed show only when sponsored.

  • Not right now. Indeed says feeds from ATSs without an Indeed integration, "for example, Taleo or homegrown systems," are not affected. Check Indeed's Integrations Hub from time to time. If your ATS gains an integration, the rule can apply to you.

  • The last step is for ad agencies. Jobs from integrated ATSs on agency multisource feeds stop being visible, and so do agency single-source feeds "affected by the March 31st policy." After that, agencies can manage integrated-ATS jobs on Indeed only through the Job Update API.

Sources

Last reviewed November 2026. Not legal advice; your counsel decides.

Indeed's policy, help and developer pages and its terms were read on November 8, 2026. Next review: January 2027, after the December 31 step.

  1. 1Indeed Help Center, "Single-Source Feed Policy (Effective March 31, 2026)". Checked November 2026. indeed.com/help/employers/articles/single-source-feed-policy-effective-march-31-2026
  2. 2Indeed for Employers, "Streamline Your Hiring Process with Indeed's ATS Integrations", last updated July 14, 2026 (Integrations Hub and Job Sync; available to US clients). indeed.com/hire/resources/howtohub/indeed-ats-integrations
  3. 3Indeed Help Center, "Posting Jobs From Your Career Site or Applicant Tracking System (ATS)". Checked November 2026. indeed.com/help/employers/articles/what-is-aggregation
  4. 4Indeed Partner Docs, "Job Update API guide", last updated November 6, 2026. docs.indeed.com/job-update-api/job-update-api-guide
  5. 5JobScore Support, "Indeed Statement on Delivering a Fair Marketplace - August 19, 2024", an ATS vendor's copy of Indeed's statement (date and statement name). support.jobscore.com/hc/en-us/articles/29619379489556
  6. 6Indeed, "Terms of Service", Section C.1 (Indeed Ads Program), item 5 "Ad Sponsorship", last updated September 29, 2026. Checked November 2026. indeed.com/legal
  7. 7Job Board Doctor, Julie Sowash, "Indeed: No New Single-Sourced Feeds for Integrated ATS Partners in the US", June 20, 2025, quoting Indeed's notice ("Starting June 2025"). jobboarddoctor.com/2025/06/20/indeed-no-new-agency-feeds
  8. 8ERE, David Manaster, "Indeed Is Cutting Visibility for Free Job Postings", June 9, 2026, quoting an Indeed spokesperson. ere.net/articles/indeed-turns-up-the-heat-on-free-job-postings
  9. 9Indeed for Employers, "Free vs Sponsored Jobs on Indeed", last updated May 7, 2026 (free posts made directly on Indeed; the three-a-month limit applies in the US, Canada, Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands). indeed.com/hire/resources/howtohub/free-vs-sponsored-jobs-on-indeed
  10. 10Indeed Help Center, "Job Posting Integrity and Duplicates". Checked November 2026. indeed.com/help/employers/articles/job-posting-integrity-and-duplicates
  11. 11Indeed for Employers, "10 Things You Didn't Know Your Indeed Employer Dashboard Could Do", last updated August 13, 2026. indeed.com/hire/resources/howtohub/employer-dashboard-frequently-asked-questions
  12. 12Google Search Central, "Job posting (JobPosting) structured data". Checked November 2026. developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/job-posting
  13. 13Meta Newsroom, "Introducing Local Jobs on Facebook", October 13, 2025. about.fb.com/news/2025/10/introducing-local-jobs-facebook

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