Employer of Record in Hong Kong: how it works and how to choose one
An Employer of Record employs your Hong Kong staff through its own local company on Employment Ordinance-compliant contracts. You direct the work; the provider carries the employer obligations — MPF, payroll, IR56 filings, leave, visas and offboarding. This guide explains what a Hong Kong EOR does, what it costs, and what separates the good ones.
What is included
Everything an employer in Hong Kong is responsible for, done by the provider in its own name.
- Employment contract to the Employment Ordinance, in English and Chinese
- MPF scheme enrolment and monthly employer and employee contributions
- Monthly payroll, payslips, and year-end IR56B plus IR56E on joining and IR56F on leaving
- Statutory leave: annual, sick, maternity, paternity and the statutory holidays
- Employees’ compensation insurance as required by the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance
- General Employment Policy visa sponsorship for non-residents, and dependant visas
- Expense reimbursement and benefits administration (medical, allowances, bonuses)
- Termination, long-service and severance calculations, and the final IR56 filings
You choose the person, set the salary, direct the day-to-day and decide when it ends. The provider holds the employer obligations so that none of them become yours.
- Hiring decision and salaryYou
- Daily management and performanceYou
- Contract, MPF, payroll, filingsProvider
- Insurance and visa sponsorshipProvider
- Statutory leave and termination lawProvider
How a Hong Kong EOR hire works
Three parties, two contracts, one employer.
1 · You and the provider
A service agreement sets out the role, the loaded monthly cost and the notice period. It is the only contract you sign.
2 · The provider and your hire
A Hong Kong employment contract between the employee and the provider’s Hong Kong limited company, with the Employment Ordinance’s terms built in.
3 · Every month
The provider runs payroll, remits MPF by the 10th, pays the employee within seven days of month-end, and invoices you once. You receive a payslip copy and a monthly report.
Three working days, start to finish — at the faster providers
- Scope the roleJob title, salary, allowances, start date and where the person is now. A good provider confirms the monthly cost with the assumptions written down.
- Contract issued and signedEmployment Ordinance-compliant contract in English and Chinese, signed electronically by the employee and by the provider.
- MPF and payroll set upThe employee is enrolled in the provider’s MPF scheme and added to payroll. Employees’ compensation cover attaches automatically.
- First dayThe employee starts work for you. The provider’s account manager stays the point of contact for the employee on anything HR.
The Immigration Department’s General Employment Policy takes around four weeks for a clean application and up to eight in busy periods. The provider sponsors as the employer — check that yours will, because not every platform does.
- Documents gathered, application filedWeek 1
- Immigration Department processingWeeks 2–6
- Approval, entry, ID cardWeeks 6–8
- Contract, MPF, start+3 days
The rules a Hong Kong EOR handles for you
The parts of Hong Kong employment that are easy to get wrong and expensive when you do.
Employment Ordinance
The continuous-contract (“418”) rule, rest days, statutory holidays, paid leave entitlements, notice and severance.
MPF
5% employer and employee contributions on relevant income between HK$7,100 and HK$30,000 a month, remitted by the 10th; the severance offset abolished from 1 May 2025.
Inland Revenue
Employer’s return and IR56 forms on joining, leaving and year-end. Hong Kong has no payroll withholding; the employee files their own salaries tax.
Immigration
General Employment Policy and Top Talent Pass sponsorship, dependant visas, and the paperwork when someone changes employer.
EOR, or your own company?
Both are good answers. Which one is right depends on headcount and horizon.
| Hong Kong EOR | Own limited company | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to first hire | 3 working days | 2–4 weeks: incorporation, bank account, MPF scheme, insurer |
| Set-up work | None | Incorporation, company secretary, registered office, Business Registration |
| Ongoing obligations | Ours | Annual return, audited accounts, profits tax return, employer’s return |
| Best for | 1–15 people; testing the market; a single senior hire | 15+ people; invoicing local clients; holding licences |
| Winding down | Statutory notice, and it is done | Deregistration, typically 6–12 months |
| Moving between them | Employees transfer to your new company with service continuity | — |
When you are ready to incorporate, several providers in our rankings do that too, and the payroll carries over without a break.
Ready to compare providers
Ten Hong Kong EORs ranked on the same criteria. Or tell us the role, the salary and the start date, and we will shortlist three.
Get in touch
We reply within one working day.
Hong Kong EOR questions?
Is there a minimum term?
No. The service agreement runs month to month with a notice period matched to the employee’s. Fixed-term contracts are available where the role is fixed-term.
Can the employee be paid in a currency other than HKD?
Salary is paid in Hong Kong dollars to a Hong Kong bank account, as the employee’s MPF and tax records require. Most providers will invoice you in HKD, USD, GBP, EUR or SGD; ask which.
Who owns the intellectual property the employee creates?
You do. The service agreement assigns it to you, and the employment contract contains the matching IP and confidentiality clauses.
What about probation?
Hong Kong has no statutory probation, but the Employment Ordinance lets either side end a contract without notice in the first month of probation, and with at least seven days’ notice thereafter. The provider writes the probation terms you want, within those limits.
How do bonuses and 13th-month payments work?
Common but not statutory. If you offer an end-of-year payment, the Employment Ordinance regulates how and when it must be paid, including to leavers. The provider drafts the clause and administers the payment.
Can you employ someone who is not in Hong Kong yet?
Yes, once their visa is approved. The provider sponsors the General Employment Policy application as the employer, and the hire cannot begin work until it is granted. Not every provider will sponsor — our EOR ranking says which do.