How do you hire an Argentine employee in 2026?
Argentina's Ley de Contrato de Trabajo sets a probation period of up to 6 months. During that window, neither the employer nor the employee needs to give notice to end the contract. The catch is that you must register the worker with ARCA before or on day one, or the probation protection disappears entirely.
· Argentina guide
Illustration · Buenos Aires, Argentina
The Argentina hire process has five steps. Offer letter, ARCA worker registration, written LCT contract, onboarding admin, first payday.
You must register the employee with ARCA (the tax authority) before or on day one. Miss that and the probation period becomes invalid.
Probation runs up to 6 months under the Ley Bases 2024 rules. No notice is needed from either side to end a contract during probation. After probation, the employee is fully protected.
What does the end-to-end Argentina hire process look like?
Five steps take you from accepted offer to first payslip. Offer letter, ARCA registration, written contract, onboarding admin, first payday.
The most important step is ARCA registration. It must happen on or before day one. Without it, the probation period is not valid.
| Step | What happens | Owner | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Offer letter | Written offer with role, salary in pesos, start date, and key terms | Client / Teamed drafts | Same day after verbal accept |
| 2. ARCA registration | Register the worker via Mi Simplificacion II in the Libro de Sueldos Digital; confirms employment relationship with the tax authority | Teamed | On or before day one |
| 3. Written LCT contract | Employment contract aligned to the Ley de Contrato de Trabajo and any applicable collective agreement (CCT) | Teamed (legal employer) | Day one or before |
| 4. Onboarding admin | CUIL collection, bank details, SIPA social-security enrolment, union dues setup if CCT applies, benefits setup | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| 5. First payday | First payslip issued, Declaracion Jurada (F.931) filed with ARCA | Teamed | End of first calendar month |
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Issue the offer letter
Send a written offer on the day of verbal acceptance. Include role, gross monthly salary in pesos, start date, probation period of up to 6 months, and any conditions such as reference checks. Note that no probation notice is required from either side.
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Register the worker with ARCA
Complete the Mi Simplificacion II registration in the Libro de Sueldos Digital on or before day one. Without this, the employment relationship is unregistered and the probation period is invalid.
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Issue the written LCT contract
The employment contract under the Ley de Contrato de Trabajo must be signed by both parties on or before day one. Teamed's standard Argentine contract covers all LCT requirements. Clients choose commercial terms; Teamed signs as the legal employer.
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Complete onboarding admin
Collect the CUIL, CBU bank account details, and obra social choice. Enrol the worker in SIPA and set up any CCT union dues. This runs across days one to seven.
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Issue the first payslip and file the F.931
Run the first payroll at the end of the first calendar month. File the F.931 monthly declaration with ARCA. The employee receives their payslip and is on the payroll record.
What must an Argentine offer letter include?
The offer letter is not the binding contract. It is the document the candidate decides against.
Include role title, reporting line, start date, gross monthly salary in Argentine pesos, working hours, location, probation period of up to 6 months, and any conditions such as reference checks.
Three traps to avoid in Argentine offer letters:
- Quoting a dollar-denominated salary. Argentine law requires salaries to be paid in pesos. Quoting USD in the offer letter and then converting at pay-run time creates disputes, especially in a volatile FX environment. Teamed handles FX at zero mark-up, but the employment record should be in pesos.
- Omitting the applicable collective agreement. Many Argentine roles fall under a Convenio Colectivo de Trabajo (CCT). If a CCT applies, it sets minimum salary floors and benefit entitlements. The offer letter must not undercut the CCT minimum for the role. Teamed checks coverage before drafting.
- Ambiguous probation terms. Argentina's probation period is exactly 6 months under standard rules. If your offer letter states a shorter period, the shorter period applies. Aligning the offer and the employment contract avoids disputes at the end of probation.
Teamed's standard Argentine offer letter template covers all required ground. Clients choose commercial elements; Teamed holds the legal-employer position and issues documents in Spanish as required.
Argentina work authorisation: registering the worker with ARCA
Argentina does not have a right-to-work check in the UK or EU sense. The equivalent obligation is worker registration with ARCA, the national tax and social-security authority.
Registration must happen on or before the employee's first day. An unregistered worker is called a trabajador en negro. Employing an unregistered worker carries heavy penalties and invalidates the probation period.
The Mi Simplificacion II system
Employers register each new worker via the Mi Simplificacion II portal at ARCA. The registration records the worker's CUIL (national identity and tax number), the start date, salary category, and applicable collective agreement. The system creates the official employment record in the Libro de Sueldos Digital.
Registration must be completed before or on the first day of work. A single late registration is already a breach under the Ley Nacional de Empleo (Ley 24.013).
Argentine nationals and permanent residents
Argentine nationals and foreign nationals with permanent residence can work without additional permits. The employer collects the CUIL from the worker before registration and verifies their national identity document (DNI).
Foreign workers on temporary visas
Foreign nationals on a temporary work visa (residencia temporaria laboral) must hold a valid residence permit before starting work. The employer records the permit type and expiry. Teamed tracks expiry dates and triggers renewals automatically.
Employers must register each new worker in the Libro de Sueldos Digital via the Mi Simplificacion II portal before or on the first day of employment. Failure to register is an infraction under Ley 24.013 and invalidates the probationary period.
Source: Argentina.gob.ar: Registro Laboral (Mi Simplificacion II)
Ongoing obligations
After registration, the employer must file a monthly social-security declaration (F.931) with ARCA for each registered worker. Teamed files this declaration as part of the standard monthly payroll run.
The Argentine written employment contract: what must it contain?
The Ley de Contrato de Trabajo (LCT) governs all private-sector employment contracts in Argentina.
There is no separate evidence-act style document. The employment contract itself must cover all the key terms. It should be signed by both parties before or on day one.
What an Argentine employment contract must include under the LCT:
- Names and addresses of both employer and employee
- Start date and place of work
- Job title and description of duties
- Gross monthly salary in Argentine pesos and pay date (monthly, by the last business day of the month)
- Working hours per day and per week, up to the legal maximum
- Annual paid leave entitlement (at least 14 days for workers with less than five years of service)
- Probation period, if applicable (up to 6 months for most employers)
- Notice periods after probation: 1 month employer notice for workers with up to five years service, 2 months for workers with more than five years service
- Employee resignation notice of 15 days
- Reference to any applicable Convenio Colectivo de Trabajo (CCT)
- Annual supplementary salary (aguinaldo or SAC): one additional month of pay per year, paid in two equal installments in June and December
- Confidentiality and any non-compete terms, if applicable
Contracts must be in Spanish. A bilingual Spanish-English version is acceptable for international employees, but the Spanish version governs in any dispute.
Key source: Ley de Contrato de Trabajo No. 20.744 (texto actualizado) via InfoLeg.
Onboarding admin in the first week
Days 1 to 7: ARCA registration confirmed, CUIL collected, bank account details collected, social-security enrolment processed, union dues setup if a CCT applies, and benefits confirmed.
Teamed handles the payroll and compliance side. The client handles the cultural and operational side.
| Onboarding task | Who does it | Day |
|---|---|---|
| ARCA registration (Mi Simplificacion II) | Teamed | Day 0 (before start) or Day 1 |
| Employment contract signed | Employee and Teamed | Day 1 |
| CUIL (tax and social-security ID) collected | Employee submits to Teamed | Day 1 |
| CBU bank account details collected for peso salary transfer | Teamed | Days 1 to 3 |
| SIPA social-security enrolment confirmed | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Union dues (sindicato) setup if CCT applies | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Health plan (obra social) confirmed or selected | Employee selects; Teamed registers | Day 1 |
| Benefit enrolment (transport, meal voucher, etc.) | Teamed (admin) and Client (decision) | Days 1 to 7 |
| Equipment and system access | Client | Days 0 to 1 |
| Manager introduction and first-week plan | Client | Days 0 to 7 |
| 30-60-90 day plan documented | Client (manager) | Days 1 to 14 |
How does Teamed handle Argentine employment for you?
Teamed becomes your legal employer of record in Argentina for from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX mark-up in any currency.
Payroll in pesos, ARCA registration, the LCT contract, and the full Argentine employment law stack run on one platform.
Real HR and legal experts handle your Argentine hires, from the first offer letter through every monthly F.931 declaration and aguinaldo payment. An actual person, not a chatbot or a pooled queue. There is no setup fee and no exit fee. Employer cost passes through at cost, itemised on every invoice.
EOR payroll, contractor onboarding, and entity setup all live on one platform. An Argentine contractor who converts to full employment keeps their record. Run the Crossover Calculator to see the month your Argentine hire is ready to graduate to your own entity. Start from the Argentina hiring overview; each guide here takes one layer of Argentine employment law.
Key sources: Ley de Contrato de Trabajo No. 20.744, Ley 27.802 (Modernizacion Laboral 2026), and Argentina.gob.ar: Registro Laboral.
Frequently asked questions
What is the probation period in Argentina and what notice is required during it?
The standard probation period in Argentina is up to 6 months under Ley Bases 2024 (LCT Art. 91, inserted by Law 27.742). For companies with between 6 and 100 employees, a collective bargaining agreement can extend probation to up to 8 months. During probation, neither the employer nor the employee needs to give notice to end the contract. The notice requirement is 0 days. After probation ends, full dismissal protections and notice obligations apply.
What is the ARCA registration and when must it happen?
ARCA (formerly AFIP) is Argentina's national tax and social-security authority. Employers must register every new worker via the Mi Simplificacion II portal on or before their first day of work. The registration creates the official employment record in the Libro de Sueldos Digital. An unregistered worker is considered trabajador en negro. Employing an unregistered worker is an infraction under Ley 24.013 and invalidates the probation period, exposing the employer to significant penalties.
What notice period applies after probation in Argentina?
After probation, the employer must give 1 month notice for workers with up to five years of service. For workers with more than five years of service, the notice rises to 2 months. These figures come from LCT Art. 231 as amended by Ley 27.802 (2026). The employee must give at least 15 days notice when resigning.
What is the minimum annual leave entitlement for an Argentine employee?
The minimum paid annual leave under LCT Art. 150 is 14 days for workers with less than five years of service. Leave entitlement increases with tenure under the same article. Argentina also observes a number of national public holidays each year. Leave accrues from the start of employment.
What is the aguinaldo and when is it paid?
The aguinaldo, also called the Salario Anual Complementario (SAC), is a mandatory annual bonus equal to one month of the worker's highest salary in the six-month reference period. It is paid in two equal installments: the first by 30 June and the second by 31 December. It applies to all employees and is required under LCT Arts. 121 to 122. Teamed includes both aguinaldo payments in the standard payroll run.
The ARCA registration is the step that trips up international companies more than any other in Argentina. They get the contract right, they get the salary right, and then they miss the day-one registration window. An unregistered worker has no valid probation period. We run the Mi Simplificacion II filing in parallel with the offer, so day one is never a scramble.
Argentina's probation period gives you up to 6 months to assess the hire. No notice is required from either side to end it.
The catch is the day-one ARCA registration. Miss it and the probation protection is gone.
Get the registration right from day one and you keep the flexibility the law gives you.
