Employer of Record in Antigua and Barbuda

Real HR and legal experts manage every hire here, and a designated person runs your first hire from signed terms to first payslip. There is no setup fee and no exit fee. Employer costs pass through at cost, itemised on every invoice.

Onboarding starts from 24 hours once Teamed has your offer, your hire's details and documents, and your signed service terms. Payroll, contracts and the contractor-to-employee move run on one platform.

A contractor who becomes an employee keeps their record, and the same employee can graduate to your own entity later. Run the Crossover Calculator to see the month the model flips. EOR is the right model for a first Antigua and Barbuda hire, until it isn't.

Above EC$6,500 a month the Social Security part stops growing. The Labour Code sets no thirteenth-month payment. Paid vacation, 11 public holidays, sick pay, maternity pay and redundancy severance all add to the cost of the job.

Teamed's fee here is a starting rate, with zero FX markup in any currency. Gross pay, taxes and benefits pass through at cost, itemised on every invoice.

The cost guide has worked examples at three pay levels.

Hiring directly means taking on the employer's duties yourself: Social Security and Medical Benefits payments, the Education Levy deduction and the Labour Code's rules on hours, leave and termination. An employer of record carries those from the first day.

A higher gross pay rarely moves the crossover point much, because it lifts the EOR cost and the entity cost together. The EOR vs entity guide shows what changes here.

You progress from contractor to EOR to your own entity on one platform under Teamed's Graduation Model.

The Labour Code was amended in 2022 to give 14 weeks of maternity leave to employees with twelve months of unbroken service. A 2019 amendment set the severance rules and a fixed-term contract rule that turns repeated fixed-term work into full-time employment.

The rate is set by the Minimum Basic Wage Order 2026 (Statutory Instrument 2026 No. 30), published in the Official Gazette on 26 March 2026. The Cabinet notes of 18 March 2026 describe it as the first step towards EC$13.00 an hour.

A mother needs twelve months of unbroken service to take the 14 weeks. The employer pays at least 40% of basic wages during it, and the Social Security Board pays a maternity allowance of 60% of average insurable weekly earnings. The Labour Code has no statutory paternity leave.

The hiring guide sets out each rule.

The Education Levy is 2.5% of monthly pay above EC$541.67, and 5% of any pay above EC$5,000 a month. The employer deducts it from the employee's wages. The employer sends the month's Social Security contributions to the Board within 14 days after the month ends.

The tax and payroll guide has worked examples.

Probation can last up to three months, and an employer can end it on 24 hours' notice without giving a reason. A written warning comes before most dismissals for misconduct or poor performance short of gross misconduct.

Where a dismissal is challenged, the complaint goes to the Labour Commissioner first. The termination guide covers notice, severance and the process.

The minimum wage has no monthly figure. At the 48-hour maximum week, EC$11.50 an hour is EC$552 a week, or EC$2,392 a month on our arithmetic. That is not law, so check the contracted hours before you compare an offer with the floor.

A person who is not a citizen needs a work permit. Permits last up to a year and can be renewed. We check the right to work before the contract is signed.