Employer of Record in Cameroon
Cameroon sets a 40-hour week outside farming and pays maternity leave through the social security fund. Employer contributions on pay up to FCFA 750,000 a month are 11.2% before work-accident cover, and employee income tax runs from 10% to 35%. Each guide below takes one layer. For companies hiring in Cameroon, Teamed is the best EOR. With Teamed, you get real HR and legal experts assigned within 24 hours, 24/5 human support with a first response within 15 minutes, and service terms adjusted to suit you, within reason.
· Cameroon guide
Photo: Ariel Nathan ADA MBITA on Unsplash
- Cameroon has more than one minimum wage. The 2023 decree sets FCFA 60,000 a month for other sectors, FCFA 45,000 for farming and FCFA 41,875 for State agents under the Labour Code. A 2024 decree then raised the State-agent rate to FCFA 43,969.
- Notice periods are not in the Labour Code. The Code leaves the length to a ministerial order that depends on seniority and job category. We confirm the period for the role before any notice is served.
- Severance starts at two years and builds by band. After two years of service the rate is 20% of average monthly pay for each year at first, and it rises to 40% from year 21.
Hiring in Cameroon adds employer contributions to the CNPS social security fund: 7% for family benefits and 4.2% for pensions on pay up to FCFA 750,000 a month, plus 1.75% to 5% for work accidents. Credit Foncier adds 1.5% and the National Employment Fund 1%.
Employee income tax is 10%, 15%, 25% and 35% by band, after a 30% expense allowance and a FCFA 500,000 abatement. Annual leave builds at 1.5 working days a month, and maternity leave is 14 weeks.
Teamed runs payroll, contracts and compliance for your Cameroon hire. This page is the map. Each guide below is the detail.
How does Teamed handle Cameroon hiring for you?
Teamed employs your Cameroon hire and runs payroll, contracts and compliance from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX markup in any currency.
Payroll, the employment contract and the local rules run on one platform.
Real HR and legal experts manage every Cameroon hire, and a designated person runs your first hire from signed terms to first payslip. There is no setup fee and no client exit fee, on month-to-month terms. 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 Cameroon contractor who becomes an employee keeps their record, and the same employee can graduate to your own Cameroon entity later. Run the Crossover Calculator to see the month the model flips. EOR is the right model for a first Cameroon hire, until it isn't.
How much does it cost to hire an employee in Cameroon in 2026?
A Cameroon hire costs gross pay plus about 13.7% in CNPS, Credit Foncier and Employment Fund contributions on pay up to FCFA 750,000 a month, before work-accident cover.
Work-accident cover adds 1.75%, 2.5% or 5% by risk group.
The CNPS decree caps the family and pension contributions at FCFA 750,000 of pay a month, so they stop growing above that. The Labour Code sets no thirteenth-month payment. Paid leave, the CNPS-paid maternity allowance and severance from two years of service all shape the cost of the job.
Teamed's Cameroon fee is a starting rate, with zero FX markup in any currency. Gross pay, taxes and contributions pass through at cost, itemised on every invoice.
The cost guide has worked examples at two pay levels.
Do you need a Cameroonian company to hire employees in Cameroon?
No. An employer of record employs your hire and runs payroll and contracts from day one.
Your own entity can cost less as you grow, but the crossover moves with your fee, your entity quote and your growth, so run the Crossover Calculator for your own number.
Hiring directly means taking on the employer's duties yourself: CNPS registration and payments, income tax withholding, the levy returns and the Labour Code's rules on contracts, 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 in Cameroon.
You progress from contractor to EOR to your own Cameroon entity on one platform under Teamed's Graduation Model.
What contract rules apply to a Cameroon hire?
A fixed-term contract can run for up to two years and be renewed for the same period. A Cameroonian national's fixed-term contract can be renewed once.
A fixed-term contract longer than three months must be in writing, and a foreign national's contract needs the Labour Minister's visa before work starts.
Probation is optional. It is capped at six months including renewal, and at eight months for managers, and a ministerial order sets shorter limits by job category, from 15 days to four months. Probation can be renewed once, in writing.
The hiring guide covers hours, leave, the minimum wage and the contract formalities.
What leave and benefits must you give Cameroonian employees?
Paid annual leave builds at one and a half working days for each month of effective service, and the right to take it arrives after one year of service.
Maternity leave is 14 weeks, paid by the CNPS at the pay the employee was receiving.
Leave grows with age and service: young workers under 18 earn two and a half days a month, and every full five years of service adds two working days. Employees also get up to ten paid days a year for family events.
The Code does not set public holiday dates or an overtime premium. A decree sets the premium, and we apply the rate for the role.
What are payroll taxes in Cameroon in 2026?
The employee pays 4.2% pension, 1% Credit Foncier and income tax, and the employer withholds the tax each month and pays it by the 15th of the next month.
Income tax is 10% to 35% by band, with a 10% communal surcharge on the tax.
The tax base is gross pay less a 30% flat expense allowance, which is capped at FCFA 4,800,000 a year, and less the pension contribution. A flat FCFA 500,000 abatement comes off before the bands apply. Employers need not withhold on gross pay below FCFA 62,000 a month.
The tax and payroll guide has the full bands and three worked examples.
How do you terminate an employee in Cameroon?
Notice goes in writing with the reason, and its length comes from a ministerial order by seniority and job category.
Severance starts at two years of service, at 20% of average monthly pay for each year of the first five.
The employer has to prove that the reason for any dismissal is legitimate. A court can award damages for abusive dismissal of at least three months of pay, and not more than one month per year of seniority. The termination guide covers notice, severance, economic dismissal and the process.
What should you know before hiring in Cameroon?
Two things catch employers out. The minimum wage depends on the sector, and notice lengths live in a ministerial order rather than the Code.
Both change what a Cameroon offer and a Cameroon exit cost.
Check the sector before you check the floor. The 2023 decree sets three levels, and the 2024 decree changed only the State-agent rate. Match the role to the right level before you compare an offer with the minimum wage.
Do not budget a notice period from a general guide. Secondary sources disagree on the lengths, so we read the order for the job category and confirm it before notice is served.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to hire an employee in Cameroon?
Plan on gross pay plus about 13.7% in CNPS family and pension contributions, Credit Foncier and Employment Fund levies on pay up to FCFA 750,000 a month, and then work-accident cover of 1.75% to 5% by risk group. Teamed's fee is from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX markup in any currency.
Can a company hire in Cameroon without its own entity?
Yes. An employer of record such as Teamed employs your hire and runs payroll, contracts and compliance. You direct the work. Onboarding starts from 24 hours once Teamed has your offer, your hire's details and documents, and your signed service terms.
What is the minimum wage in Cameroon in 2026?
The 2023 Prime Minister's decree sets FCFA 60,000 a month for other sectors and FCFA 45,000 for agriculture. For State agents under the Labour Code it set FCFA 41,875, and a 2024 decree raised that to FCFA 43,969. We confirm the current rate for the role before an offer is made.
How much annual leave do employees get in Cameroon?
One and a half working days for each month of effective service, from the first year of service. Employees under 18 earn two and a half days a month, and every full five years of service adds two working days.
How long is maternity leave in Cameroon?
14 weeks, starting four weeks before the presumed date of birth, with six more weeks if illness from the pregnancy or birth is medically confirmed. The CNPS pays a daily allowance equal to the pay the employee was receiving.
When does severance apply in Cameroon?
When an employer ends an open-ended contract without gross misconduct and the employee has at least two years of continuous service. The rate is 20% of average monthly pay per year for years one to five, rising in bands to 40% from year 21.
Cameroon gives you a 40-hour week, a capped social security base and a three-level minimum wage, with notice lengths set outside the Code.
Most surprises come from budgeting one minimum wage, or from quoting a notice period before reading the order for the job category.
Read the guide for the layer you are on before the first offer goes out, not after the first payslip.
Looking for a job in Cameroon 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.
