Easily manage employment in

Iceland
iceland flag

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

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

    Reykjavík

  • Currency

    Icelandic krona (kr, ISK)

  • Languages

    Icelandic

  • Population size

    364,134

Services available in this country:
Employer of Record ProductContractor Management
A tall building with a clock on top.

Facts & Stats

Iceland
  • Capital City

    Reykjavík

  • Currency

    Icelandic krona (kr, ISK)

  • Languages

    Icelandic

  • Population size

    364,134

  • Ease of doing business

    Very easy

  • Cost of living index

    $$$$ (2021)

  • Payroll frequency

    Monthly

  • VAT - standard rate

    24%

  • GDP - real growth rate

    0.1%

Land of fire (volcanoes), ice, and everything in-between (hot springs and geysers), Iceland combines a rich cultural history with strong economic performance, driven by extensive civil liberties, a high human development index, and a market economy with a vast social welfare system.

Iceland is the world’s most peaceful nation and along with its Scandinavian neighbours, boasts impressive performance on equality, democracy, per capita wealth, and environmental sustainability.

Grow your team in Iceland with Remote

Looking to employ workers in Iceland? Companies hiring in Iceland 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 Iceland on your behalf through our local legal entity in the country and handle payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance for your Iceland team. You can also pay contractors now in Iceland with Remote.

Risks of misclassification

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

The aurora borealis lights up the sky over trees.

Employing in Iceland

Most employee entitlements are defined by collective bargaining based on the 1938 Act on Trade Unions and Industrial Disputes. With 91.8% of the workforce organised into unions, Iceland has the highest union membership rate. Overall, employees in Iceland enjoy protection against discrimination based on age, religion, sexual orientation, 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 Iceland.

Minimum Wage

There’s no minimum wage mandated under Icelandic law; employers and employees can enter into collective bargaining to determine wage rates as they see fit.

Payroll Cycle

For customers of Remote, all employee payments will be made in equal monthly instalments on or before the last working day of each calendar month, payable in arrears.

Onboarding Time

We can help you get a new employee started in Iceland 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.

16 Public holidays

Jan
Monday 1 January 20241New Year's Day (Nýársdagur)
Mar
Thursday 28 March 20242Maundy Thursday (Skírdagur)
Friday 29 March 20243Good Friday (Föstudagurinn langi)
Sunday 31 March 20244Easter (Páskadagur)
Apr
Monday 1 April 20245Easter Monday (Annar í páskum)
Thursday 25 April 20246First Day of Summer (Sumardagurinn fyrsti)
May
Wednesday 1 May 20247Labour Day (Verkalýðsdagurinn)
Thursday 9 May 20248Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ (Uppstigningardagur)
Sunday 19 May 20249Pentecost (Hvítasunnudagur)
Monday 20 May 202410Pentecost Monday (Annar í hvítasunnu)
Jun
Monday 17 June 202411Icelandic National Day (Þjóðhátíðardagurinn)
Aug
Monday 5 August 202412Commerce Day (Frídagur verslunarmanna)
Dec
Tuesday 24 December 202413Christmas Eve (Aðfangadagur)
Wednesday 25 December 202414Christmas Day (Jóladagur)
Thursday 26 December 202415Saint Stephen's Day (Annar í jólum)
Tuesday 31 December 202416New Year's Eve (Gamlársdagur)

Want to see and manage all holidays? Sign up for our free HRIS!

Effortless HR in Iceland: Take the Tour

Seamlessly Manage Your Workforce, from First Hire to Final Paycheck

Competitive benefits package in Iceland

At Remote, we’re obsessed with helping you craft the best possible employee experience for your team. We are leading the way in practising “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 Iceland are tailored to fulfil 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

Fair Pricing in Iceland

Employer of Record

Hire and pay your global team

Starting at £479/month

for annual plans

Top features

  • Satisfaction guaranteed

  • No deposits or hidden fees

  • Zero onboarding or offboarding fees

  • Compliant equity incentives support including withholding and reporting

  • Built-in security and compliance

  • Fast onboarding (average 2-3 days)

  • Flexible, localised benefits

Contractor Management

Compliantly onboard and pay contractors

£23

per contractor/month

Top features

  • Only pay for contractors you actively work with

  • Work with contractors in 200+ countries

  • Create, edit, and sign tailored, localised contracts

  • Approve contractor invoices with one click or auto-pay

  • Transparent payments with complete visibility

Payroll

Consolidate your multi-country payroll

£24

per employee/month

Top features

  • Simplify: Comprehensive platform that integrates all payroll functions

  • Support: Personalised assistance with a dedicated team and specialists

  • Accuracy: Test runs and parallel pay runs before implementation

  • Compliance: Adhere to local labour laws in every country

  • Timeliness: Accurate and on-time payroll with labour authority reporting handled

  • Experience: Seamless payroll with easy access to payslips and expenses

HRIS

Manage all of your employees in one place

Free

Top features

  • Guided onboarding and offboarding

  • Employee profile and document management

  • Time and attendance (time off and tracking)

  • Expense management and reimbursement

  • Employee self-serve on the platform and mobile app