How do you hire a Kazakhstan employee in 2026?
Probation in Kazakhstan caps at 3 months for most roles, stretching to 6 months only for executives and chief accountants. Those weeks count toward length of service from day one, so the trial window is never time you can claw back. Set it in the contract before the start date.
· Kazakhstan guide
Illustration · Astana, Kazakhstan
The Kazakhstan hire process has five steps. Written offer, work-authorisation check, signed labour contract, payroll and pension registration, first payday.
Every employee needs a signed written labour contract. Probation caps at 3 months for most roles. It runs to 6 months only for executives and chief accountants. The trial period counts toward length of service (Labour Code Art. 36).
The minimum wage is KZT 85,000/month, frozen for 2026. Income tax turned progressive on 1 January 2026. Pay up to 8,500 MRP is taxed at 10%, and anything above that at 15%.
What does the end-to-end Kazakhstan hire process look like?
Five steps take you from accepted offer to first payslip. Written offer, work-authorisation check, signed labour contract, payroll registration, first payday.
Foreign nationals need a work permit or residence basis before the start date. Citizens and permanent residents can start without one.
| Step | What happens | Owner | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Written offer | Written offer setting out role, salary, start date, probation terms, and any conditions | Client, Teamed drafts | Same day after verbal accept |
| 2. Work-authorisation check | Confirm citizenship or permanent residence, or verify a valid work permit for foreign nationals before the start date | Teamed | Before the employee starts |
| 3. Signed labour contract | Written labour contract in Kazakh and Russian covering every term required by the Labour Code | Teamed, the legal employer | On or before day one |
| 4. Payroll and pension registration | Register the employee for income tax, the mandatory pension fund (UAPF), social contributions, and medical insurance | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| 5. First payday | First payslip issued. Wages paid in tenge at least once a month, by the 10th of the following month (Labour Code Art. 113) | Teamed | End of first payroll month |
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Issue the written offer
Send a written offer the same day as verbal acceptance. Include role, gross salary above the minimum wage, start date, and probation of up to 3 months.
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Complete the work-authorisation check
Confirm citizenship or permanent residence, or verify the work permit for foreign nationals before the employee starts. Keep copies of every document on file.
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Sign the written labour contract
The labour contract must be signed in two copies on or before day one. Teamed's standard Kazakhstan contract covers every Labour Code requirement. Clients choose commercial terms. Teamed signs as the legal employer.
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Complete payroll registrations
Register the employee for income tax, the mandatory pension fund, social contributions, and medical insurance. Collect the IIN and bank details. This runs across days one to seven.
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Issue the first payslip and file deductions
Run the first payroll at the end of the first calendar month. Pay wages in tenge by the 10th of the following month and file the deductions. The employee receives a written payslip and is on the payroll record.
What must a Kazakhstan offer letter include?
The offer letter is not the binding contract. The signed labour contract is. The offer is the document the candidate decides against.
Set out role, reporting line, start date, gross monthly salary, work location, probation of up to 3 months, and any conditions such as work-permit status.
Three traps to avoid in a Kazakhstan offer:
- Quoting a salary below the floor. The statutory minimum monthly wage is KZT 85,000/month for 2026. Any full-time offer has to clear it. Quote the gross figure plainly so the contract matches.
- Promising the executive probation to a general hire. The 6 months probation applies only to heads of organisations, their deputies, chief accountants, and branch heads. For everyone else the cap is 3 months. Offering a longer trial to a general role is not enforceable.
- Describing a bonus as standard. Kazakhstan has no mandatory 13th-month salary, so any annual bonus is discretionary. Calling it normal can turn it into a contractual expectation. Mark variable pay as at-discretion.
Teamed's standard Kazakhstan offer template covers the required ground and lines up with the Labour Code. Clients choose the commercial terms. Teamed holds the legal-employer position and issues the final contract.
Kazakhstan work-authorisation checks for foreign national employees
Kazakhstan citizens and permanent residents can start work without a permit. Foreign nationals need a work permit or a qualifying residence basis before day one.
Hiring a foreign national without the right authorisation exposes the employer to fines and the worker to removal. Get the check done before the start date.
Citizens and permanent residents
There is no separate work-authorisation step for Kazakhstan citizens or permanent residents. The employer keeps a copy of the national ID card or residence permit as a standard identity record. Eurasian Economic Union nationals (Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan) work on a simplified basis under the EAEU treaty and do not need a standard work permit, though registration still applies.
Foreign nationals
Most third-country nationals need a work permit tied to an employer quota before they can start. The permit is issued by the local labour authority, and the employer usually has to show the role could not be filled locally. Processing runs several weeks, so the check belongs at the front of the hire, not the end. Intra-corporate transferees and certain skilled categories follow their own routes.
Keep the identity and permit documents on file from day one. The labour contract cannot start before the authorisation is confirmed.
The Labour Code governs the employment relationship in Kazakhstan, including the written labour contract, probation, working time, leave, and pay rules. Employers comply with it from the first day of work.
Source: Adilet: Labour Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 414-V ZRK
Ongoing permit renewals
Work permits in Kazakhstan are time-limited. Employers track expiry and start renewal well ahead of the deadline. Teamed monitors each permit and alerts the employee and client before the renewal date so no lapse occurs.
The Kazakhstan written labour contract: what must it contain?
Kazakhstan requires a written labour contract for every employee, signed in two copies, one for each side.
Sign it on or before the first day. It is the binding document. The offer letter is not.
What a Kazakhstan written labour contract must cover under the Labour Code:
- Full details of both the employer and the employee
- Work location and job title or function
- Start date and the term of the contract (fixed or open-ended)
- Working time and rest time, within the maximum of 40 hours a week
- Gross monthly salary, no lower than the minimum wage of KZT 85,000/month
- Pay arrangements, paid in tenge at least once a month by the 10th of the following month
- Annual paid leave of at least 24 days per working year
- Probation terms where used, capped at 3 months, or 6 months for the listed executive roles
- Health and safety conditions for the role
- Rights, duties, and the grounds and procedure for ending the contract
Kazakhstan does not use a single named statement like the UK Section 1 statement or Germany's Nachweisgesetz. The requirement is a full written labour contract, signed in two copies. It is usually prepared in Kazakh and Russian. Teamed's standard Kazakhstan contract meets every Labour Code requirement. Clients choose the commercial terms. Teamed signs as the legal employer.
Key source: Labour Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan via Adilet.
Onboarding admin in the first week
Days 1 to 7 cover contract signing, income-tax setup, pension fund (UAPF) registration, social contributions, medical insurance, and bank details.
Teamed runs the statutory registrations. The client handles the operational side.
| Onboarding task | Who does it | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Written labour contract signed in two copies | Employee and Teamed | Day 0 or 1 |
| Work-authorisation check completed | Teamed | Day 0, before start for foreign nationals |
| Individual identification number (IIN) confirmed | Employee submits to Teamed | Day 1 |
| Income-tax and pension fund (UAPF) registration | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Social contributions and social tax setup | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Mandatory medical insurance enrolment | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Bank account details collected for payroll | Teamed | 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 Kazakhstan employment for you?
Teamed becomes your legal employer of record in Kazakhstan for from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX mark-up in any currency.
The Kazakhstan Labour Code, income tax, the pension fund, and social contributions all run on one platform.
Real HR and legal experts handle your Kazakhstan hires, from the first written offer through every monthly tax, pension, and social-contribution filing. 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. A Kazakhstan contractor who converts to direct employment keeps their record. Run the Crossover Calculator to see when your Kazakhstan headcount is ready to graduate to your own entity. Start from the Kazakhstan hiring overview. Each guide here takes one layer of Kazakhstan employment law.
Key sources: Labour Code (Adilet) and the Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to hire someone in Kazakhstan through Teamed?
Teamed can onboard a Kazakhstan citizen or permanent resident within a few business days once the offer is accepted. The written labour contract is signed on or before day one. Payroll registrations for income tax, the pension fund, social contributions, and medical insurance run in the first week. Foreign nationals who need a work permit must have it confirmed before the start date, which adds lead time depending on the permit category and the local labour authority's queue.
What is the probation period in Kazakhstan and how long can it run?
Probation cannot exceed 3 months for general employees under Labour Code Article 36. It can run to 6 months only for a defined list of executive roles, including heads of organisations and their deputies, chief accountants and their deputies, and heads of branches. The probation period counts toward the employee's length of service, so it is never time you can recover later.
What is the minimum wage and standard working week in Kazakhstan for 2026?
The statutory minimum monthly wage is KZT 85,000/month for 2026, frozen at the 2025 level. The maximum normal working week is 40 hours for full-time employees. Every full-time offer has to clear the minimum wage, and the labour contract has to set working and rest time within the weekly limit.
How is employee income tax calculated in Kazakhstan in 2026?
Income tax turned progressive on 1 January 2026. Annual income up to 8,500 MRP is taxed at 10%, and income above that threshold is taxed at 15% on the excess. The MRP, the index that sets the threshold, is KZT 4,325 for 2026. Employees also pay a mandatory pension contribution to the UAPF, withheld from pay.
What annual leave and parental leave apply to a Kazakhstan employee?
The minimum paid annual leave is 24 days per working year for most employees. Maternity leave is 126 days for a normal single birth and 140 days for complicated or multiple births, with the benefit funded by the state social insurance fund rather than the employer. Kazakhstan also recognises one national holiday, Republic Day on 25 October, alongside its state holidays.
Does Kazakhstan require a 13th-month salary?
No. Kazakhstan has no statutory 13th-month or 14th-month salary. The Labour Code defines pay only as the agreed remuneration paid at least once a month, by the 10th of the following month. Any annual bonus is discretionary and set by the contract or company policy, not required by law.
Kazakhstan's probation rules trip up companies that import a longer trial from elsewhere. The general cap is three months, and only a short list of executive roles can reach six. The trial also counts toward length of service, so it is never a free window. Set the right figure in the contract before the start date.
In Kazakhstan, probation maxes at three months for most roles and counts toward service from day one. Only executives reach six.
Income tax went progressive on 1 January 2026. The first 8,500 MRP is taxed at 10 percent, the rest at 15 percent.
The labour contract has to exist on day one. The pension and tax registrations follow inside the first week.
