The EOR cost calculator at the top of this page shows what it costs each month to employ someone through an employer of record. Pick a country, enter a gross salary, and it returns the total monthly and annual cost, line by line.
Most quotes you will see online show only the provider’s service fee. That fee is rarely the biggest number. Employer social contributions, mandatory extra pay such as a 13th month, tax on the fee and one-time deposits often add more than the fee does.
Below the calculator you will find how the numbers are built, a worked example, a comparison across 12 countries and the costs that catch finance teams off guard.
An EOR cost calculator estimates your total cost to employ one person through an employer of record: gross salary, the employer-side contributions the country requires, the EOR service fee, tax on that fee and one-time costs.
Compare providers on the all-in monthly figure, never on the headline fee. A cheap fee in a country with heavy mandated extra pay can still produce the most expensive hire.
- 1.15x to 1.90xtotal cost vs gross salary, 46 detailed countries
- $199 to $999flat EOR fee per employee per month
- 184countries in the calculator
Quick Summary: EOR Costs
What an EOR really costs
An EOR charges a service fee, but your real cost is the sum of six parts. The first three change with every country and every salary, so a single price list can never answer the question.
Gross salary
Your offerWhat the employee earns before their own taxes. The EOR passes it through at cost.
Employer contributions
StatutorySocial security and similar charges the employer pays on top of salary. The rate and any cap differ by country.
Mandated extra pay
StatutorySpain accrues two extra salary payments a year in the model. Brazil accrues one 13th month. Many countries have none.
EOR service fee
ProviderA flat monthly fee per employee or a percentage of salary. The range shown covers the detailed countries in the calculator.
Tax on the fee
DependsSome countries charge VAT or GST on the service fee. The calculator adds it where it applies.
One-time costs
ProviderAn onboarding fee, and at some providers a refundable deposit of one month of gross salary.
How the calculator works
The calculator models employer cost from the country’s rules, then adds an EOR fee you can change. It covers 184 countries. Forty-six have full statutory detail, with each contribution shown as its own line. The other 138 are marked “Estimate” and use a blended rate, so treat those as a budgeting range.
- Choose the countryCountries with line-by-line statutory detail are grouped separately from the estimate countries. Some countries also ask for a state or province, or for local versus foreign employee status.
- Enter the gross salaryUse the local currency and say whether the figure is monthly or annual. The calculator shows a USD equivalent using the exchange rates noted under the result.
- Set the EOR feeStart with the market range shown for that country, then switch between a flat fee and a percentage of salary to match your quote.
- Read the breakdownYou get a monthly and annual total, the year-one figure including one-time costs, and a note on when your own entity would break even.
The calculator models the employer’s cost. Income tax and employee contributions come out of the gross salary, so they do not add to what you pay. Workers’ compensation, private health insurance and other benefits beyond the statutory minimum sit outside the totals unless the country note says otherwise.
Worked example: one hire in Spain
A company hires Mateo Garcia in Spain at a gross salary of €3,500 a month through an EOR charging a flat $599. The all-in cost is €6,184 a month, which is 1.77 times his salary.
Monthly cost of one hire in Spain
Gross salary: €3,500- Extra pay accrual3,500 × 2 ÷ 12€583
- Employer contributions(3,500 + 583) × 32.15%€1,313
- EOR fee$599 converted to euros€551
- VAT on the fee551 × 21%€116
- Currency conversion margin2% of the payout so far€121
Contributions are charged on salary including the extra payments, up to a monthly cap, and the example sits below it. Rates and the exchange rate are as modeled in October 2026. Most Spanish collective agreements require 14 payments, so check the agreement that applies to the role.
Over a year that comes to €74,210. Add the $500 onboarding fee and you reach €78,170 in year one. The one-month refundable deposit of €3,500 is a cash outlay, so budget for it but do not count it as a cost.
Employer cost in 12 countries
The multiple of salary is the number to compare. It already includes the EOR fee, so a country with a low fee and heavy contributions can still sit near the top. Each row uses the calculator’s default salary for that country, so compare the multiples and read the dollar figures as context.
Brazil and Spain top the list because of mandated extra pay on top of heavy employer contributions. Singapore and the UAE sit at the bottom because employer charges are light. The multiples come from our calculator as modeled in October 2026, not from a single official table, so run your own salary before you budget. We also publish hiring guides for the UAE, Singapore, India and the Philippines, and you can browse them all in our country hiring guides.
Flat fee or percentage fee
EOR providers price in one of two ways, and the calculator lets you switch between them. A flat fee stays the same when the salary changes. A percentage fee moves with it.
Flat fee
Fixed USD per employee per month- How it is priced
- One monthly amount, for example $599
- When salary rises
- The fee stays the same
- Best for
- Senior and well-paid hires
- Watch for
- It looks heavy on a low salary
Percentage fee
Share of gross salary- How it is priced
- A rate such as 10% of salary
- When salary rises
- The fee rises with it
- Best for
- Lower salaries and short engagements
- Watch for
- Whether the base is salary or total cost
When you are ready to test quotes, our EOR provider comparisons line up pricing and features side by side, and the reviews of Deel, Remote and Multiplier show how each one structures its fees. For a wider look at pricing, read how much an employer of record costs.
Costs people forget to budget
Treating the fee as the cost
A $599 fee on a quote can sit beside a total that is three or four times larger.
Ask for the all-in monthly figure.Skipping mandated extra pay
Countries with a 13th or 14th month add one or two salaries a year that a monthly quote can hide.
Check the accrual line in the breakdown.Ignoring tax on the fee
VAT or GST on the service fee is 21% in the Spain model and applies in other countries too.
Confirm whether quotes include it.Forgetting currency margin
The model assumes 2% on the payout when you pay in a different currency.
Ask which exchange rate the provider uses.Overlooking one-time costs
Onboarding fees and a deposit change your first-year cash need.
Use the year-one figure for budgets.Assuming benefits are included
Health cover and workers’ compensation vary by country and often sit outside statutory totals.
Request the benefits package in writing.
When an entity beats an EOR
An EOR is usually cheaper and faster for the first hire in a country. In the Spain model, setting up an entity costs about $4,000 and running it about $16,000 a year, so it starts paying for itself at around two employees over a three-year horizon. At one employee the EOR wins.
Statutory contributions are the same either way, so the saving comes only from the service fee. Setup and running costs differ for every country, and the calculator shows the break-even for the one you select. If you are weighing the model itself, our guide to EOR versus PEO explains where each fits.
Read nextHow Much Does an Employer of Record Cost→EOR cost terms explained
These are the terms you will meet on an EOR quote and in the calculator’s breakdown.
- EOR
- A company that becomes the legal employer of your worker in a country, runs payroll and handles local compliance for a fee.
- VAT
- A tax some countries charge on services, which can apply to the EOR’s fee.
- Statutory contributions
- Payments the law requires an employer to make on top of salary, such as social security.
- 13th-month pay
- An extra salary payment required or customary in many countries, often accrued monthly in cost estimates.
- Security deposit
- A refundable amount some providers hold, often one month of gross salary.
- Conversion margin
- The extra percentage a provider adds when it converts your currency to the local one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is the EOR cost calculator?
It models each country’s statutory employer costs and adds a fee you can edit, so it is a close budgeting estimate. Collective agreements, benefits, workers’ compensation and exchange rate moves can change the real figure, so validate it against a written quote.
Which countries have full statutory detail?
Forty-six countries show each contribution as its own line, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Brazil, India, Singapore and the UAE. The other 138 are marked Estimate and use a blended rate.
Is the EOR fee a flat amount or a percentage?
Both exist. Flat fees are a fixed USD amount per employee per month, and the calculator’s ranges run from $199 to $999 across the detailed countries. Percentage fees are a share of gross salary, so they rise with every raise.
Does the calculator include income tax?
No. Income tax and employee contributions are deducted from the employee’s gross salary, so they do not add to your cost. The calculator covers the employer’s side.
What does year one cost compared with a normal year?
Year one adds one-time costs such as an onboarding fee. In the Spain example the annual cost is €74,210 and year one is €78,170. A refundable deposit is shown separately because you get it back.
Why is the cost so different between countries?
Employer contribution rates, caps and mandated extra pay vary widely. Across the 12 countries compared here the total runs from 1.15x salary in Singapore to 1.90x in Brazil.
When should I open my own entity instead?
When you expect several hires in the same country for three years or more. The calculator shows the break-even for the selected country, and in the Spain model it is around two employees.
How often are the rates updated?
The rates and exchange rates carry an as-of date under each result. We re-check the figures that change each year and update the calculator when a country changes its rules.
Ready to price real quotes? See how the leading providers compare in our employer of record guide and side-by-side comparisons.
