Hiring in Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2026
Saint Kitts and Nevis charges no income tax on employees, and the national minimum wage is EC$12.50 an hour from 1 July 2025. Employers add 5% Social Security, a 3% levy and 1% for a severance fund. Each guide below takes one layer. For companies hiring in Saint Kitts and Nevis, Teamed's real HR and legal experts, assigned within 24 hours, check the right route for the hire first. You also get 24/5 human support with a first response within 15 minutes.
· Saint Kitts and Nevis guide
Photo: Dani on Unsplash
- There is no income tax on employment. The Inland Revenue Department says income tax on individuals was abolished in 1980, so we find no income tax to withhold from pay.
- Three employer charges sit on top of gross pay. They are 5% Social Security on pay up to EC$6,500 a month, a 3% Housing and Social Development Levy and 1% into the Severance Payments Fund.
- Notice and severance depend on service. Notice runs from one week to three months, and severance pay is two weeks of pay for each year of service up to five years.
Hiring in Saint Kitts and Nevis adds up to 9% to gross pay for the employer on our arithmetic: 5% Social Security on pay up to EC$6,500 a month, a 3% levy and 1% for the severance fund. The national minimum wage is EC$12.50 an hour.
Employees pay 5% Social Security and, above a low-earner exemption, the levy. No income tax is charged on pay, and annual leave is at least 14 paid days.
The country also has a recruiting law that licenses anyone who recruits or supplies workers, so the route for a hire is worth a check before a contract is signed. This page is the map. Each guide below is the detail.
How does Teamed help with a Saint Kitts and Nevis hire?
Teamed's real HR and legal experts check the right route for your Saint Kitts and Nevis hire first: employer of record, contractor or your own entity.
That answer decides who the legal employer is, so it comes first.
A designated person takes you through the answer and the next steps, and the experts apply the country's rules on pay, leave, notice and contributions to the contract you choose.
The check is part of every plan and comes before any contract is signed. Contractor, employer-of-record and own-entity routes run on one platform, so a change of route does not mean a change of provider.
A contractor who becomes an employee keeps their record, and the same person can graduate to your own entity later. Run the Crossover Calculator to see the month the model flips. EOR is the right model for a first hire in many countries, until it isn't.
How much does it cost to hire an employee in Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2026?
A hire costs gross pay plus up to 9% in employer charges: 5% Social Security up to EC$6,500 a month, a 3% levy and 1% for the severance fund.
On EC$10,000 of monthly gross pay that is EC$725.
Social Security stops growing at EC$6,500 of pay a month, so it tops out at EC$325. The levy and the severance fund apply to all pay. The Acts we read set no thirteenth-month payment. Paid leave, maternity cover and severance pay add to the cost of the job.
The cost guide has worked examples at four pay levels.
Do you need a local company to hire employees in Saint Kitts and Nevis?
Not always, but the route matters here. The Recruiting of Workers Act says nobody may recruit workers without a licence, and it covers supplying workers to another person.
Our experts check which route fits your hire before any contract is signed.
Hiring directly means taking on the employer's duties yourself: Social Security, the levy, the severance fund and the Protection of Employment Act's rules on notice and severance. An employer of record can carry those duties, and a contractor arrangement carries fewer of them.
The EOR vs entity guide shows what the law says and what we check.
You progress from contractor to employer of record to your own entity on one platform under Teamed's Graduation Model.
What changed in Saint Kitts and Nevis employment rules recently?
The minimum wage rose twice: to EC$10.75 an hour in January 2024 and to EC$12.50 on 1 July 2025.
The pay level below which employees pay no levy rose at the same time.
The national minimum wage was EC$9.00 an hour from 2014. SRO 1 of 2024 set EC$10.75, and SRO 10 of 2025 set EC$12.50 in the national schedule and six sector schedules. SRO 10 of 2025 carries no start date, so the 1 July 2025 date comes from government announcements.
Amendments to the levy Act in 2024 and 2025 lifted the exempt amount to EC$520 a week, or EC$27,040 a year. The Labour Act (Cap. 18.18) deals with the Labour Commissioner and inspections, and we found no separate modern labour code.
What leave and benefits must you give employees in Saint Kitts and Nevis?
Annual leave is at least 14 paid days, not counting Sundays and public holidays, for each year of employment.
Maternity leave is 13 weeks, and the Social Security Board pays most of the cover.
Maternity leave needs 150 days worked for the employer in the year before the birth. The Social Security maternity allowance is 65% of average weekly wages, for up to 13 weeks, and the sickness benefit is also 65%. The Protection of Employment Act has no statutory paternity leave.
The hiring guide sets out each rule.
What are payroll taxes in Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2026?
Employers pay 5% Social Security and a 3% levy, and employees pay 5% Social Security plus the levy above a low-earner exemption.
There is no income tax on pay to withhold.
The Social Security Board collects the levy and the severance fund contribution as well as Social Security, so one office handles all three. The levy and the severance contribution are paid at the end of every month.
The tax and payroll guide has the bands and worked examples.
How do you terminate an employee in Saint Kitts and Nevis?
The Protection of Employment Act lists the circumstances in which an employer may end a job. Notice runs from one week to three months, by service and pay basis.
After a year, severance pay is usually due on redundancy.
Probation is up to three months, or four weeks for household work, and an employer can end it without notice. After probation, ending a job for misconduct or poor performance needs two written warnings in the previous six months. The employer carries the burden of proof in any termination.
The termination guide covers notice, severance and the complaint process.
Read the full Saint Kitts and Nevis termination and severance guide
What should you know before hiring in Saint Kitts and Nevis?
Two things catch employers out. The minimum wage has separate schedules for some sectors, and a work permit is needed for most non-citizens.
Both change what a first offer can look like.
Check the sector before you set pay. The Labour (Minimum Wage) Act has separate schedules for shop employees, manufacturing, domestic workers, hotel, casino and restaurant workers, security guards and watchmen, and a national schedule for everyone else. The 2025 Order set all seven at EC$12.50 an hour, and we check the schedule for the role.
A person who is not a citizen usually needs a work permit. The Immigration Act exempts approved CARICOM citizens and citizens of Protocol Member States. The application is made while the person is outside the Federation, and the employer may be asked for a security to cover repatriation.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to hire an employee in Saint Kitts and Nevis?
Plan on gross pay plus up to 9% in employer charges: 5% Social Security on pay up to EC$6,500 a month, a 3% levy and 1% for the severance fund. The cost breakdown guide has worked examples.
Can a company hire in Saint Kitts and Nevis without its own entity?
Often, but the route needs a check. The Recruiting of Workers Act requires a licence to recruit workers, and it includes supplying them, with exemptions. Teamed's experts check which route fits your hire before any contract is signed.
What is the minimum wage in Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2026?
EC$12.50 an hour, which is EC$500 for a 40-hour week, from 1 July 2025. It was EC$10.75 an hour from January 2024. The same figure applies in the sector schedules for shops, manufacturing, domestic work, hotels, security guards and watchmen.
Is there income tax on wages in Saint Kitts and Nevis?
No. The Inland Revenue Department says income tax on individuals was abolished in 1980. Employees still pay 5% Social Security and, above a low-earner exemption, the Housing and Social Development Levy.
What is Social Security in Saint Kitts and Nevis?
In the latest regulations we could read, employers and employees each pay 5% of wages for people aged 16 to under 62, on wages up to EC$6,500 a month. We confirm the current rates and ceiling with the Social Security Board before the first payslip.
How much annual leave do employees get in Saint Kitts and Nevis?
At least 14 paid days for each year of employment, not counting Sundays and public holidays. A year of employment needs 238 days worked for weekly, fortnightly or monthly paid staff.
Saint Kitts and Nevis has no income tax on pay, adds up to 9% to gross pay for the employer, and ties severance to length of service.
Most of the surprises come from assuming the contribution rates never change, or from skipping the route check before the contract.
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 Saint Kitts and Nevis 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.
