Employer cost on top of salary in 15 countries, and what an EOR adds
An employer pays more than the salary. This site sets out how much more, in 15 countries: from 6.1% of the gross salary in India to 47.3% in Spain.
The addition is statutory employer contributions, mandatory extra months of pay, and in some countries a severance accrual. One formula is applied to every country, and every rate comes from a social security agency, tax authority or labor ministry, with the date it was read.
| Country | Employer cost, mid salary (%) | Employer cost, senior salary (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 47.3% | 32.3% |
| Brazil | 44.1% | 44.1% |
| Portugal | 40.4% | 40.4% |
| France | 35.6% | 32.2% |
| Netherlands | 24.6% | 19.0% |
| Germany | 21.3% | 15.9% |
| Poland | 20.5% | 17.0% |
| Mexico | 20.5% | 16.3% |
| United Kingdom | 17.9% | 16.7% |
| Philippines | 14.6% | 11.4% |
| Australia | 12.0% | 12.0% |
| Ireland | 11.4% | 11.4% |
| United States | 7.7% | 7.7% |
| Canada | 6.8% | 3.4% |
| India | 6.1% | 5.5% |
Nothing is scored and nothing is weighted. The formula is on one page.
Start here
- Put your own salary and country into the calculator — it runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere.
- What an employer of record charges — 11 of 14 providers publish a price; the rest quote on request.
- What the number leaves out — read this before you budget from anything here.
- Method — the formula, the sources, and what we refuse to estimate.
Reading
- Employer contribution ceilings, 15 countries — Twelve of the 15 countries here cap at least one employer contribution, and in 11 the percentage falls as pay rises. Ceilings and sources, checked 2026-08-21.
- Which country is cheapest to hire in, and why that is the wrong question — The lowest statutory uplift is not the lowest cost. Mandatory extra months, leave and termination move the answer.
- Employer of record or your own entity: where the number flips — An EOR fee is flat per employee per month. An entity is a fixed annual cost. The crossover is a headcount, not a salary.
- Who publishes an EOR price and who makes you ask — Nine of fourteen global employment providers publish a list price. Five quote only on request. The difference is not random.
- The thirteenth month, and the countries that require one — Six of the fifteen countries here make an employer pay more than twelve months of salary a year. It is a statutory cost, not a bonus.
- Contractor or employee: the decision nobody prices correctly — Contractor arrangements avoid the statutory costs on this site. Getting the classification wrong reinstates them, with interest and penalties.
Why this site exists
The salary is the number everyone quotes. It is not the number the employer pays. Almost every country cost calculator on the web is published by a company that sells employment services in those countries. The figures may well be right; the incentive is not neutral, and none of them show you the ceiling that makes the percentage fall as the salary rises. This site is one person, no entity to sell, and a formula you can check line by line.