Nicaragua
Remote makes employment in Nicaragua easy. With our localized contracts, easy invoice management, and best-in-class compliance, you can grow your global team with confidence. Note that we can currently employ contractors in Nicaragua but our employer of record services are not yet live.
- Capital city
Managua
- Currency
Nicaraguan córdoba (C$, NIO)
- Languages
Spanish and English
- Population size
6,486,201
Facts & Stats
- Capital city
Managua
- Currency
Nicaraguan córdoba (C$, NIO)
- Languages
Spanish and English
- Population size
6,486,201
- Ease of doing business
Medium
- Cost of living index
N/A
- Payroll frequency
N/A
- VAT - standard rate
15%
- GDP - real growth rate
10.3% (2021)
Nicaragua is a Central American republic bordered by Honduras to the northwest, the Caribbean to the east, and Costa Rica to the south. It’s affectionately known as the land of volcanoes and lakes.
Outside a sizable tourism industry (roughly 6.4% of GDP) the local economy depends on agriculture, services, and remittances from Nicaraguans based in the United States, Costa Rica, and across Central America and the Carribbeans.
Nicaragua has a strong folk heritage, with music, cuisine, and architecture influenced by European, Caribbean, and Iberian culture.
Grow your team in Nicaragua with Remote
You can pay contractors now in Nicaragua with Remote in some currencies (talk to an expert now for full details).
Note that we are busy building our own entity in Nicaragua to provide you with the best possible employment solutions for your employees, but our employer of record service is not yet live in this country.
To employ in Nicaragua, companies must own a local legal entity in the country or work with a global employment solution. Developing the processes required to manage payroll, benefits, taxes, and onboarding in countries like Nicaragua can get complicated fast, especially without localized expertise.
If you're looking to start hiring in a country like this, partnering with a global employment solution like Remote makes it easy for your company to employ workers quickly, cost-effectively, and in full compliance with all local legislation.
In the countries where we do offer our EOR services, Remote takes on the responsibility and legal risks of international employment so you can focus on hiring great talent and growing your business.
Risks of misclassification
Nicaragua, like many other countries, treats self-employed individuals or contractors and full-time employees differently. Misclassification of contractors in Nicaragua may lead to fines and penalties for the offending company.
Employing in Nicaragua
Workers’ rights in Nicaragua are spelled out in several laws, such as:
The Nicaraguan Constitution of 1987
The Labor Code of 1996
The 1904 Civil Code of the Republic of Nicaragua
The Law of Equal Rights and Opportunities (i.e. Law 648)
— all of which guarantee equal pay for equal work, safe working environements, job stability, unemployment compensation, regular vacations and protections against discrimination based on age, gender, disability, religion, and race.
Common questions that could come up during the hiring process include the minimum wage, overtime rates, and guaranteed paid time off.
Competitive benefits package in Nicaragua
At Remote, we’re obsessed with helping you craft the best possible employee experience for your team. We are leading the way in practicing “fair equity”, which means making sure employees everywhere have access to both the required and supplemental benefits they need to thrive (and that will allow you to attract the best local talent).
We are still busy building our own entity in Nicaragua, but our benefits packages for all countries are tailored to fulfill the local needs of your employees. Typically, our packages contain some or all of the following benefits:
Health Insurance
Vision Insurance
Mental Health Support
Pension or 401(K)
Life and Disability Insurance
Dental Insurance
Taxes in Nicaragua
Learn how employment taxes and statutory fees affect your payroll and your employees’ paychecks in Nicaragua.
12.5% - 13.5%%
Old Age, Disability & Survivors contributions
1.5%
Work Injury Contribution (plus 1.5% for war victims' pensions)
6%
Sickness & Maternity
Types of Leave
Nicaraguan employees are entitled to 30 calendar days of paid leave after an entire year of employment. Workers who have been employed for up to six months but less than a year are entitled to 15 days off.
Employment termination
Termination process
Any decision to dismiss an employee must be approved by the Nicaraguan labor inspection authorities & the worker in question must be paid any accrued vacation and annual bonuses.
Notice period
Workers should be notified 15 days in advance before they’re dismissed.
Severance pay
Employees who’re dismissed without just cause are entitled to severance benefits calculated as one month’s salary for the first three years, plus 20 days wages for each following year.
Under Nicaraguan law, severance payments are capped at five months’ wages.
Probation periods
Nicaraguan law limits probations to 30 days and either party can end the employment agreement without notice.