Employer of Record

Hire South Africa without setting up a company.

EMPLOI acts as the legal employer for your South African team. You keep day-to-day control; we handle contracts, payroll, tax, benefits, and compliance under local law.

How it works

From approved candidate to compliant employee in days.

01

Define the role

You choose the function, seniority, and salary. We benchmark it against the South African market and advise on total cost.

02

We hire under our SA entity

EMPLOI signs a compliant local employment contract with your chosen candidate. You never need to register a South African company.

03

Onboard and operate

The employee works full-time for you, follows your processes, and reports to your leadership — we manage the SA-side employment relationship.

04

Payroll and statutory filings

We run payroll monthly, withhold PAYE/UIF/SDL, file with SARS, and maintain leave, benefits, and records in line with BCEA and LRA.

What's included

Everything you need to employ legally in South Africa.

An EOR is more than a payroll service. We become the legal employer, assume the statutory obligations, and protect you from the compliance risks of cross-border hiring.

Compliant local contracts

Employment agreements reviewed by South African labour counsel, with enforceable IP assignment and confidentiality clauses.

Payroll, tax & statutory filings

Monthly PAYE, UIF, SDL, and SARS submissions handled end-to-end. Employees receive payslips and tax certificates on time.

Benefits & risk cover

We manage medical aid, pension/provident fund, workers' compensation, and leave entitlements according to SA law.

Labour-law compliance

BCEA, LRA, EE Act, and POPIA requirements baked into contracts, policies, and data handling from day one.

Data protection (POPIA)

GDPR-aligned privacy practices, data processing agreements, and secure infrastructure for regulated US workloads.

Day-to-day HR support

Employee relations, performance management, disciplinary guidance, and offboarding — handled by a team that knows both SA and US norms.

Built for South African compliance from day one.

South African employment law is detailed, and US companies rarely have the in-house expertise to navigate it. We build every contract and policy around BCEA, LRA, and POPIA requirements, so your team is protected and your risk is minimized.

  • BCEA-compliant employment contracts and working-time policies
  • LRA-aligned grievance and disciplinary procedures
  • POPIA data protection and processor agreements
  • PAYE, UIF, SDL, and SARS monthly filings
  • Medical aid, pension, and workers' compensation administration
  • IP assignment and confidentiality in every agreement

Why not just incorporate?

Setting up a South African entity costs months, significant legal fees, and ongoing accounting and HR overhead. With EMPLOI, you get the same control without the entity.

EOR vs entity setup

EMPLOI vs doing it yourself.

FactorEMPLOISetting up your own entity
Local entity requiredNo — we are the employerYes — incorporate and run payroll
Time to first hire1–2 weeks3–6 months
Labour-law expertiseIncludedHire local counsel & HR
Tax & statutory filingsManaged by EMPLOIYour responsibility
Employment riskCarried by EMPLOICarried by your entity
Setup costFixed per-employee feeHigh legal, accounting, and admin costs

Comparison is directional. Entity setup timelines and costs vary based on structure and advisors.

Roles we employ

Business processes US companies are moving to SA today.

From engineering seats to entire finance and CX functions, South Africa has the depth to staff full teams. We employ them under our SA entity so you don't have to set one up.

  • Software engineers & DevOps
  • Finance, accounting & FP&A
  • Customer support & success
  • Sales development & RevOps
  • Data & analytics
  • Legal & paralegal
  • Marketing & content ops
  • HR & recruiting ops

Ready to hire?

Get your South African team started legally.

Book a 20-minute call with our team. We'll walk you through the EOR model, total cost, and what compliance looks like for your specific role.