Should you hire in Belize through an EOR or your own entity?
Use an EOR for a first Belize hire. Your own entity starts to pay when the work in Belize is steady and the team is growing, and the Crossover Calculator finds the month for your numbers. A direct employer takes on Social Security, tax withholding and the Labour Act. For companies weighing a Belize 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.
· Belize guide
Photo: Meg von Haartman on Unsplash
You do not need a Belizean company to employ someone in Belize. 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 Belize 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 Social Security Board.
You direct the work and keep the output.
That includes the weekly Social Security bands, the monthly payment within 14 days after the month ends, income tax withholding and the Labour Act'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 Belize contractor who becomes an employee can move onto payroll without changing platform.
What changes when you employ people directly in Belize?
You take on every employer duty yourself: Social Security, tax withholding, the 45-hour week, leave, notice and severance.
None of it is optional, and the Labour Act is under review.
- Social Security. Weekly bands, an employer share of BZD 4.47 to BZD 28.60, and payment within 14 days after each month ends.
- Income tax. Withholding on employment income taxed at a flat 25% above BZD 29,000 a year.
- Leave and sick pay. Two working weeks of annual leave, 14 public holidays in 2026, up to 16 working days of sick pay and 14 weeks of maternity leave.
- Termination. One to eight weeks of notice, severance from five years, and a Labour Complaint Tribunal that considers reinstatement first.
The government announced a review of the Labour Act in February 2024. We found no replacement Act on 20 October 2026, so a direct employer also has to watch for changes.
When does your own Belizean entity make sense?
When the work in Belize 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 Belize entity on one platform under Teamed's Graduation Model.
EOR is the right model for a first Belize hire, 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 Belize EOR fee is from $599 per employee per month, 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 Belize?
Teamed tells you when your own Belize entity starts to pay, and until then employs your hire from $599 per employee per month, 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 Belize hiring overview, then run the Crossover Calculator with your own numbers.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Belizean company to hire an employee in Belize?
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 Belize have to run?
Weekly Social Security contributions paid within 14 days after each month, income tax withholding, and the Labour Act's rules on a 45-hour week, leave, notice and severance.
Does gross pay decide when to open a Belize 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 Belize 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 Belize entity.
A direct Belize employer carries weekly Social Security bands, a 14-day payment deadline and a Labour Act that is under review.
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.
Looking for a job in Belize yourself? Teamed does not hire people directly. Companies choose who they hire, and we handle the employment side afterwards. Here is why we cannot help with your search.
