🇺🇦 Hire in Ukraine: cost, rules and best EOR options
Deep pool of experienced software engineers with good English and a lower cost base. Hiring is workable but carries war-related operational risk: air-raid alerts, power outages, mobilisation of men and relocation of staff.
- Employer on-costs: 22–22% of gross salary (on a $60,000 salary, about $73,200–$73,200 total)
- EOR onboarding: not verified; own entity: not verified
- Probation: Up to 3 months (Labour Code art. 26; general knowledge).
- Currency: Ukrainian hryvnia (UAH)
- Data confidence: low, verified 2026-10-05
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What it costs to employ someone in Ukraine
Employer on-costs run roughly 22–22% on top of gross salary. Employer unified social contribution (USC/ESV) of 22% of gross pay (PwC), capped at 20x the minimum wage (UAH 172,940 monthly base as of 1 Jan 2026). Employee-borne taxes (18% PIT + 5% military levy) are not employer cost. Excludes paid leave and severance.
| Contribution | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Unified Social Contribution (USC / ESV) | 22% of gross remuneration | Base capped at 20x minimum wage; exceptions for certain groups (e.g. disabled workers). Employers who recruit staff for the Armed Forces under certain tax groups are exempt per PwC. |
Employer withholds personal income tax at 18% and military levy at 5% (raised from 1.5% on 1 December 2024, temporary during martial law and three years after, per secondary source). Employees pay no USC.
Mandatory benefits
- Minimum 24 calendar days' annual paid leave (Law on Leave; general knowledge)
- Paid sick leave (partly employer funded for first days)
- Maternity and childcare leave
Employment rules at a glance
| Payroll | At least twice a month (advance and final salary) under the Law on Remuneration (general knowledge). |
|---|---|
| Probation | Up to 3 months (Labour Code art. 26; general knowledge). |
| Notice & severance | Employee resignation: 2 weeks' notice. Employer redundancy: 2 months' written notice and severance of one month's average pay (general knowledge). Martial-law rules permit suspension of employment contracts up to 90 days and more flexible terms. |
| Working time | 40 hours per week standard; martial law allows extension of the working week to 60 hours (Law 2136-IX; general knowledge, not verified). |
| Paid leave | 24 calendar days' minimum annual paid leave (general knowledge, not fetched) plus public holidays; additional leaves by law/contract. |
| Minimum wage | UAH 8,647 per month and UAH 52 per hour from 1 January 2026, per secondary reports of the State Budget 2026 (https://wageindicator.org/ai/work/minimum-wage/updates/2026/minimum-wage-updated-in-ukraine-from-01-january-2026-january-01-2026/). |
Termination
Under martial law, special labour provisions apply (contract suspension, flexible agreements, adjusted notice rules). Labour Code grounds for dismissal remain closed lists. Obtain local counsel; rules changed in 2022-2025.
Employee or contractor in Ukraine?
The popular route for foreign clients is FOP (individual entrepreneur) on the simplified tax system. Misclassification risk is moderate; Diia.City offers special regimes for IT. Check current rules.
Compare contractor vs employee cost →
Hiring through an EOR in Ukraine
EOR providers support Ukraine but advise on martial-law compliance. A foreign company can employ via a local entity. Oyster/Remofirst guides exist; timelines not verified.
Typical onboarding: EOR not verified; own entity not verified. EET, UTC+2 in winter and UTC+3 in summer (DST), 7 hours ahead of US Eastern (6 during some weeks when DST dates diverge).
Providers worth shortlisting
| Provider | Best for | EOR pricing | Coverage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deel | Companies that want one platform for contractors, EOR and a US PEO, with transparent per-seat list prices. | $599 per EOR employee per month (public list price, checked 2026-10-05) | 150+ countries (vendor claim, per Deel's own and third-party descriptions) | Visit Deel |
| Remote | Teams that want a published price for each product (EOR, global payroll, contractors, contractor of record, US PEO) and an affiliate program with 12-month revenue share. | $699 per employee/month (public list price, checked 2026-10-05) | 90+ countries for EOR (vendor pricing page claim) | Visit Remote |
| Rippling | Companies already running (or willing to adopt) a unified HR, IT and finance platform who want global hiring as an add-on module. | — | Visit Rippling | |
| Oyster | Distributed teams that want published EOR and contractor prices and a long-running affiliate program with tiered revenue share. | $699 per employee/month (public list price, checked 2026-10-05); annual discounts available; refundable deposit required | 120+ countries EOR; contractors in 180+ countries (vendor claim) | Visit Oyster |
| Papaya Global | Mid-size and larger companies that need multi-country payroll orchestration and workforce payments, and will go through a sales process. | 160+ countries (vendor claim as repeated on FlexOffers listing and third-party pages) | Visit Papaya Global | |
| Multiplier | Cost-conscious teams that want EOR priced below $500 per employee with an annual discount. | Third-party summary of Multiplier's pricing: EOR from $459/employee/month on annual contracts and $499 on monthly contracts (not confirmed; multiplier pricing page returned 403 to our fetch) | — | Visit Multiplier |
| Remofirst | Small teams that want the lowest published EOR starting price and a free contractor tier. | Starting at $199 per person/month (public list price, checked 2026-10-05); 'no hidden fees, setup fees, or minimum contract terms' per vendor page | 185+ countries for EOR (vendor claim) | Visit Remofirst |
| Pebl (formerly Velocity Global) | Companies that want an EOR with a tiered reseller/partner program and are comfortable with a recently rebranded vendor. | Third-party reports a flat $399 per employee/month (not confirmed on vendor page; hellopebl.com/pricing returned 404) | 185+ countries (third-party report) | Visit Pebl (formerly Velocity Global) |
Paying and covering your team in Ukraine
Related
FAQ
What is the employer social tax in Ukraine?
The unified social contribution is 22% of gross pay, capped at 20 times the minimum wage.
Is hiring in Ukraine safe given the war?
Legally possible, with special martial-law labour rules. Operationally consider outages, mobilisation risk and business continuity; take local legal advice.
What is the minimum wage?
UAH 8,647 per month from 1 January 2026.
How is the employee taxed?
18% PIT plus a 5% military levy.