--- title: "Cost of employing someone in Saint Lucia 2026" description: "What an employee costs in Saint Lucia: 5% employer National Insurance up to EC$5,000 a month, four worked examples, and the leave and redundancy costs behind them." canonical: https://www.teamed.global/country-hiring-guides/saint-lucia/cost-breakdown --- Saint Lucia · Cost breakdown # What does it cost to employ someone in *Saint Lucia* in 2026? The employer pays 5% National Insurance on pay up to EC$5,000 a month, so at most EC$250 a month on top of gross pay. At the minimum wage of EC$1,131 a month that is EC$56.55. Leave, sick pay and redundancy pay sit on top. For companies budgeting a hire here, Teamed's real HR and legal experts, assigned within 24 hours, check the route first and show you the statutory costs. You also get 24/5 human support with a first response within 15 minutes. Last reviewed 22 October 2026 · Saint Lucia guide - [Talk to an expert about hiring in Saint Lucia](https://www.teamed.global/contact) - [Run the employer-cost numbers](https://www.teamed.global/tools/employer-cost) ![An aerial view of Castries harbour, with a cruise ship at the quay and the city around the bay in Saint Lucia.](/cluster-assets/country-hiring-guides/saint-lucia/cost-breakdown/images/hero.webp) Photo: Omar Eagle on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/aerial-view-of-city-buildings-near-body-of-water-during-daytime-tn4t2tVC9uQ?utm_source=teamed&utm_medium=referral) The short answer The employer pays 5% to the National Insurance Corporation on earnings up to EC$5,000 a month. On EC$3,000 a month that is EC$150. The Labour Act sets no thirteenth-month payment that we found. Paid leave, sick pay and redundancy pay are costs you budget for yourself. ## What does an employer pay on top of gross pay in Saint Lucia? The employer pays 5% National Insurance, on earnings up to EC$5,000 a month. That is at most EC$250 a month for each employee. | Monthly gross pay (EC$) | Insurable earnings (EC$) | Employer National Insurance, 5% (EC$) | | --- | --- | --- | | 1,131 (the national minimum wage) | 1,131 | 56.55 | | 3,000 | 3,000 | 150.00 | | 5,000 | 5,000 | 250.00 | | 8,000 | 5,000 (the ceiling) | 250.00 | The totals are our arithmetic from the National Insurance Corporation's published rate and ceiling. The Act sets the rate at 5% or another rate the Minister fixes, and the Corporation's website says deductions are made on the first EC$5,000 of earnings in a month. A real payslip can differ by a few cents because of rounding. Contributions paid late carry a surcharge of 1.25% for each month or part of a month. Contributions paid by employers are allowable deductions under the Income Tax Act. We confirm which payments count as insurable earnings before the first payslip. ## What does Teamed add to the cost? Statutory costs pass through at their real amounts, itemised, so you see each line. Teamed prices every country the same way, with **zero FX markup** in any currency, and the [pricing page](/pricing) shows the fee. Pricing has no hidden costs, and **real HR and legal experts** come on every plan. Our experts check which route fits your Saint Lucia hire before any contract is signed, because the route decides which costs are yours. Contractor, employer-of-record and own-entity routes run on **one platform**. Run the [Employer Cost Calculator](https://www.teamed.global/tools/employer-cost) to model a hire at your own pay level. EOR is the right model for a first hire in many countries, **until it isn't**. ## Which other costs belong in a Saint Lucia budget? Budget for paid annual leave, public holidays, sick pay, overtime and redundancy pay as well as National Insurance. Each is set by the Labour Act, and each is a cost of the job rather than an extra. | Cost | What the Labour Act sets | | --- | --- | | Annual leave | 14 working days a year up to 5 years of employment, then 21 working days, with pay | | Overtime | At least 1.5 times the hourly wage, and 2 times on a Sunday or public holiday | | Sick pay | After 6 months of service, at the normal rate of wages, with a medical certificate from the third day | | Maternity | At least 13 weeks of leave. The National Insurance Corporation pays an allowance of 65% of average insurable earnings for up to 3 months | | Redundancy pay | After 2 years of service: 1 week of basic pay for each of the first 3 years, 2 weeks for each year from 4 to 7, 3 weeks for each year after that | A week's pay for redundancy is the employee's pay in the last week or EC$350, whichever is lower. After five years that is seven weeks of basic pay on our arithmetic, and at most EC$2,450. Accrue it from the second year, because the right starts at two years of continuous employment. ## Does Saint Lucia require a thirteenth-month payment? We found no thirteenth-month payment, Christmas bonus or holiday subsidy in the Labour Act. Any bonus is a matter of contract. The minimum wage is paid in addition to allowances, gratuity and overtime, so a role's total pay can sit above it. A collective agreement can add terms. ## Frequently asked questions How much does Saint Lucia employer National Insurance cost? 5% of earnings in 2026, up to EC$5,000 a month, so at most EC$250 a month. The employee pays 5% as well, and the combined rate is 10%. What is the total employer on-cost in Saint Lucia? 5% of gross pay up to EC$5,000 a month. Income tax and the employee's share come out of the employee's pay, so they do not add to the employer's cost. What is the cost of the minimum wage in Saint Lucia? EC$6.52 an hour, which the Department of Labour gives as EC$1,131 a month, plus EC$56.55 a month in employer National Insurance on our arithmetic. Is redundancy pay a cost from the first year? Not in the first two years. The right starts at two years of continuous employment, and it is at least one week of basic pay for each completed year. A note from Tom Price-Daniel Saint Lucia adds 5% to gross pay on the first EC$5,000 a month, so a minimum-wage hire costs EC$56.55 a month in contributions. The bigger numbers are the ones the percentage hides: paid leave, sick pay and redundancy pay after two years. Budget the contributions for each employee, and our experts will show every line. Tom Price-Daniel · Co-founder, Teamed ## Keep reading - [Hiring in Saint Lucia, overview](/country-hiring-guides/saint-lucia) - [Saint Lucia hiring guide](/country-hiring-guides/saint-lucia/hiring-guide) - [Saint Lucia termination and severance](/country-hiring-guides/saint-lucia/termination-and-severance) - [Saint Lucia tax and payroll](/country-hiring-guides/saint-lucia/tax-and-payroll) - [Saint Lucia EOR vs entity](/country-hiring-guides/saint-lucia/eor-vs-entity) - [Hiring contractors in Saint Lucia](/contractor-hiring-guides/saint-lucia) - [What is an Employer of Record?](/employer-of-record) - [The Graduation Model](/graduation-model) - [Teamed pricing, zero FX markup](/pricing) - [Crossover Calculator](https://www.teamed.global/tools/crossover-calculator) A note on this page. This is a guide, not legal, tax or accounting advice. The figures on this page were read from official sources on 22 October 2026. They come from the Labour Act (Cap. 16.04), the National Insurance Corporation Act, the Income Tax Act and the Bank Holidays Act, in the Revised Laws of Saint Lucia (2023) published by the Attorney General's Chambers. They also come from the National Insurance Corporation website and the Government of Saint Lucia's Department of Labour announcement of the national minimum wage. The Revised Laws show the law as at the end of 2023, and we found no later amendment to the Labour Act. The Inland Revenue Department website and the government portal were not reachable on 22 October 2026, so we read their pages from archived copies dated 2025 and 2026. Confirm current requirements with the Department of Labour, the National Insurance Corporation, the Inland Revenue Department and a qualified adviser before relying on any figure. Sources: [National Insurance Corporation, employers page](https://www.stlucianic.org/employers) . [National Insurance Corporation, FAQ](https://www.stlucianic.org/faq) . [National Insurance Corporation Act, Revised Laws of Saint Lucia (2023)](https://attorneygeneralchambers.com/laws-of-saint-lucia/national-insurance-corporation-act) . [Labour Act (Cap. 16.04), Revised Laws of Saint Lucia (2023)](https://attorneygeneralchambers.com/laws-of-saint-lucia/labour-act) . [Department of Labour, national minimum wage announcement of 2 October 2024 (archived)](http://web.archive.org/web/2025/https://www.govt.lc/news/implementation-of-the-national-minimum-wage) . [National Insurance Corporation, maternity benefit](https://www.stlucianic.org/maternity-benefit) .