Easily manage employment in

Guatemala

guatemala flag

Make employment in Guatemala easy. Let us handle payroll, benefits, taxes, compliance, and even stock options for your team in Guatemala, all in one easy-to-use platform.

Services available in this country:
Employer of Record ProductContractor Management
  • Capital City

    Guatemala City

  • Currency

    Guatemalan quetzal (Q, GTQ)

  • Languages

    Spanish

  • Population size

    17,263,239

Services available in this country:
Employer of Record ProductContractor Management
An aerial view of the tikal temple complex.

Facts & Stats

Guatemala
  • Capital City

    Guatemala City

  • Currency

    Guatemalan quetzal (Q, GTQ)

  • Languages

    Spanish

  • Population size

    17,263,239

  • Ease of doing business

    Easy

  • Cost of living index

    62.6 (2024)

  • Payroll frequency

    Monthly

  • VAT - standard rate

    12%

  • GDP - real growth rate

    3.4 (2019)

The Republic of Guatemala is located in Central America, and shares a border with Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Belize. It was home to a large part of the Mayan civilization, and continues to attract millions of tourists to important historical sites, such as the ancient city of Tikal.

Guatemala has a diverse economy, although agriculture, textiles, and apparel are the country’s most important sectors. With a bilingual workforce and a relatively low cost of living, it has become an attractive location for many businesses looking to outsource in recent years.

Grow your team in Guatemala with Remote

Want to employ workers in Guatemala? Companies hiring in Guatemala are typically required to either own a local legal entity or work with a global employment platform like Remote that can legally provide employment services in the country.

Remote can employ team members in Guatemala and keep you compliant. Remote can hire, onboard, and pay your Guatemala team so you don't have to set up local HR services in the region. Remote also makes it easy to pay contractors in Guatemala. now to get started or talk to an expert for more details.

Risks of misclassification

Guatemala, like many other countries, treats self-employed individuals or contractors and full-time employees differently. Misclassification of contractors in Guatemala may lead to fines and penalties for the offending company.

Employing in Guatemala

Employment and labor rules in Guatemala are primarily governed by the Labor Code (Código de Trabajo) of Guatemala, Decree No. 1441. The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (Ministerio de Trabajo y Previsión Social) oversees labor relations and ensures compliance with these labor laws.

Minimum wage

The minimum wage varies between the Department of Guatemala and the rest of the country, and is also dependent upon the type of work (agricultural, non-agricultural, export, and maquila). 

As of January 2025, these minimums are as follows: 

Department of Guatemala:

  • GTQ 3,843.55 for agricultural workers

  • GTQ 3,973.05 for non-agricultural workers

  • GTQ 3,528.59 for export and maquila workers

Rest of the country:

  • GTQ 3,686.86 for agricultural workers

  • GTQ 3,800.60 for non-agricultural workers

  • GTQ 3,347.21 for export and maquila workers

Payroll cycle

For customers of Remote, employee payments are made monthly on the 25th of each month. If the 25th falls on a weekend or holiday, the payment is made on the prior business day.

13th and 14th salaries

Salaried employees are entitled to receive two bonuses a year, each equivalent to one month’s salary. These are considered as a 13th and 14th-month payment. The 'Bono 14' is payable in July of each year, and a Christmas bonus is payable in December.

Onboarding time

We can help you get a new hire started in Guatemala fast. The minimum onboarding time we need is 10 working days.

Our team ensures your employees are onboarded and paid as quickly as possible while keeping your business compliant with all local employment legislation. The minimum onboarding time begins after the employee submits all required information onto the Remote platform. The onboarding timeline is also dependent upon registration with local authorities.

For all non-nationals of the country of employment, the Right to Work assessment (if applicable) will add three extra days to the total time to onboard. There may be extra time required if we need to follow-up on the right to work assessment.

Please note, payroll cut-off dates can impact the actual first day of employment. Remote has a payroll cut-off date of the 10th of the month unless otherwise specified.


10 Public holidays

Jan
Wednesday, January 1, 20251New Year's Day (Año Nuevo)
Apr
Thursday, April 17, 20252Maundy Thursday (Jueves Santo)
Friday, April 18, 20253Good Friday (Viernes Santo)
Saturday, April 19, 20254Holy Saturday (Sábado Santo)
May
Thursday, May 1, 20255Labor Day (Día del Trabajador)
Jun
Monday, June 30, 20256Armed Forces Day (día de las Fuerzas Armadas)
Sep
Monday, September 15, 20257Independence Day (Día de la Independencia)
Oct
Monday, October 20, 20258Revolution Day (Día de revolución)
Nov
Saturday, November 1, 20259All Saints' Day (Fiesta de Todos los Santos)
Dec
Thursday, December 25, 202510Christmas Day (Navidad)

Effortless HR Guatemala: Take the Tour

Seamlessly manage your workforce, from first hire to final paycheck

Competitive benefits package in Guatemala

At Remote, we’re passionate about helping you craft the best possible employee experience for your team. We are leading the way in developing globally competitive benefits programs. This means making sure employees everywhere have access to both the required and supplemental benefits they need to thrive, and that your company has the localized expertise needed to attract and keep the best global talent.

Our benefits packages in Guatemala are tailored to fulfill the local needs of employees. Typically, our packages contain some or all of the following benefits:

  • Health Insurance

  • Dental Insurance

  • Vision Insurance

  • Mental health support

  • Pension or 401(K)

  • Life and Disability Insurance

Transparent Pricing in Guatemala

Employer of Record

$599

per employee/month

Top features

  • Hire without opening a local entity

  • Guided onboarding

  • Local payroll paid on time, every time

  • Built-in security and compliance

  • Flexible, localized benefits

  • Offer equity incentives with tax assistance

  • Dedicated experts for local support

Contractor Management

$29

per contractor/month

Top features

  • Only pay for contractors you actively work with

  • Work with international contractors

  • Create, edit, and sign tailored, localized contracts

  • Approve contractor invoices with one click or auto-pay

  • Transparent payments with complete visibility

Payroll

$29

per employee/month

Top features

  • Powerful, transparent international payroll

  • Simple self-service platform

  • Personalized support from dedicated specialists

  • Adhere to local payroll regulations in every country

  • Integrated payroll, expense management, and HRIS solution

HRIS

$18

per employee/month

Top features

  • Guided onboarding and offboarding

  • Employee profile and document management

  • Contract templates and e-signing

  • Time off and time tracking

  • Expense management

  • Employee and manager self-serve experience

  • Mobile app