A method for recovering metals from a spent catalyst, the method comprising: leaching a Group VIB metal, a Group VIII metal, and a Group VB metal, from the used catalyst with an ammonia containing leach solution at a temperature and a pressure sufficient to form a pressure leach slurry; separating and removing solid residue from the pressure leach slurry to form a pressure leach solution comprising a Group VIB soluble metal complex and a Group VIII soluble metal complex; treating the pressure leach solution by chemical precipitation to precipitate at least a portion of the Group VIB metal and at least a portion of the Group VIII metal as metal complexes; recovering the precipitated metal complexes by at least a separation means selected from settling, filtration, decantation, centrifugation and combinations thereof, forming a first effluent containing less than 600 ppm of the Group VIB metal and less than 400 ppm of the group VIII metal and a solid residue containing at least 97% of incoming VIB metal and over 80% of incoming group VIII metal; sulfiding the first effluent with a sulfiding agent to form a sulfided slurry comprising a Group VB metal sulfide and/or oxide, a Group VIB metal sulfide and a Group VIII metal sulfide; separating and removing the Group VB metal sulfide and/or oxide, the Group VIB metal sulfide and a Group VIII metal sulfide from the sulfided slurry, forming a second effluent comprising a Group VB and a Group VIB soluble metal compound; contacting the second effluent with an effective amount of ferric ion at a pre-select pH for the ferric ion to form a complex with the Group VB and Group VIB metal; performing a liquid-solid separation to remove the Group VB and Group VIB metal complex as solids, forming a third effluent containing less than 5 ppm of the Group VB metal and less than 5 ppm of the Group VIB metal. leaching a Group VIB metal, a Group VIII metal, and a Group VB metal, from the used catalyst with an ammonia containing leach solution at a temperature and a pressure sufficient to form a pressure leach slurry; separating and removing solid residue from the pressure leach slurry to form a pressure leach solution comprising a Group VIB soluble metal complex and a Group VIII soluble metal complex; treating the pressure leach solution by chemical precipitation to precipitate at least a portion of the Group VIB metal and at least a portion of the Group VIII metal as metal complexes; recovering the precipitated metal complexes by at least a separation means selected from settling, filtration, decantation, centrifugation and combinations thereof, forming a first effluent containing less than 600 ppm of the Group VIB metal and less than 400 ppm of the group VIII metal and a solid residue containing at least 97% of incoming VIB metal and over 80% of incoming group VIII metal; sulfiding the first effluent with a sulfiding agent to form a sulfided slurry comprising a Group VB metal sulfide and/or oxide, a Group VIB metal sulfide and a Group VIII metal sulfide; separating and removing the Group VB metal sulfide and/or oxide, the Group VIB metal sulfide and a Group VIII metal sulfide from the sulfided slurry, forming a second effluent comprising a Group VB and a Group VIB soluble metal compound; contacting the second effluent with an effective amount of ferric ion at a pre-select pH for the ferric ion to form a complex with the Group VB and Group VIB metal; performing a liquid-solid separation to remove the Group VB and Group VIB metal complex as solids, forming a third effluent containing less than 5 ppm of the Group VB metal and less than 5 ppm of the Group VIB metal.