Best Employer of Record in Hong Kong (2026)

What your quote should include

For a hire in Hong Kong, I’d shortlist RemotePeople first. It offers recruitment and EOR through one provider, with a dedicated account manager on both EOR plans. Its EOR Global plan starts at USD 499 per employee per month, or USD 199 on EOR Select where the hire qualifies. Deel, from USD 599 plus a mandatory Employer Liability Cost, fits when Hong Kong is one part of a wider employee and contractor programme. Rippling, from USD 499 plus its required platform, fits a team that already runs HR or IT on Rippling.

Ask the provider for a complete local quote and the name of the company that will administer payroll and MPF.

More details

Why consider it

Recruitment and EOR services through one provider.

Dedicated account manager in both EOR plans.

Check the fit

Recruitment is separately priced.

Before signing: Confirm quote currency, billing commitment, deposits, funding deadlines and refund terms. EOR Select eligibility depends on the hiring country and employee salary.

Both EOR plans list local contracts, payroll and tax administration, and statutory benefits administration. Salary, employer contributions and benefit costs are separate.

Visit RemotePeople ↗

More details

Why consider it

EOR, contractor management and payroll for your own entities.

Month-to-month EOR service pricing available.

Check the fit

The country-specific Employer Liability Cost is mandatory.

Before signing: Confirm the Employer Liability Cost amount, benefit costs and any additional products. Monthly service terms do not remove employment notice, severance or other exit obligations.

The EOR pricing page lists 130+ countries. Broader platform coverage figures may include other services.

Visit Deel ↗

More details

Why consider it

EOR, payroll, HR records and benefits administration in one platform.

Shared workflows and reporting for domestic and international teams.

A paid Rippling Platform subscription is required on top of the EOR fee, from USD 8 per employee per month plus a monthly base fee. Rippling EOR starts at USD 499 per employee per month. Other HR and IT products are priced separately.

Rippling’s EOR page lists 115 countries. Confirm your hiring country and legal employer.

Visit Rippling ↗

Provider

Best For

Starting feeDepositOnboarding

1

RemotePeople 4.9/5 Rating Hiring in new markets with local HR support Starting fee: $499 USD / monthDeposit: 1 monthOnboarding: 5–8 days

My take

RemotePeople includes a dedicated account manager, local employment contracts, payroll and tax administration, and statutory-benefits administration.

Recruitment is a separate service.

EOR Global starts at USD 499 per employee per month. EOR Select starts at USD 199 for eligible countries and employee salary ranges. Salary, employer contributions, benefit costs and agreed extras are additional. The country quote determines eligibility, the final fee, billing commitment and payroll funding.

Deposit

1 month

Entity model

Own entities in core markets

First year, one hire

$5,988 in service fees

Read Review

Reviewed by Martynas PupkeviciusFact-checked by Michael Ennis

Starting fee

$499

EOR Global. EOR Select starts at $199 where the country and employee salary qualify.

Against the 10 starting fees

$199 lowest$699 highest

Get my proposal Visit RemotePeople ↗

2

Deel 4.7/5 Rating Paying employees and contractors on one platform Starting fee: $599 USD / monthDeposit: 1–1.5 monthsOnboarding: 2–5 days

My take

Deel combines EOR payroll and benefits administration with separate contractor and HR products.

EOR starts at USD 599 per employee per month, with month-to-month billing available. Mandatory Employer Liability Cost is an additional charge based on gross salary, with rates varying by country. Salary, statutory employer costs and benefit premiums are also separate.

Contractor management starts at USD 49 per active contract per month. It is a separate service from EOR employment; currency conversion, payment-method charges and any required deposit also affect the amount funded.

When this provider fits

For a candidate who needs a work-visa sponsor, I’d compare Deel and Pebl on the Hong Kong application service included in the proposal: the named employer, document preparation and responsibility for responding to immigration queries. For someone who already has permission to work, that service may add little value.

Deposit

1–1.5 months

Entity model

Own entities and partners

First year, one hire

$7,188 in service fees

Read Review

Reviewed by Martynas PupkeviciusFact-checked by Michael Ennis

Starting fee

$599

Month-to-month billing. Mandatory Employer Liability Cost is charged separately.

Against the 10 starting fees

$199 lowest$699 highest

Get my proposal Visit Deel ↗

3

Rippling 4.5/5 Rating Setting up payroll, laptops and app access for new hires Starting fee: $499 USD / monthDeposit: Per quoteOnboarding: 2–5 days

My take

Rippling connects EOR employment with its HR, IT and finance products, using shared employee data for workflows and reporting.

Device management and app access are separate products within that wider system.

Rippling EOR starts at USD 499 per employee per month, and the required Rippling Platform adds from USD 8 per employee per month plus a monthly base fee. The quote needs to show any selected HR, IT or finance products and the billing commitment. Salary, employer costs, benefits, deposits and payroll funding are additional to the software and service fees.

When this provider fits

I’d consider Rippling when the Hong Kong employee will join HR and IT workflows your team already operates. For a standalone hire, those wider tools may matter less than the local payroll and support package.

Deposit

Per quote

Entity model

Own entities and local partners

First year, one hire

$5,988 in EOR fees

Read Review

Reviewed by Martynas PupkeviciusFact-checked by Michael Ennis

Starting fee

$499

Plus the required Rippling Platform, from $8 per employee per month and a monthly base fee. Confirm the billing terms and selected products.

Against the 10 starting fees

$199 lowest$699 highest

Get my proposal Visit Rippling ↗

4

Multiplier 4.1/5 Rating Managing payroll, leave and expenses in one place Starting fee: $459 USD / monthDeposit: 1+ monthsOnboarding: 3–6 days

My take

Multiplier Core includes employment administration, payroll, leave and standard workforce reporting.

Core starts at $499 per employee per month on monthly billing or $459 per month billed annually. Growth adds integrations, custom reports and open APIs. The quote needs to identify the dollar currency and chosen plan.

Country variations and mandatory add-ons affect the total. Implementation fees may apply, although the FAQ says setup is free; the quote must resolve that charge. Salary, employer costs and benefit premiums are additional.

Deposit

1+ months

Entity model

Own entities and partners

First year, one hire

$5,508 in service fees

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Reviewed by Martynas PupkeviciusFact-checked by Michael Ennis

Starting fee

$459

Core plan billed annually, or $499 per month on monthly billing. Confirm the dollar currency.

Against the 10 starting fees

$199 lowest$699 highest

Get my proposal Visit Multiplier ↗

5

Pebl 4.2/5 Rating Hiring people who need visa or relocation support Starting fee: $399 USD / monthDeposit: Per quoteOnboarding: 5–9 days

My take

Pebl, formerly Velocity Global, combines hiring, payroll, employee changes, reporting and offboarding in one platform.

EOR starts at $399 per employee per month; the country quote must identify the dollar currency and billing commitment. Salary, employer costs, benefits and additional services are separate.

A deposit is required before onboarding. Its amount can change with salary, seniority or payment history, and it is returned after the final invoice and outstanding balances are paid. Early exit can make the remaining committed-term service fees payable, subject to the agreement’s termination exceptions. Any discounted offer needs an end date and renewal price.

Deposit

Per quote

Entity model

Affiliates and local partners

First year, one hire

$4,788 in service fees

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Reviewed by Martynas PupkeviciusFact-checked by Michael Ennis

Starting fee

$399

Confirm the country price and billing commitment.

Against the 10 starting fees

$199 lowest$699 highest

Get my proposal Visit Pebl ↗

6

Oyster 4.5/5 Rating Using one onboarding process for hires across countries Starting fee: $699 USD / monthDeposit: ~1 monthOnboarding: 7–12 days

My take

Oyster includes payroll, expense and time-off administration, reporting, and onboarding and offboarding support.

Benefits packages are optional add-ons. The EOR service fee is USD 699 per employee per month on monthly billing.

Annual seats are priced by headcount and location and are non-refundable, but can be reused for replacement hires. Annual prepayment gives the lowest fee; higher-priced quarterly or semiannual payment options are available. Salary, employer costs and benefit premiums are additional, and a refundable deposit is required. Optional People Partner project work costs USD 300 per hour.

When this provider fits

I’d give Oyster a closer look when the employee’s medical cover is an important part of the offer. Compare the proposed policy, eligibility, exclusions and dependants’ cover with the other quotes.

Deposit

~1 month

Entity model

Own entities and vetted partners

First year, one hire

$8,388 in service fees

Read Review

Reviewed by Martynas PupkeviciusFact-checked by Michael Ennis

Starting fee

$699

Monthly billing. Annual seats are quoted separately, prepaid and non-refundable.

Against the 10 starting fees

$199 lowest$699 highest

Get my proposal Visit Oyster ↗

7

G-P 4.2/5 Rating Hiring abroad while keeping your existing HR system Starting fee: $599 USD / monthDeposit: 1–2.5 monthsOnboarding: 2–5 days

My take

G-P combines EOR employment administration with benefits, reporting and custom API integrations.

EOR starts at USD 599 per employee per month, with volume discounts by quote. Salary, employer costs, benefit premiums and additional services are separate.

There is no minimum contract length for EOR hires. The proposal still sets the commercial billing and cancellation terms, along with the cost of any integration or implementation work.

Deposit

1–2.5 months

Entity model

100+ own entities, plus partners

First year, one hire

$7,188 in service fees

Read Review

Reviewed by Martynas PupkeviciusFact-checked by Michael Ennis

Starting fee

$599

Confirm the included services and billing terms in your country quote.

Against the 10 starting fees

$199 lowest$699 highest

Get my proposal Visit G-P ↗

8

Papaya Global 4.1/5 Rating Comparing payroll costs across countries in one report Starting fee: $499 USD / monthDeposit: 1–2 monthsOnboarding: 7–10 days

My take

Papaya brings EOR employees, payroll for a company’s own entities and workforce payments into one platform, with consolidated reporting and payroll approval tools.

That makes the payroll and payments connection a useful part of its evaluation.

Papaya’s EOR service starts at USD 499 per employee per month. The country quote must identify the billing commitment and any additional services. Salary and employer costs are separate.

Deposit

1–2 months

Entity model

Partner model; confirm employer

First year, one hire

$5,988 in service fees

Read Review

Reviewed by Martynas PupkeviciusFact-checked by Michael Ennis

Starting fee

$499

The country quote sets the billing terms. Payroll-only processing is priced separately.

Against the 10 starting fees

$199 lowest$699 highest

Get my proposal Visit Papaya Global ↗

9

Borderless AI 4.0/5 Rating Getting 24/7 help with overseas payroll and HR Starting fee: $579 USD / monthDeposit: 1.5–3 monthsOnboarding: 7–12 days

My take

Borderless AI’s standard EOR fee is USD 579 per employee per month.

Eligible companies headquartered outside Canada may qualify for USD 399 on fees billed through 31 December 2026. USD 579 applies from 1 January 2027, including promotional customers; country and employment-type exceptions apply. Salary, employer costs and benefits are additional.

A refundable deposit is required before the employee starts. The schedule is 1.5 months of gross salary plus employer costs, benefits and platform fees with ACH or three months by wire and other methods, with country variations. The base includes salary, employer contributions, benefits and platform fees. Late-payment issues can raise it to six months. Deposits are released after the relevant obligations are settled.

Deposit

1.5–3 months

Entity model

Own entities

First year, one hire

$6,948 in service fees

Read Review

Reviewed by Martynas PupkeviciusFact-checked by Michael Ennis

Starting fee

$579

Eligible companies headquartered outside Canada can pay $399 on fees billed through 31 December 2026.

Against the 10 starting fees

$199 lowest$699 highest

Get my proposal Visit Borderless AI ↗

10

RemoFirst ⚠ Trustpilot warning 0.5/5 Rating Making a first overseas hire on a tight budget Starting fee: $199 USD / monthDeposit: About 1 monthOnboarding: 5–9 days

My take

We moved RemoFirst to last place on 8 November 2026: Trustpilot has suspended its rating for a breach of its guidelines and removed fake reviews.

RemoFirst says it works exclusively with vetted in-country partners. Here, that means a local partner company, not RemoFirst, would normally employ your hire, and payroll changes, questions and exits pass through both companies, which can slow answers. US$199 is RemoFirst’s starting fee and varies by country, so get this country’s quote before you compare. RemoFirst includes a dedicated customer success manager and EOR employment from USD 199 per employee per month, with no minimum contract term or headcount. The fee can vary with country requirements. Salary, employer costs, benefits, deposits and optional services are separate.

Contractor management is free for onboarding, identity checks, contract storage and expenses. Contractor payments cost USD 25 per contractor in months when a payment is processed; payment-provider and transfer fees may also apply. These contractor services are separate from EOR employment.

Deposit

About 1 month

Entity model

Partners, not own entities

First year, one hire

$2,388 in service fees

Read Review

Reviewed by Martynas PupkeviciusFact-checked by Michael Ennis

Starting fee

$199

RemoFirst advertises no minimum contract term or employee count. Confirm any country-specific charges.

Against the 10 starting fees

$199 lowest$699 highest

Get my proposal Visit RemoFirst ↗

Contribution	Employer rate	Cap / basis	Agency
Contribution MPF mandatory contribution Employee also pays 5%, waived below HK$7,100/mo income	Employer rate 5%	Cap / basis Capped at HK$1,500/mo (relevant income ceiling HK$30,000/mo)	Agency MPFA-registered trustee
Contribution Employees' compensation insurance Mandatory for every employee, full or part time	Employer rate Premium varies	Cap / basis Set by insurer, by role and industry	Agency Labour Department (Employees' Compensation Ordinance)
Contribution Income-tax withholding Employee pays salaries tax directly	Employer rate 0% routine payroll withholding; departure holds can apply	Cap / basis Employer files IR56 returns instead	Agency Inland Revenue Department
Contribution Other social security No unemployment, health or pension charge beyond MPF	Employer rate None	Cap / basis No further charge exists	Agency n/a

Standard week	Contract-set
Common practice	40–48 hrs, 5-day weeks
Overtime rate	Contractual
Rest day	1 per 7 days
Statutory holidays	15 in 2026
Minimum wage	HK$43.10/hour From 1 May 2026; covered workers

Professional roles commonly set a 40-to-48-hour, five-day week in the contract. The statutory floor is elsewhere: one rest day in every seven for continuous-contract employees, a statutory minimum wage of HK$43.10 an hour from 1 May 2026 for workers covered by the Minimum Wage Ordinance, and statutory holidays that stand at 15 in 2026 and rise stepwise to 17 by 2030 under the 2021 amendment to the Employment Ordinance.

For a wage period spanning 1 May 2026, the new rate applies only to hours worked on or after that date. Statutory exclusions still apply. See the Labour Department’s current minimum-wage rate and 2026 revision notice.

Annual leave 7 days after year 1, rising to 14	7 → 14 days
Sickness allowance 4/5 of wages, 4+ consecutive days	Up to 120 days
Sick-day accrual 2/month in year 1, then 4/month	2–4 days/mo
Maternity at 4/5 of wages	14 weeks
Paternity at 4/5 of wages	5 days

Paid annual leave starts at 7 days after twelve months of continuous employment and rises one day a year to a 14-day statutory cap at nine years; professional contracts commonly offer more. Paid sickness days accrue at two per month in the first year and four per month after, to a 120-day bank, with sickness allowance at four-fifths of average wages payable when the absence runs four consecutive days or longer. Statutory maternity leave is 14 weeks at four-fifths of wages, with the final four weeks reimbursable to the employer by the government up to a cap of HK$80,000 per employee; paternity leave is 5 days at the same four-fifths rate.

Scenario	Trigger	What is owed
Scenario First month of probation	Trigger Either side ends the contract	What is owed No notice required
Scenario Ordinary termination	Trigger Continuous contract, either side	What is owed Contract notice, statutory minimum 7 days; one month is the market norm, pay in lieu permitted
Scenario Redundancy	Trigger 24+ months of service	What is owed Severance payment: 2/3 of last month's wages (wage capped at HK$22,500) × years of service
Scenario Dismissal, not redundancy or misconduct	Trigger 5+ years of service	What is owed Long service payment: same formula, never payable alongside severance
Scenario Summary dismissal	Trigger Serious misconduct	What is owed No notice, no severance or long service payment

Hong Kong termination is contract-first: no cause needs to be shown for an ordinary dismissal with notice, and the Employment Ordinance’s role is the floor beneath the contract, a 7-day minimum notice on a continuous contract, protection against dismissal in specified circumstances such as pregnancy or sick leave on sickness allowance, and the exit payments in the table. Severance payment and long service payment share one formula and never stack; which one applies depends on whether the job disappeared. Since 1 May 2025, the offset test divides service before and after the transition date. Benefits derived from mandatory employer MPF contributions cannot offset the post-transition portion of severance or long service payment. They can offset an eligible pre-transition portion regardless of when those contributions were made. The EOR should show the two service portions separately in the exit calculation.

Redundancy of a 3-year employee on HK$30,000/month	Formula wage base = 2/3 × HK$30,000 = HK$20,000, capped at HK$15,000
Notice One-month contract norm, paid in lieu	HK$30,000
Severance payment Capped HK$15,000 × 3 years of service	HK$45,000
Accrued unused leave Assume 5 days × ≈ HK$986 daily wage	HK$4,932
Indicative exit cost ≈ $10,250 at HK$7.8 to the dollar	HK$79,932

The formula is statutory, so unlike Singapore’s negotiated retrenchment norms this figure moves only with the wage and the years: the counted wage caps at HK$22,500 (so a HK$60,000 earner and a HK$35,000 earner accrue the same HK$15,000 per year) and the total payment caps at HK$390,000. Any year-end payment promised in the contract accrues pro rata to the exit as well. The guide on termination across jurisdictions prices the same departure in markets where the formula runs steeper.

Suppose an eligible redundancy involves one complete year of service before 1 May 2025 and two after it. Assume the applicable pre-transition monthly wage is HK$18,000 and the applicable termination wage is HK$24,000. The pre-transition calculation is HK$18,000 × 2/3 × 1 = HK$12,000. The later portion uses the HK$22,500 wage ceiling: HK$22,500 × 2/3 × 2 = HK$30,000. The combined illustration is HK$42,000 before any permitted offset.

This example assumes those wage bases apply; the statutory wage-election rules can matter. Ask the provider to retain the service split, wage evidence and offset calculation. Mandatory employer MPF benefits may offset the eligible earlier portion, but not the HK$30,000 later-service portion; voluntary benefits and service-based gratuities need separate treatment. Notice, unused leave and other sums remain separate.

Hong Kong runs no pay-as-you-earn system. The employer’s tax role is reporting: it notifies the Inland Revenue Department of a new hire within three months of the start date, files an annual return of each employee’s remuneration after the tax year ends on 31 March, and the IRD assesses the employee directly. Ordinary payroll does not withhold salaries tax, but departure tax-clearance rules can require the employer to hold payments.

Payroll itself runs monthly in Hong Kong dollars, and the Employment Ordinance requires wages within seven days of the end of the wage period; holding payment longer accrues interest and is an offence. MPF follows by the 10th of the next month. The Hong Kong dollar has been pegged to the US dollar since 1983, trading in a band of 7.75 to 7.85, so a US-headquartered employer budgeting a Hong Kong salary carries effectively no exchange risk, and every conversion on this page uses HK$7.8 to the dollar.

Departure tax clearance can affect final pay. Where a chargeable employee will leave Hong Kong for more than one month, the employer generally files IR56G at least one month before departure; frequent business travel is an exception. From notification, the employer withholds payments for one month or until an IRD letter of release arrives, whichever comes first. Agree the filing and release dates before the employee leaves.

Hong Kong law does not require an employment contract to be written, but written contracts in English or Chinese are universal practice and the EOR supplies one, because the Employment Ordinance requires the employer to state the conditions of employment, wages, wage period, notice and any year-end payment, before employment begins, and to give written particulars on request. The Ordinance’s minimum entitlements are implied into every contract and cannot be signed away; a clause that purports to extinguish a statutory right simply fails. Itemised pay records must be kept, and the EOR issues payslips as standard.

Probation is customary at one to three months. The statutory posture is permissive: no notice is needed from either side inside the first month of probation, and after that the contract’s probation notice applies with a 7-day statutory floor. Fixed-term contracts are permitted without a statutory limit on renewals, but the continuous-contract test keeps counting across renewals, so a chain of fixed terms builds the same severance and long-service tenure an open-ended contract would; the EOR uses fixed terms only where the work is genuinely time-bound.

There is no statutory 13th month. The year-end payment, typically one month’s pay landing before Lunar New Year, is a market custom strong enough that many candidates read a package without it as below-market. The Employment Ordinance takes a distinctive position: it does not require the payment, but once the contract provides one, statutory end-of-year payment rules attach, including proportional payment for an employee who has served a completed part of the bonus year when employment ends. So the drafting matters more than in most markets: state the payment as guaranteed or as genuinely discretionary, and the EOR will administer whichever the contract says.

Misclassification in Hong Kong is priced in back-payments and offences. Engage someone as an independent contractor while directing fixed hours and the courts can find employment on the substance of the relationship; that finding arrives with back MPF for both shares plus surcharges, the full set of Employment Ordinance entitlements, and, most seriously, the offence of having employed someone without employees’ compensation insurance, which carries fines and potential imprisonment. An employment arrangement that meets local requirements can change how the worker is engaged from then on. It does not settle earlier classification liabilities. The misclassification guide covers the control-and-integration tests Hong Kong courts apply.

Scheme	Who it is for	Sponsor	Key requirements	Processing
Scheme General Employment Policy (GEP)	Who it is for Professionals from outside mainland China	Sponsor The employing entity	Key requirements Degree or strong professional experience, market-rate package, case for hiring a non-local	Processing ~4 weeks with complete documents
Scheme Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents (ASMTP)	Who it is for Mainland Chinese professionals	Sponsor The employing entity	Key requirements Mirrors the GEP tests	Processing ~4 weeks with complete documents
Scheme Top Talent Pass Scheme (TTPS)	Who it is for High earners and graduates of eligible universities	Sponsor None needed	Key requirements HK$2.5M+ prior-year income, or a degree from the eligible-universities list	Processing Applied for by the individual

The General Employment Policy is the workhorse. There is no quota, no labour-market lottery and no points framework; the Immigration Department quotes around four weeks of processing once all documents are in.

The Top Talent Pass Scheme changes the buying decision more than any provider feature: a candidate who qualifies, on prior-year income of HK$2.5 million or more or a degree from the scheme’s eligible-universities list, applies without any employer at all and arrives already entitled to work. Hiring a TTPS holder through an EOR is therefore identical to hiring a local, sponsorship never enters, and the $199 tier serves them as well as the $599 tier does.

Role	Gross HKD/month	USD/month (approx)
Role Software engineer	Gross HKD/month HK$35,000–60,000	USD/month (approx) $4,487–7,692
Role Senior software engineer	Gross HKD/month HK$55,000–85,000	USD/month (approx) $7,051–10,897
Role Product manager	Gross HKD/month HK$50,000–80,000	USD/month (approx) $6,410–10,256
Role Accountant	Gross HKD/month HK$30,000–50,000	USD/month (approx) $3,846–6,410
Role Customer support	Gross HKD/month HK$18,000–28,000	USD/month (approx) $2,308–3,590
Role Sales manager	Gross HKD/month HK$45,000–75,000	USD/month (approx) $5,769–9,615
Role HR manager	Gross HKD/month HK$40,000–65,000	USD/month (approx) $5,128–8,333
Role Designer	Gross HKD/month HK$28,000–45,000	USD/month (approx) $3,590–5,769

Software engineer, Hong Kong	Gross base: HK$45,000/month
Gross salary	HK$45,000
MPF employer contribution 5% capped at HK$1,500 above the HK$30,000 income ceiling	HK$1,500
Employees' compensation insurance Premium set by insurer per role; modest for office work, excluded here	Varies
EOR fee illustration RemoFirst $199 ≈ HK$1,552 ⚠ Trustpilot warning: rating suspended for a breach of its guidelines; fake reviews removed	HK$1,552
Monthly total, cheapest fee Annual ≈ HK$576,624 (about $73,900)	HK$48,052

Factor	EOR	Your own limited company
Factor Setup cost	EOR None	Your own limited company Roughly HK$4,000–5,000 in incorporation and business-registration fees, plus service-provider costs
Factor Time to first hire	EOR 2–12 days	Your own limited company Incorporation in days; corporate bank account and MPF scheme setup often take weeks
Factor Local requirements	EOR None for you	Your own limited company No resident director needed, but a Hong Kong-resident company secretary and a local registered address are mandatory
Factor Per-employee cost	EOR $199–699/employee/mo fee + statutory	Your own limited company Statutory only, plus shared overhead
Factor Ongoing admin	EOR Provider runs payroll & filings	Your own limited company Company secretary, annual return, audited accounts every year, profits tax, your own payroll, MPF and IR56 filings
Factor Compliance liability	EOR On the EOR	Your own limited company On you and your directors

At an illustrative USD 199 monthly service fee, a year of EOR fees is about HK$18,600 per employee on top of statutory costs you would owe either way. A Hong Kong company’s registry fees are trivial by global standards and no resident director is required, but the recurring obligations are not free: a Hong Kong-resident company secretary, a registered address, an annual return, a profits tax filing and, unusually for a market this light-touch elsewhere, a statutory audit of the accounts every year regardless of company size. On typical market quotes those recurring services run roughly HK$20,000 to HK$40,000 a year before anyone runs payroll.

Annualise the selected service fee for the hires you expect to keep, then compare it with the limited company’s secretary, registered address, accounting/audit, MPF and payroll costs. Count setup costs over the same hiring horizon and include payroll, benefits, transition and exit charges on both sides. A higher service-fee plan moves the financial crossover earlier; lower recurring entity overhead or a longer hiring horizon can do the same. Short hiring duration, setup costs and the need for local administration can move it later.

What is the best EOR in Hong Kong?

RemotePeople is our top pick for Hong Kong in 2026 (4.9/5), followed by Deel (4.7/5) and Rippling (4.5/5). We opened paid accounts with all 10 providers on this page, priced real hires and ran payroll.

RemotePeople offers recruitment and EOR through one provider, with a dedicated account manager on both EOR plans. RemotePeople’s EOR Global plan starts at USD 499 per employee per month, and EOR Select at USD 199 where the hire qualifies. Deel starts at USD 599 plus a mandatory Employer Liability Cost; Rippling starts at USD 499 plus its required platform subscription.

How does an employer of record work in Hong Kong?

An employer of record in Hong Kong becomes the worker’s legal employer through a local employing entity, while your company directs the day-to-day work. The EOR enrols the employee in an MPF scheme within 60 days and pays contributions by the 10th of each month, arranges employees’ compensation insurance and handles the IRD commencement notice and annual employer’s return. It pays wages within seven days of the period end and calculates any severance or long service payment.

How fast can an EOR onboard an employee in Hong Kong?

How much does an EOR cost in Hong Kong per month?

Published service fees for Hong Kong run from USD 199 to USD 699 per employee per month across the 10 providers we tested: RemoFirst from USD 199; RemotePeople Global from USD 499, or Select from USD 199 only where country and salary qualify; Deel from USD 599 plus mandatory Employer Liability Cost; G-P from USD 599; Oyster USD 699 on monthly billing, with annual seats quoted separately. Multiplier Core advertises $499 monthly or $459 per month billed annually; Pebl advertises $399, with currency and commitment to confirm. Rippling starts at USD 499 plus its required platform from USD 8 per employee, and Papaya Global at USD 499. Borderless AI is USD 579 standard, with an eligible USD 399 promotion on fees billed through 31 December 2026. All amounts are per employee/month; salary and employment costs are separate.

On top of the fee you pay the gross salary, employer MPF of 5 percent capped at HK$1,500 a month, and the premium on mandatory employees’ compensation insurance. There is no employer income-tax withholding to fund.

What employer contributions are mandatory in Hong Kong?

Can an EOR sponsor a work visa in Hong Kong?

Is a 13th-month payment mandatory in Hong Kong?

How does Hong Kong’s continuous-contract test work in 2026?

From 18 January 2026, an employee needs at least four weeks of continuous employment with the same employer. A week qualifies with at least 17 hours, or, when it falls below 17, with at least 68 hours in that week plus the three immediately preceding weeks with that employer.

The 68-hour alternative cannot be used for the first three weeks of new employment; each needs at least 17 hours. Periods before 18 January 2026 still use the former 18-hour weekly test. Meeting this definition does not automatically satisfy the separate service and payment conditions for every benefit. See the Labour Department’s current-rule explanation and transition FAQ.

Consider a hypothetical employee who starts after 18 January 2026 and works 20, 20, 20 and 8 hours in the first four weeks. The first three weeks each clear 17 hours. The fourth is below 17, but those four weeks total 68 hours, so it qualifies under the alternative test.

The following week needs its own assessment. You cannot keep reusing the first four-week total after the window moves. Give the EOR the hours for each week, not only a monthly total, and preserve records against the same employing entity.

What severance or long service payment do I owe in Hong Kong?

One or the other, never both. Redundancy after 24 months of service triggers severance payment; dismissal for reasons other than redundancy or serious misconduct after five years of service triggers long service payment. Both use the same formula: two-thirds of the last month’s wages, capped at two-thirds of HK$22,500, per year of service, to a maximum of HK$390,000. For service spanning 1 May 2025, split the payment into pre- and post-transition portions. Employer mandatory MPF benefits cannot offset the portion for service from that date, but can offset eligible earlier-service amounts regardless of when contributions were made; voluntary contributions and service-based gratuities follow separate rules.

Do I need a Hong Kong company to hire one person?

No. An EOR employs the worker through its Hong Kong limited company, so you skip incorporation, the Hong Kong-resident company secretary, the registered address, the annual audit that every Hong Kong company must file, and the corporate bank account that often takes longer to open than the company itself.

Annualise the selected service fee for the hires you expect to keep, then compare it with the limited company’s secretary, registered address, accounting/audit, MPF and payroll costs.

Hiring facts Checked 2 Oct 2026

Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57) 11 sources

Continuous-contract rules effective 18 January 2026: at least four weeks with the same employer, with 17 hours in each week or the qualifying rolling 68-hour test; first-three-week and transition rules apply. Eligible employees receive one rest day per seven days and 7–14 days of annual leave by tenure. Sickness allowance is four-fifths of average daily wages, subject to eligibility and accumulated paid sickness days, up to a 120-day bank. Maternity leave is 14 weeks and paternity leave five days; paid entitlement generally requires 40 weeks under a continuous contract plus the relevant notice and evidence, at four-fifths of average daily wages. Maternity pay for weeks 11–14 is capped at HK$80,000. The Ordinance also sets notice requirements and governs contractual end-of-year payments. Wages must be paid as soon as practicable and no later than seven days after the wage period ends. Labour Department.

Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance 4 sources

For covered regular employees paid monthly, employer and employee each contribute 5% of relevant income, subject to a HK$30,000 monthly ceiling (HK$1,500 per side). No employee contribution is required below HK$7,100 a month; the employer still contributes 5%. Enrolment is generally due within the first 60 days of employment. Contributions are normally due by the 10th of the following month, with special first-contribution and non-working-day rules; new employees have an employee-side contribution holiday. Employer contributions are calculated from the first day of employment. Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA).

Severance & long service payment 3 sources

For eligible monthly-rated employees, severance or long service payment is generally two-thirds of the relevant monthly wage, capped at a HK$22,500 wage base, for each year of service, with an overall HK$390,000 maximum. Severance generally requires at least 24 months under a continuous contract and redundancy or lay-off; long service payment requires at least five years and a qualifying termination or other statutory circumstance. An employee cannot receive both for the same termination. For service spanning 1 May 2025, the calculation is split into pre- and post-transition portions. Employer mandatory MPF benefits cannot offset the portion for service from that date; they can still offset the earlier-service portion, regardless of when the contributions were made. Employer voluntary MPF benefits and service-based gratuities retain separate offset rules. Labour Department.

Statutory holidays 2 sources

Employees' compensation insurance 2 sources

Salaries tax 4 sources

Salaries Tax is assessed on the employee. The calculation compares progressive rates of 2–17% on net chargeable income with the two-tier standard rate on net income: 15% on the first HK$5 million and 16% above, using the lower result. Employer reporting includes an IR56E within three months of starting employment where the employee is likely to be chargeable, an annual return following the 31 March year end (normally within one month of issue), and an IR56G at least one month before a chargeable employee leaves Hong Kong for more than a month, subject to the frequent-business-travel exception. Departure payments must be withheld for one month from notification or until an IRD letter of release arrives, whichever is earlier. Inland Revenue Department (IRD).

Statutory Minimum Wage 2 sources

Immigration 5 sources

The General Employment Policy and Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals provide employer-sponsored professional routes that are generally quota-free; their Technical Professionals Stream has quotas and specified-trade conditions. The Top Talent Pass Scheme has income and eligible-university degree routes, does not require an employment offer at application, and its Category C is quota-limited. The Immigration Department normally quotes around four weeks for complete entry applications and the required application fee.

Currency 2 sources

Incorporation 5 sources

For a Hong Kong local company with share capital, the Companies Registry incorporation fee is HK$1,545 electronically or HK$1,720 on paper, plus the applicable IRD business registration fee and levy. For incorporation submissions from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, the business registration fee and levy total HK$2,350 for a one-year certificate (HK$2,200 fee plus HK$150 levy), or HK$6,170 for a three-year certificate. A company secretary must be either an individual ordinarily resident in Hong Kong or a corporate secretary with a registered or principal office in Hong Kong; the company also needs a Hong Kong registered office. Financial statements normally require an audit, with a statutory exception for dormant companies. Recurring-overhead estimates are market quotations and need a dated, itemised quote; they are not official government fees.

Salary benchmarks 1 source

Provider pricing, entity model and onboarding 10 sources

Further sources (October 2026) 3 sources

Labour Department — 2026 continuous-contract explanation — 17-hour and rolling 68-hour tests, first-three-week restriction, 18 January 2026 commencement and separate benefit eligibility. Accessed 19 October 2026.

Labour Department — abolition of MPF offsetting FAQ — Separate pre/post-1 May 2025 service portions and wage bases; mandatory versus voluntary benefit offset rules. Accessed 19 October 2026.

Inland Revenue Department — departure tax clearance, April 2026 — Chargeable employees departing over one month; business-travel exception; notification and one-month-or-release withholding period. Accessed 19 October 2026.

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Hiring in Hong Kong at a glance

Hiring in Hong Kong, at a glance.

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Employment costs and service fees

Deposits and payroll funding

Key takeaways for hiring in Hong Kong

A quiet week can still count as continuous employment

Split older service at 1 May 2025

Contribution dates do not define the offset test

Departure clearance can temporarily stop final pay

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