Hiring talent in another country can unlock stronger talent access, faster market entry, and more flexible team growth. But before expanding, employers need one clear answer: how much does an Employer of Record cost?
An Employer of Record, or EOR, helps companies legally hire, onboard, pay, and manage employees in another country without setting up a local entity. Instead of building your own legal, payroll, HR, and compliance infrastructure from scratch, you work with an EOR partner that manages the employment process on your behalf.
For employers hiring across Southeast Asia, EOR cost is not only about the monthly platform fee. You should also look at payroll handling, benefits administration, local compliance support, recruitment support, exchange rate markups, and set up fees.
How Much Does an Employer of Record Cost?
Most global EOR providers price their service fee between USD 199 and USD 699 per employee per month, depending on the provider, country coverage, service scope, and contract terms.
For example, published EOR pricing from several providers shows a wide range:
- RemoFirst starts from USD 199 per employee per month for EOR services.
- Glints TalentHub starts from USD 299 per employee per month with recruitment and EOR support included (best option).
- Multiplier starts from USD 400 per employee per month for EOR services.
- Deel lists its standard Employee of Record plan from USD 599 per employee per month, while its Enterprise EOR plan starts from USD 899 per employee per month.
- Remote lists Employer of Record pricing at USD 699 per employee per month, or USD 599 per employee per month with annual billing.
- Oyster lists Employer of Record pricing at USD 699 per employee per month, with annual discounts available.
This means Glints TalentHub sits below many well known global EOR providers on published monthly pricing, while also including recruitment support, in country sourcing, payroll, benefits, HR support, no FX markups, and no setup fees.
For employers hiring in Southeast Asia, this matters because the lowest EOR fee is not always the lowest total hiring cost. A provider may charge less for the platform but add costs through sourcing fees, FX markups, country specific charges, or separate recruitment support. The best comparison is the total monthly cost of hiring, which should include salary, statutory employer costs, benefits, EOR service fee, recruitment support, setup fees, and any currency or payment related charges.
Not sure where to start? Consult with our expert about your hiring problem.
What Is Usually Included in EOR Cost?
What Makes Up the Total EOR Cost?
Your total EOR budget typically has five main components:
Total employment cost = gross salary + employer statutory costs + benefits + EOR service fee + additional charges
1. Employee Salary
The gross salary is normally the largest part of the employment cost. It is agreed between your company and the employee, then processed through the EOR’s local payroll.
Salary expectations can vary considerably by country, city, profession, experience, language ability, and industry. Local salary benchmarking can help you build a competitive offer without overpaying.
2. Employer Taxes and Statutory Contributions
Employers may be required to make contributions toward pensions, social security, healthcare, workplace insurance, unemployment protection, or other government programmes.
These costs vary by country and sometimes depend on salary bands, age, nationality, or contribution ceilings. They are employment costs rather than EOR service fees.
Ask each provider to separate statutory costs from its own management fee so you can compare quotations accurately.
3. Employee Benefits
Benefits may include private health insurance, life insurance, allowances, additional leave, or other locally competitive benefits.
Some benefits are legally required. Others are optional but may be important for attracting and retaining talent. Confirm whether the EOR fee includes benefits administration only or also includes the cost of the benefits themselves.
4. EOR Service Fee
The EOR fee pays for the infrastructure and support needed to employ the worker legally. Depending on the provider and plan, this may include:
- A locally compliant employment contract
- Employee onboarding
- Monthly payroll processing
- Tax withholding and statutory contribution support
- Benefits administration
- Payslips and employment records
- Leave and expense administration
- Local HR and compliance guidance
- Employee offboarding support
The scope varies by provider. Review the service agreement instead of assuming every item is included.
5. Additional or Occasional Charges
Some services may sit outside the standard monthly fee, including:
- Employee deposits or payroll funding requirements
- Visa and work permit support
- Background checks
- Equipment purchasing and delivery
- Premium benefits
- Recruitment services
- Expense reimbursements
- Contract amendments
- Termination administration
- Currency conversion charges
A deposit may be refundable, so it should be treated as a cash flow requirement rather than automatically classified as a permanent cost.
Why EOR Cost Can Be More Efficient Than Entity Set Up
Setting up a local entity can make sense when a company has a large, long-term team in one country. But for many employers, entity set up can be expensive and time consuming.
You may need to pay for company incorporation, legal support, tax registration, payroll vendors, HR administration, employment contracts, benefits providers, accounting support, and ongoing compliance management.
An EOR helps reduce this complexity by allowing companies to hire employees in another country without creating their own local entity first.
This makes EOR especially useful when you are:
- Testing a new market before committing to entity set up
- Hiring one or several employees in a country
- Expanding quickly across multiple countries
- Managing remote or distributed teams
- Looking for a faster and more compliant hiring route
- Trying to reduce upfront hiring and operating costs
What Employers Should Check Before Comparing EOR Pricing
A lower monthly fee does not always mean a lower total cost. Before choosing an EOR provider, employers should check what is actually included.
Important questions to ask include:
- Does the price include payroll and statutory benefits management?
- Does the provider help with recruitment, or only employment administration?
- Is there an in country HR team supporting the employee?
- Are there foreign exchange markups?
- Are there set up fees?
- Are employment contracts localized for each country?
- Does the provider support onboarding, payroll, benefits, and ongoing HR questions?
These details matter because hidden costs can make EOR pricing harder to compare. A provider that looks cheaper at first may become more expensive once you add recruitment fees, payroll costs, FX markups, and separate HR support.
Employer of Record Cost Example
Consider a company hiring one employee with the following estimated monthly costs:
| Cost component | Illustrative amount |
|---|---|
| Gross monthly salary | S$5,000 |
| Employer statutory costs | S$750 |
| Employee benefits | S$150 |
| EOR service fee | S$299 |
| Estimated monthly total | S$6,299 |
This example assumes employer statutory costs equal to 15 percent of salary. It is provided only to demonstrate the calculation. Actual contributions must be calculated using the rules that apply in the employee’s country and personal circumstances.
One time recruitment, equipment, visa, or onboarding costs would need to be added separately if required.
When Is EOR Worth the Cost?
EOR is worth considering when speed, compliance, and flexibility matter.
For example, if your company wants to hire talent in Southeast Asia but does not yet have a local entity, an EOR can help you move faster. You can hire employees legally, manage payroll properly, and stay aligned with local employment requirements.
It is also useful when your team needs support beyond payroll. With Glints TalentHub, recruitment is included, which helps employers solve both sides of the hiring challenge: finding talent and employing them compliantly.
Final Thoughts
Employer of Record cost should be assessed based on total value, not only the monthly fee.
A strong EOR partner should help you reduce hiring complexity, control costs, support compliance, and make regional hiring easier to manage. With Glints TalentHub starting from $299 per month, employers get EOR, payroll, benefits, recruitment support, in country sourcing, HR support, flat rate pricing with no FX markups, and no set up fees.
For companies expanding into Southeast Asia, this creates a simpler way to source, hire, onboard, pay, and manage talent without building everything from scratch.
