Bulgaria
Make employment in Bulgaria easy. Let us handle payroll, benefits, taxes, compliance, and even stock options for your team in Bulgaria, all in one easy-to-use platform.
- Capital City
Sofia
- Currency
Bulgarian lev (лв., BGN)
- Languages
Bulgarian
- Population size
6,912,730
Facts & Stats
- Capital City
Sofia
- Currency
Bulgarian lev (лв., BGN)
- Languages
Bulgarian
- Population size
6,912,730
- Ease of doing business
Easy
- Cost of living index
$$ (91 of 139 nations)
- Payroll frequency
Monthly
- VAT - standard rate
20%
- GDP - real growth rate
3.7% (2019)
Bulgaria is a country in Southeast Europe with Romania, Serbia and North Macedonia, Greece, and Turkey as its bordering countries. Its capital and largest city is Sofia while other major cities include Plovdiv, Varna, and Burgas.
Bulgaria is a founding state of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and is a member of NATO, the European Union, and the Council of Europe. The country's economy revolves around services industries, in addition to mining and agriculture. Even though Bulgaria has the lowest GDP per capita and joint-lowest Human Development Index in the European Union, it is a developing country with an upper-middle-income economy.
Grow your team in Bulgaria with Remote
Looking to employ workers in Bulgaria? Companies hiring in Bulgaria 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 Bulgaria on your behalf through our local legal entity in the country and handle payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance for your Bulgaria team. You can also pay contractors now in Bulgaria with Remote.
Risks of misclassification
Bulgaria, like many other countries, treats self-employed individuals or contractors and full-time employees differently. Misclassification of contractors in Bulgaria may lead to fines and penalties for the offending company.
Employing in Bulgaria
Companies that are looking to hire people in Bulgaria must ensure they have a deep understanding of the Bulgarian Labour Code. Legislation in Bulgaria is also closely linked to the labour laws of the European Union. Companies that are looking to employ people in Bulgaria must understand the specific Bulgarian laws around equal pay for men and women, the limitations of overtime, bans on workplace discrimination, and the specific legislative requirements of managing sick leave for Bulgarian employees.
Common questions that could come up during the hiring process may be about overtime rates, health insurance, and parental leave. Remote can help you offer a complete, competitive, and compliant benefits package to your employees in Bulgaria.
Minimum Wage
From January 1, 2024, Bulgaria's minimum wage will increase by 19.6% to BGN 933, as decided by the government. The maximum monthly amount of insurance income is set at BGN 3, 750.
Payroll Cycle
Salaries in Bulgaria are paid mid-month for the previous month. For example, salaries for April are paid in mid-May.
Onboarding Time
We can help you get a new employee started in Bulgaria fast. The minimum onboarding time we need is only 8 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.
15 Public holidays
Want to see and manage all holidays? Sign up for our free HRIS!
Effortless HR in Bulgaria: Take the Tour
Competitive benefits package in Bulgaria
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 Bulgaria 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 Bulgaria
Employer of Record
Hire and pay your global team
Starting at $989/month
paid annually, or NZ$1,155/month paid monthly
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
$48
per contractor/month
Top features
Only pay for contractors you actively work with
Work with contractors in 200+ countries and territories
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
$47
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
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