What do you need to know to hire in Slovakia?

Employer health insurance runs at 11% of pay with no limit on the assessment base. Employer old-age pension insurance is 14%, and the reserve solidarity fund adds 4.75%, both capped at a maximum monthly assessment base of €16,764/month. Sickness, invalidity, and unemployment funds sit on top of these. Teamed's Slovakia fee sits inside the total cost envelope, not outside it.

Teamed's Slovakia price is a starting rate, with zero FX in any currency pairing. No setup fees. No exit fees. Salaries, taxes, and benefits passed through at cost on every invoice.

The full breakdown, with worked examples at current statutory rates, is in the cost guide.

Registering a Slovak limited company (s.r.o.) means incorporation in the Commercial Register, a tax identification number, VAT registration where it applies, and registration with the Social Insurance Agency and a health insurer. Setup takes several weeks and brings ongoing monthly payroll filings. An Employer of Record is faster and cheaper at low headcount. Teamed runs Slovak payroll, contracts, and compliance from day one.

The crossover point depends on Slovak salary levels and your local accounting costs. The EOR vs entity guide runs those numbers for you.

Most EOR providers will not tell you when you have crossed it. We do, and we help you move. You progress from contractor to EOR to your own Slovak entity on one platform under Teamed's Graduation Model, with tenure preserved.

The 2026 consolidation package amended the Income Tax Act No. 595/2003 Coll. to add two new bands. Pay now runs through 19%, then 25% above the first threshold, then a new 30% band, then a 35% top rate above the highest threshold. Each rate applies only to the part of the base above its own threshold. Employee health insurance rose to 5%, taking total employee social and health contributions higher.

Sick pay changed too. The employer now pays the first 14 days of sickness, up from 10, and the Social Insurance Agency starts paying from day 15 days. Slovakia also permanently cancelled 17 November as a public holiday, leaving 11 days non-working holidays for 2026. The tax and payroll guide covers every current rate and threshold.

Statutory annual leave is 4 weeks under the Labour Code Act No. 311/2001 Coll., rising to 5 weeks for employees aged 33 or older or caring permanently for a child. Standard working time is 40 hours per week. There are 11 days non-working public holidays for 2026 after the recent cuts.

Maternity leave is 34 weeks, longer for single mothers or multiple births, with the maternity allowance paid by the state agency rather than the employer. Sick pay starts with the employer: 25% of the daily assessment base for the first three days, then 55% through to day 14 days, after which the Social Insurance Agency takes over. There is no mandatory 13th or 14th month salary. The benefits guide covers each entitlement in full.

On the employer side, health insurance is 11% with no cap, old-age pension is 14%, and the reserve solidarity fund is 4.75%, with social funds capped at a monthly assessment base of €16,764/month under Act No. 461/2003 Coll. on Social Insurance. On the employee side, social insurance is 9.4% and health insurance is 5%.

Income tax is progressive across four bands for 2026. The first 19% band applies up to the first threshold, 25% on the next slice, 30% on the next, and 35% on the part of the base above the highest threshold. Teamed runs every employee deduction and remits to the tax office and the agencies. The tax and payroll guide sets out every band and threshold.

The minimum notice under Labour Code section 62 is 1 month. It rises to 2 months for one to five years of service and 3 months from five years. Probation can run up to 3 months for standard staff and 6 months for executives, and it cannot be extended.

Severance applies when an employer dismisses with notice for redundancy or long-term health reasons. It is 1 month of average monthly earnings at two to five years, 2 months at five to ten years, 3 months at ten to twenty years, and 4 months from twenty years. Termination by mutual agreement pays one tier higher, reaching 5 months at twenty years. An invalid dismissal where the employee insists on staying can cost wage compensation of up to 36 months. The termination guide runs the full process.

Slovak severance is tied to the reason for dismissal. The tenure-based scale, from 1 month up to 4 months of average earnings, applies when you dismiss with notice for redundancy or long-term health reasons. A dismissal for serious misconduct does not carry it. Getting the stated ground right is what decides whether severance is owed.

An unfair dismissal claim is expensive here. If a court finds the dismissal invalid and the employee insists on keeping the job, wage compensation runs up to 36 months, though a court can reduce the part above 12 months. Probation gives you a cleaner exit window: up to 3 months for standard staff, 6 months for executives, with no extension allowed. The hiring guide and the termination guide both cover safe process in detail.