How do you hire an employee in Sierra Leone in 2026?
A Sierra Leone hire needs a contract the Commissioner has vetted and attested, can be put on probation for up to six months and is protected by an Act that dates from 2023. A foreign national also needs a work permit. If you are hiring in Sierra Leone, 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 a designated person who checks the route and runs your first hire from signed terms to first payslip.
· Sierra Leone guide
Photo: Abdulai Sayni on Unsplash
A Sierra Leone contract can be written or oral, but an employer's contract, terms and HR manual are not binding for labour purposes until the Commissioner of Labour and Employment vets and attests them. The worker gets written particulars within 12 weeks of starting.
Probation is at most six months and can happen once. Either party can end a probationary contract on seven days' notice or seven days' wages.
What form must a Sierra Leone employment contract take?
A contract can be oral, but a contract, terms and conditions or HR manual is not binding for labour purposes until the Commissioner vets and attests it.
Written particulars of the job are due within 12 weeks of the start date.
Section 33 of the Employment Act sets a fine of at least 12 months' national minimum wage for skipping attestation. A worker's accrued rights survive without it, and an attested HR manual is not valid for more than three years. The particulars cover these points:
- the parties, the start date, the job title and a description of the work;
- the wages or how they are worked out, how often they are paid and any deductions;
- overtime rates, normal hours, annual leave and sick pay terms;
- any notice longer than the Act's, any collective agreement and the disciplinary rules.
Each payment of wages comes with an itemised statement of gross wages, every deduction and net wages. A change to the particulars goes to the worker in writing within four weeks.
Which contract types does Sierra Leone allow?
A contract can run without a time limit, for a fixed term or as casual or temporary work. Casual or temporary work must be seasonal or intermittent and last no more than six months.
A fixed-term contract below six months can be renewed once only.
A casual worker kept for more than six months continuously is treated as permanent where there is a vacancy. A fixed-term worker with 12 months or more of continuous service is entitled to accrued benefits under the relevant trade group agreement or better terms. Casual and temporary workers still get the minimum wage, hours, rest, paid public holiday, night work and sick leave rules.
How does probation work in Sierra Leone?
Probation can last up to six months, and an employer cannot put a worker on probation more than once for the same kind of work.
Either party can end a probationary contract on seven days' notice or seven days' wages.
A second probation is possible only if the worker is employed on substantially different work. The probationary contract does not remove the protections that apply to redundancy and discipline. Put the probation period in the written particulars and have the Commissioner attest the contract.
How much leave do Sierra Leone employees get?
The Act states annual leave as an allowance of at least one month's basic salary for each completed year of service.
Maternity leave is at least 14 weeks on full remuneration and paternity leave is two weeks on full remuneration.
| Leave | What the Employment Act, 2023 says |
|---|---|
| Annual leave | An allowance of at least one month's basic salary for each completed year of service, or better terms in a collective agreement; one and a half months' basic salary if the employer stops the worker taking leave |
| Weekly rest | No more than five consecutive days of work without at least a day's rest |
| Sick leave | Granted under the Act, other enactments, the contract or a collective agreement, on a written medical certificate |
| Maternity | At least 14 weeks on full remuneration, on a medical certificate, with seven days' notice; the Regulations add a compulsory six weeks after childbirth |
| Paternity | Two weeks on full remuneration, one week's written notice, no more than once a year |
An employer cannot end a woman's employment during pregnancy or maternity leave, and she has a right to return to her job or a suitable alternative. We confirm the public holiday list before the first payslip, because it is not in the Act.
What are the working-hours rules in Sierra Leone?
A worker cannot be required to work more than eight hours a day or 48 hours a week, with a daily cap of 10 hours if the contract agrees more than eight.
A break of 30 minutes is due where normal hours are eight or more.
| Rule | What the Employment Act, 2023 says |
|---|---|
| Daily hours | No more than eight, or up to 10 if the contract agrees |
| Weekly hours | No more than 48, and the contract can set fewer than 40 or more than 40 up to 48 |
| Rest break | At least 30 minutes where normal hours are eight or more, unpaid unless agreed |
| Overtime | Hourly rate plus a supplement of 50% on week days and 100% on weekends and public holidays, absent a written agreement |
| Night work | Between 8:00 pm and 6:00 am, at the day rate plus a supplement of at least 30% |
The Act's next subsection words the overtime default differently: 50% for the first four hours over 40 in a week and 100% beyond that. We confirm which wording applies to your contract before we quote. A pregnant woman or a mother of a child under eight months cannot be asked to work overtime.
How must you pay Sierra Leone employees?
Pay in legal tender, or by cheque or direct payment to the worker's account with the worker's written agreement.
Deductions are limited to the ones the Act permits.
Permitted deductions include tax and contributions the law imposes, approved provident or pension contributions, agreed charges for food, lodging or clothing, agreed recovery of damage the worker caused and union dues. An unlawful deduction carries a fine of at least six months' national minimum wage and must be repaid. A loan or advance of wages is interest-free.
What do you need to hire a foreign national in Sierra Leone?
A foreign national needs a work permit, which lasts one year and renews annually. The permit is not transferable between employers.
Employing one without a permit carries a fine of at least 24 months' national minimum wage or at least one year in prison for the employer.
| Item | What the Work Permit Act, 2023 and its 2024 fees regulations say |
|---|---|
| Fee, non-ECOWAS citizen in the formal sector | NLe 15,000, or the equivalent in US dollars, payable before the permit is issued |
| Fee, ECOWAS citizen in the formal sector | NLe 10,000, or the equivalent in US dollars |
| Provisional permit | Up to three months, while the application is processed |
| Quota, managerial and intermediate posts | 50% Sierra Leoneans and 50% foreigners |
| Quota, unskilled posts | 100% Sierra Leoneans |
| Job advert | At least one month on electronic, print and social media before employing a foreigner |
| Annual report | Within 14 working days after 1 January each year |
| Notice when the foreign national stops working | Within seven working days |
The employer must also submit an employment and training succession plan for the Minister's approval, and give first consideration to Sierra Leoneans. A foreign employer applies to the Ministry for an expatriate quota before applying for a permit. A fee schedule for other categories exists, and a separate payroll tax applies to employers of foreign nationals, which we did not read in its current form. We confirm both before we quote.
What is the minimum wage in Sierra Leone?
The National Revenue Authority says the new national minimum wage is NLe 1,200 from 1 April 2026.
An employment contract that pays less than the minimum is void as to that term.
The National Revenue Authority says the new minimum wage of NLe 1,200 takes effect on 1 April 2026. Its note does not state the period, and we treat it as a monthly rate that we confirm against the wage order before the first payslip. Section 38 of the Employment Act says a contract term that pays below the rate fixed by the Joint National Negotiating Board is void. Fines throughout the Act are counted in months of the national minimum wage, so the figure also drives the penalties.
How does Teamed handle a Sierra Leone hire from offer to payslip?
Teamed checks the route and, where it allows, issues the written Sierra Leone terms and runs the hire from offer to first payslip.
The fee is from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX markup in any currency, and your designated person runs the first hire.
Real HR and legal experts apply the Act's contract, probation and notice rules to your terms, and you direct the work. There is no setup fee.
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.
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Agree the offer
Role, gross pay and contracted hours. Check the pay against the minimum wage.
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Confirm the route
Teamed's experts check the right employment route and, where it allows, prepare the written Sierra Leone terms for attestation.
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Set up payroll
Teamed registers the hire for tax withholding and NASSIT.
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Run the first payroll
Your designated person's first-hire role ends at the first payslip, and the ordinary service continues.
Start from the Sierra Leone hiring overview, or run the Employer Cost Calculator before your first offer goes out.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Sierra Leone employment contract have to be in writing?
A contract can be oral, but a contract, terms and HR manual are not binding for labour purposes until the Commissioner of Labour and Employment vets and attests them. The worker's accrued rights survive without attestation, and written particulars are due within 12 weeks of the start date.
How long can a probationary period last in Sierra Leone?
Up to six months, and an employer cannot use a probationary contract more than once for the same kind of work. Either party can end it on seven days' notice or seven days' wages.
Is there a thirteenth-month payment in Sierra Leone?
We found none in the Employment Act, 2023. Any bonus is a matter of contract or collective agreement.
Does Sierra Leone have statutory paternity leave?
Yes. A father can claim two weeks of paternity leave on full remuneration, no more than once a year, on one week's written notice.
Do I need permission to employ a foreign national in Sierra Leone?
Yes. A foreign national needs a work permit, which lasts one year and renews annually. Employing one without a permit carries a fine of at least 24 months' national minimum wage or at least one year in prison for the employer.
Sierra Leone gives you an attested-contract rule, probation of up to six months and 14 weeks of maternity leave under a 2023 Act.
The traps sit in the details: a contract that is not binding until attested, a work permit and a quota for every foreign national, and a licence rule for agency-style employment.
Your designated person checks the route and runs the first hire from signed terms to first payslip.
Looking for a job in Sierra Leone 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.
