Your guide to managing and paying international contractors

Considering engaging contractors?

Managing contractors need not be complicated. Below are key points to consider when selecting a contractor management solution.

Contractor agreements compliant with local laws

• Managing contractors need not be complicated. Consider the following when choosing a contractor management system.

• Choose a system providing country-specific contract templates that comply with local tax and regulatory requirements.

• Ensure a separate statement of work is used to define contractor roles and responsibilities.

• Select a system that enables assigning and managing employer signatories for contractor agreements.

• Check that the system offers an option to purchase indemnity coverage against misclassification risk.

• Choose a system that provides a KYB/KYC process to maintain compliance.

Automated onboarding

• Prefer self-serve onboarding to enable a seamless start for contractor talent.

• Consider automated identity verification to streamline processes and minimise human error.

• Verify the system manages essential documentation and performs compliance checks.

Invoices, timesheets and payments

• Choose a system that supports both manual and automated invoice management for single and bulk invoices.

• Confirm whether the system allows employers to create invoices on behalf of contractors; this is especially helpful when you are managing a large number of contractors.

• Ensure invoice approval permissions can be held and shared across your administrative team.

• Select a system that supports invoicing at defined intervals, for example: weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, monthly.

• Opt for a system that supports invoicing and payouts in the contractor's preferred currency.

• Prioritise guaranteed payouts for contractors. Choose a system that removes FX and currency conversion hassles, with controls to pay contractors the exact invoice amount.

• Verify whether you can export invoices for specific time periods.

Platform, user experience and pricing

• Consider a system that offers a trial rollout of its service before you pay the fee.

• Prioritise reducing time and effort by selecting a system with greater automation.

• Choose a platform that scales with your business. Ask how many contractors typically use the platform to assess scalability.

• Prefer multi-product suites rather than standalone systems for better efficiency. Such suites deliver flexible, scalable HR solutions suited to managing your globally distributed team, including contractors.

• Base decisions on platform usability; ensure it is user-friendly and easily accessible for both you and your contractors.

• Prioritise access to a knowledgeable, dedicated customer support team.

• Seek platforms offering activity-based pricing. Remote’s transparent pricing guarantee ensures you are charged only per active contractor per month.

Understand the total cost of deployment

• Double-check whether the system adds a ‘management fee’ on top of the monthly subscription.

• Clarify whether any additional costs are deducted by the system for each invoice processed.

• Factor in the FX rate and bank transfer fees when setting up international contractor payments.

”Contractors start 2 weeks faster on average with Remote.”

”47% of Remote customers find managing contractors easier compared to their previous solutions”

”Administrative costs linked to contractor management have decreased by 32% through Remote.” "99% invoices paid out in 3 business days”

“Remote’s Contractor Management platform makes it super easy to pay in multiple currencies with the click of a button and arrange everything in one place. Everything is compliant and we can onboard quickly to respond to spikes in demand.” - Georg Herzog, Head of People, Mimo

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