What it really costs, EOR vs contractor vs entity, and how the timezone math works out
Hiring a full-time employee in Taiwan costs employers roughly 17.9–20.5% on top of gross salary in mandatory employer contributions, plus an EOR platform fee of $400–$699/month if you hire without a local entity. Taiwan sits in UTC+8, giving roughly 1 hours of workday overlap with Central Europe teams.
Employer cost
+17.9–20.5%
on gross salary
EOR fee
$400–699/mo
published list prices
Currency
TWD
Local payroll currency
Infrastructure
excellent internet
Low cost of living
Mandatory employer contributions in Taiwan add roughly 17.9–20.5% on top of gross salary, before the EOR platform fee. This is the statutory structure — a vendor quote for your exact salary is always authoritative.
| Employer contribution | Rate |
|---|---|
| Labour Insurance (incl. employment insurance), employer 70% | ~8.75% (12.5% premium x 70%), insured-salary cap TWD 45,800/mo |
| National Health Insurance, employer 60% | ~3.10% base (5.17% x 60%); ~4.84% with 1.56-dependant load, cap TWD 313,000/mo |
| Labour Pension (employer) | 6% minimum of monthly salary, cap TWD 150,000/mo |
| Occupational accident insurance (in high-end range) | 0.11%-0.93%, industry-dependent |
| NHI supplementary premium on bonuses (excluded from headline) | 2.11% |
| Total statutory employer cost | ≈ 17.9–20.5% of gross salary |
Three programs: Labour Insurance (ordinary 11.5% + 1% employment/unemployment = 12.5% premium, employer pays 70% = ~8.75%, on insured salary up to TWD 45,800/mo), National Health Insurance (5.17% premium, employer pays 60% = ~3.10% base; but the employer also bears an average dependant load of ~1.56 headcount per employee, pushing the effective employer NHI to ~4.84%, capped at TWD 313,000/mo), and Labour Pension (employer minimum 6% of monthly salary, capped at TWD 150,000/mo). Range low = component sum for a single employee with no dependant load; range high (~20.5%) reflects the NHI 1.56-dependant multiplier plus occupational-accident insurance (0.11%-0.93%, industry-dependent). Bonuses over the insured-salary band carry an extra 2.11% NHI supplementary premium (excluded from headline).
Source: PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Taiwan (Corporate, Other taxes) , retrieved 2026-07-08. How we verify numbers: methodology.
Annual employer cost via an EOR, using the sourced contribution range and published platform fees ($400–$699/mo).
| Gross salary | $60,000 |
| Statutory employer contributions (17.9–20.5%) | $10,740–$12,300 |
| EOR platform fee (12 months) | $4,800–$8,388 |
| Total annual employer cost | $75,540–$80,688 |
Rough annual employer cost = gross salary + mandatory employer contributions (a range) + the EOR platform fee. This is a structure, not a quote — a vendor quote for your exact country and salary is always authoritative.
Estimated total annual employer cost
—
Gross salary
—
Statutory employer cost
—
EOR platform fee
—
Statutory ranges are approximate mandatory employer contributions, each verified against a fetched primary source (PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, government pages, or EOR provider guides — retrieved July 2026) and excluding one-off items (13th-month pay, 14-payment structures, salary caps), which are flagged per country above. Platform fees are list prices verified 2026-07-08. See our methodology for how these are sourced.
Hours a 9–5 workday in Taiwan (UTC+8) overlaps a 9–5 day in common hiring hubs. DST can shift these by an hour.
The right structure depends on how permanent the role is — full framework in our EOR vs contractor vs employee guide.
An EOR is the legal employer in Taiwan on your behalf — it runs compliant payroll, benefits, and contracts while the person works for you day-to-day. Typical platform pricing is a flat monthly fee per employee. This is the standard route when you don't have an entity in Taiwan and want a full employee rather than a contractor.
Best for: Full-time hires, no local entity, started in days not months
The person invoices you as a self-employed contractor. Lighter and cheaper to set up, but misclassification — treating someone like an employee while paying them as a contractor — carries real penalties in most jurisdictions. The longer and more exclusive the engagement, the weaker the contractor argument gets.
Best for: Project work, part-time engagements, genuinely independent professionals
Incorporating in Taiwan gives you full control and is usually cheapest per-employee at scale, but expect months of setup, local accounting, and ongoing filings. Rarely worth it below roughly five hires in one country.
Best for: Committed long-term presence, 5+ employees in-country
All three are established global platforms — compare quotes for Taiwan specifically, since per-country pricing and benefits packages differ.
Independent picks. If a partner link is active we may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Mandatory employer contributions in Taiwan run roughly 17.9–20.5% on top of gross salary. On a $60,000 salary that is about $10,740–$12,300 per year in statutory costs, plus an EOR platform fee of $400–$699/month ($4,800–$8,388/year) if you hire without a local entity — an all-in total of roughly $75,540–$80,688. Three programs: Labour Insurance (ordinary 11.5% + 1% employment/unemployment = 12.5% premium, employer pays 70% = ~8.75%, on insured salary up to TWD 45,800/mo), National Health Insurance (5.17% premium, employer pays 60% = ~3.10% base; but the employer also bears an average dependant load of ~1.56 headcount per employee, pushing the effective employer NHI to ~4.84%, capped at TWD 313,000/mo), and Labour Pension (employer minimum 6% of monthly salary, capped at TWD 150,000/mo). Range low = component sum for a single employee with no dependant load; range high (~20.5%) reflects the NHI 1.56-dependant multiplier plus occupational-accident insurance (0.11%-0.93%, industry-dependent). Bonuses over the insured-salary band carry an extra 2.11% NHI supplementary premium (excluded from headline).
No. An Employer of Record (EOR) already has a legal entity in Taiwan and employs the person on your behalf — running compliant payroll, benefits, and contracts — while they work for you day-to-day. Opening your own entity usually only makes sense once you commit to roughly five or more hires in the country.
For an ongoing, full-time role that you direct, an EOR is the structurally safer default — most jurisdictions treat that working relationship as employment regardless of how the invoice is written, and misclassification penalties fall on you. A contractor arrangement remains reasonable for genuinely independent, project-based work.
Published list prices as of July 2026: Multiplier $400/month, Deel $599/month, Remote.com and Oyster HR $699/month per employee; Papaya Global quotes per engagement. Per-country quotes can differ from list price, so compare quotes for Taiwan specifically.
Evaluating a candidate?
The Taiwan hire-me brief →
The one-pager candidates from Taiwan share with employers — same facts, their side of the table.
For your candidates
Working remotely from Taiwan →
Visas, tax residency, and best cities — share it with people you're hiring there.
Job seekers
Remote jobs you can do from Taiwan →
Boards, timezone fit, and live openings for Taiwan-based candidates.