Employ in Sri Lanka with ease.
Remote makes employment in Sri Lanka easy. With our localized contracts, easy invoice management, and best-in-class compliance, you can grow your global team with confidence.
Remote-Owned Local Entity
We own our own entity in the countries where we operate to shield your company from risk and provide you and your employees with the signature Remote experience.
Capital city
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (legislative) Colombo (executive and judicial)
Currency
Sri Lankan rupee
(Rs, LKR)Languages spoken
Sinhala, Tamil, English
Services available:
Facts & Stats
The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island nation just off the coast of India, famous for its rich cultural heritage, unique biodiversity, and a long history of tea production. The natural beauty of Sri Lanka is becoming more of a magnet for tourists and digital nomads as the cost of living is relatively low (especially when you factor in the allure of the pristine beaches in the nation’s south). Sri Lanka has one of Asia’s most literate populations, the education system is strong, and English is widely spoken, so global employers should consider this country’s top talent.
Capital city
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (legislative) Colombo (executive and judicial)
Currency
Sri Lankan rupee
(Rs, LKR)Languages spoken
Sinhala, Tamil, English
Population size
21,803,000 (est. 2019)
Ease of doing business
Medium
Cost of living index
31.18 (2021)
Payroll frequency
Monthly
VAT - standard rate
8%
GDP - real growth rate
2.3% (2019)
Grow your team in Sri Lanka with Remote
Looking to employ workers in Sri Lanka? Companies hiring in Sri Lanka must either own a legal entity in the country or work with a global employment solutions provider, usually one that provides employer of record services.
Remote can employ your team in Sri Lanka on your behalf through our local legal entity in the country and handle payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance for your Sri Lanka team. You can also pay contractors now in Sri Lanka with Remote.
Employing in Sri Lanka
Provisions for employee protections and workers’ rights in Sri Lanka are spelled out across several government statutes, such as:
- The Shop and Office Employees Act of 1956
- The Factory Ordinance
- The Minimum Wage Ordinance, and
- The Maternity Benefits Ordinance
Employees in Sri Lanka enjoy protection against discrimination based on age, religion, gender expression, and race.
Common questions that could come up during the hiring process include the minimum wage, overtime rates, and guaranteed paid time off. Remote can help you offer a complete, competitive, and compliant benefits package to your employees in Sri Lanka.
Minimum Wage
The monthly minimum wage in Sri Lanka is fixed at 10,000 LKR or roughly $50 per month.
Onboarding Time
We can help you get a new employee started in Spain fast. The minimum onboarding time we need is only 20 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.
Competitive benefits package in Sri Lanka
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).
Our benefits packages in Sri Lanka are tailored to fulfill the local needs of your 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
Calculate the cost to hire an employee
in Sri Lanka
Taxes in Sri Lanka
Learn how employment taxes affect your payroll and your employees’ paychecks in Sri Lanka.
Employer
12%: Provident Fund
3%: Employee Trust Fund
Employee
8%: Provident Fund
Income taxes
- 6% + 180,000 LKR on excess: Up to 3,000,000 LKR ($15,000)
- 12% + 540,000 LKR on excess: 3 - 6 million LKR ($15,000 - $30,000)
- 18%: Above 6 million LKR (Above $30,000)
Types of leave
Paid time off
Employees are entitled to 14 days of paid annual leave after they’ve worked an entire year with an employer.
Public holidays
Sri Lanka has up to 26 public holidays annually since employees are entitled to take time off work every full moon, in addition to religious and national celebrations.
Sick leave
7 days of sick leave annually.
Maternity leave
Female employees are entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave for the first and second births and just six weeks off for any subsequent childbirth.
Paternity/parental leave
There are no provisions for parental or paternity leave under Sri Lankan law for non-government employees.
Other leave
- Duty leave: Employers are obligated to permit workers to attend language examinations, attend medical checkups, vote during elections, and perform reservist duty in the military.
Employment termination
Termination process
Employees can either be dismissed summarily - if just cause if provided - otherwise, termination must be in accordance with the terms stipulated in the employment contract. A decision to let an employee go must be approved by the Labour Commissioner.
Notice period
There is no minimum notice period under Sri Lankan law but it’s common to notify employees at least six months before termination.
Severance pay
Employees are only entitled to severance payment proportional to their tenure working with an employer — if they’re dismissed unfairly.
- 2.5 months pay per year for years 1 - 5, capped at 12.5 months pay
- 2 months pay per year for years 6 - 14, capped at 30.5 months pay
- 1.5 months pay per year for years 15 - 19, capped at 38 months pay
- 1 month pay per year for years 20 - 24, capped at 40 months pay
- Half a month’s pay per year for years 25 - 34, capped at 48 months pay
Probation periods
Probation periods range from six months for general staff, to 12 months for technical or supervisory staff.
