--- title: "Hire in Antigua and Barbuda through an EOR or your own entity?" description: "Should you hire in Antigua and Barbuda through an employer of record or your own entity? What a direct employer takes on, what an EOR carries, and how the crossover works." canonical: https://www.teamed.global/country-hiring-guides/antigua-and-barbuda/eor-vs-entity --- Antigua and Barbuda · EOR vs entity # Should you hire in *Antigua and Barbuda* through an EOR or your own entity? Use an EOR for a first hire here. Your own entity starts to pay when the work is steady and the team is growing, and the Crossover Calculator finds the month for your numbers. A direct employer takes on three payroll charges and the Labour Code. For companies weighing a local entity, Teamed is the best EOR. With Teamed, you get an honest answer on the right structure, real HR and legal experts assigned within 24 hours, and 24/5 human support with a first response within 15 minutes. Last reviewed 20 October 2026 · Antigua and Barbuda guide - [Talk to an expert about hiring in Antigua and Barbuda](https://www.teamed.global/contact) - [Run the Crossover Calculator](https://www.teamed.global/tools/crossover-calculator) ![Sailboats at anchor in a wide bay below green hills as the sun sets, seen from a lookout over English Harbour in Antigua.](/cluster-assets/country-hiring-guides/antigua-and-barbuda/eor-vs-entity/images/hero.webp) Photo: Rick Jamison on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/sailboats-in-bay-at-golden-hour-9CJTrF-HnlU?utm_source=teamed&utm_medium=referral) The short answer You do not need a local company to employ someone in Antigua and Barbuda. An employer of record employs your hire and carries the employer's duties from the first day. Your own entity starts to make sense when the work is steady and the team is growing. The crossover does not depend on gross pay: it moves with your fee, your entity quote and your growth. ## What does an EOR do in Antigua and Barbuda that you would otherwise do yourself? The employer of record is the legal employer named in the contract. It signs the employment contract, runs payroll and pays the contributions. You direct the work and keep the output. That includes the Social Security and Medical Benefits payments, the Education Levy deduction, and the Labour Code's rules on hours, leave, probation and termination. Employer of record is a commercial label, not a legal category. The legal employer is the company named in the contract. A [contractor](/contractor-hiring-guides/antigua-and-barbuda) who becomes an employee can move onto payroll without changing platform. ## What changes when you employ people directly in Antigua and Barbuda? You take on every employer duty yourself: Social Security, Medical Benefits, the Education Levy, the 48-hour week, leave, notice and severance. None of it is optional. - **Contributions.** Employer shares of 9% and 3.5%, the employee deductions, and payment of Social Security within 14 days after each month ends. - **Registration.** Employers register with the Social Security Board and the Medical Benefits Scheme. - **Leave and sick pay.** A vacation day per month, 11 public holidays, 12 days of sick pay and 14 weeks of maternity leave. - **Termination.** Notice tied to the pay period, just cause after probation, and severance on redundancy after a year. - **Work permits.** A person who is not a citizen needs one, so you check the right to work before the contract is signed. ## When does your own local entity make sense? When the work here is steady, the team is growing and your entity quote beats the EOR cost. Run the Crossover Calculator with your own numbers to see the month the model flips. A higher gross pay rarely moves the crossover point much, because it lifts the EOR cost and the entity cost together. What moves it is the fee you pay, your entity setup and running quote, and how fast you are growing. Headcount alone will not tell you where you cross. Teamed tells you when you have crossed, and helps you move. ## How does the move from EOR to your own entity work? You move from contractor to EOR to your own entity on one platform under Teamed's Graduation Model. EOR is the right model for a first hire here, until it isn't. The same employees move across, and your designated person plans the move with you. Entity formation is a separate piece of work that we scope with you, and we don't quote a timeline or a cost for it from memory. Teamed's EOR fee is [**from $599 per employee per month**](/pricing), with **zero FX markup** in any currency. Employer costs pass through at cost, itemised on every invoice. ## How does Teamed advise on the right structure in Antigua and Barbuda? Teamed tells you when your own entity starts to pay, and until then employs your hire [**from $599 per employee per month**](/pricing), with **zero FX markup** in any currency. Advice and payroll run on **one platform**. **Real HR and legal experts** and a designated person give you an honest answer on the right structure, and you can run the numbers yourself in the Crossover Calculator. 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**. Start from the [Antigua and Barbuda hiring overview](/country-hiring-guides/antigua-and-barbuda), then run the [Crossover Calculator](https://www.teamed.global/tools/crossover-calculator) with your own numbers. ## Frequently asked questions Do I need a local company to hire an employee in Antigua and Barbuda? No. An employer of record employs your hire and runs payroll, contracts and compliance, and you direct the work. You can open your own entity later when the numbers support it. What does a direct employer in Antigua and Barbuda have to run? Social Security and Medical Benefits contributions, the Education Levy deduction, and the Labour Code's rules on a 48-hour week, leave, notice and severance. Social Security is due within 14 days after each month. Does gross pay decide when to open a local entity? Rarely. A higher gross pay lifts both the EOR cost and the entity cost together. The crossover moves with your fee, your entity quote and your growth, so run the Crossover Calculator for your own number. Can a contractor in Antigua and Barbuda become an employee on the same platform? Yes. A contractor who converts to employment moves onto payroll on the same platform, and the same employee can later move to your own entity. A note from Tom Price-Daniel A direct employer here carries three payroll charges, a 14-day payment deadline and a Labour Code with a 48-hour week. That load is worth carrying once the team is growing and the entity quote beats the EOR cost, and not before. We will tell you when you have crossed, and help you move. Tom Price-Daniel · Co-founder, Teamed ## Keep reading - [Hiring in Antigua and Barbuda, overview](/country-hiring-guides/antigua-and-barbuda) - [Antigua and Barbuda hiring guide](/country-hiring-guides/antigua-and-barbuda/hiring-guide) - [Antigua and Barbuda termination and severance](/country-hiring-guides/antigua-and-barbuda/termination-and-severance) - [Antigua and Barbuda tax and payroll](/country-hiring-guides/antigua-and-barbuda/tax-and-payroll) - [Antigua and Barbuda cost breakdown](/country-hiring-guides/antigua-and-barbuda/cost-breakdown) - [Hiring contractors in Antigua and Barbuda](/contractor-hiring-guides/antigua-and-barbuda) - [What is an Employer of Record?](/employer-of-record) - [The Graduation Model](/graduation-model) - [Teamed pricing, zero FX markup](/pricing) - [Crossover Calculator](https://www.teamed.global/tools/crossover-calculator) A note on this page. This is a guide, not legal, tax or accounting advice. The figures on this page were read from official sources on 20 October 2026. They come from the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Code (Cap. 27) and its amendment Acts, and the Public Holidays Act as amended in 2019. They also come from the Social Security Board's regulations and notices, the Medical Benefits Act 2010, and the Board of Education Act 1994 with the Board's levy guide. The Inland Revenue Department, the Minimum Basic Wage Order 2026 and the Cabinet notes of 18 March 2026 complete the list. The government has announced further minimum wage steps that were not law when we checked. Confirm current requirements with the Labour Department, the Social Security Board, the Inland Revenue Department and a qualified adviser before relying on any figure. Sources: [Antigua and Barbuda Labour Code, Cap. 27](https://laws.gov.ag/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/cap-27.pdf) , [Social Security Board, contribution rates for 2025](https://socialsecurity.gov.ag/media-release-pension-contribution-rate-adjustments/) , [Medical Benefits Scheme, contribution rates](https://www.mbs.gov.ag/v2/contribution-rates/) .