A checklist for managing and paying international contractors

Thinking of engaging contractors?

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

Locally compliant contractor agreements

• Handling contractors doesn’t have to be difficult. Consider these factors when choosing a contractor management platform.

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

• Use a separate statement of work to set out contractor roles and responsibilities.

• Find a system that lets you assign and manage employer signatories on contractor agreements.

• Make sure the system offers the option to add indemnity coverage against misclassification risks.

• Opt for a system that includes a KYB/KYC process to maintain compliance.

Automated onboarding

• Look for self-serve onboarding to ensure smooth starts for your contractor talent.

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

• Ensure the platform can manage essential documentation and compliance checks.

Invoices, timesheets and payments

• Choose a system that supports both manual and automated management of individual and bulk invoices.

• Check whether the system lets employers create invoices on a contractor’s behalf — useful when managing a large number of contractors.

• Ensure invoice approval permissions can be owned and shared across your admin team.

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

• Choose a system that allows invoicing and payouts in the contractor’s preferred currency.

• Make guaranteed contractor payouts a priority. Pick a system that removes FX and conversion hassles and can pay contractors the exact invoice amount.

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

Platform, user experience and pricing

• Consider opting for a system that offers a trial rollout of their service prior to paying their fee.

• Prioritise saving time and effort by choosing a system with stronger automation.

• Choose a platform that can scale with your business. Ask how many contractors use the platform on average to assess scalability.

• Prefer multi-product suites rather than standalone tools for better efficiency. Such suites provide flexible, scalable HR solutions for managing globally distributed teams, including contractors.

• Make platform usability a key decision factor. Ensure it is user-friendly and accessible for both your team and contractors.

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

• Look for a platform that offers activity based pricing. Remote’s transparent pricing guarantee ensures you are charged only per active contractor per month.

Understand your total cost of deployment

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

• Find out whether the system deducts any additional costs for each processed invoice.

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

“Contractors start, on average, two weeks faster with Remote.”

”47% of Remote customers find managing contractors easier than with their previous solutions”

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

“Remote’s Contractor Management platform makes paying in multiple currencies straightforward with the click of a button and keeps everything organised in one place. It’s compliant, and we can onboard quickly to meet spikes in demand.” - Georg Herzog, Head of People, Mimo

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