Employer of Record · Mainland China

Employer of Record China: hire employees without opening a company.

Employer of Record China makes us the legal employer of your team in the mainland. Compliant contracts, payroll, the five insurances and one fund, income-tax withholding and work permits, all handled, so you can hire local and expat talent in Shanghai and across China in days.

1–2 weeks to onboard locals No WFOE required Full labour-law & tax compliance
Why an EOR

Employer of Record China: the fast, compliant way into the market

Setting up a wholly foreign-owned enterprise takes months of paperwork, registered capital and ongoing audit, tax and HR administration. An Employer of Record lets you put a person on the ground first, then decide on an entity later, if ever.

Live in weeks, not months

We already hold a licensed Chinese entity and run payroll in every major city. A local hire can be contracted, insured and on payroll in one to two weeks, instead of the several months a WFOE setup usually takes.

Compliance is ours, not yours

The Labour Contract Law governs every China contract: written form within 30 days, probation limits, social insurance, notice periods and statutory severance. We carry that responsibility as the legal employer.

No capital, no commitment

No registered capital, no office lease, no local finance team. Pay one predictable monthly fee per employee and scale the team up or down as your China plans evolve.

No WFOE
Hire nationwide through our licensed entity
5 + 1
Insurances and the housing fund, remitted monthly
3–45%
Progressive individual income tax, withheld for you
100%
Of pay run through compliant local payroll
What we handle

Everything between the offer letter and a working employee

You choose the person and direct their work. We take care of the legal employment relationship in China from end to end.

Explore all services
  • Bilingual, compliant labour contracts signed within 30 days
  • Z-visa work permits and residence permits for expats
  • Monthly salary payments in RMB
  • The five insurances and one fund, remitted in each city
  • Individual income-tax withholding and annual reconciliation
  • Housing-fund declarations and expense management with fapiao
  • Annual leave, sick leave and public-holiday tracking
  • Compliant offboarding, severance and release letters
How it works

Four steps to a compliant China hire

1

Scope the hire

Tell us the role, salary, city of work and whether the candidate is a local or a relocating expat. We confirm cost and timeline.

Day 1
2

Contract & offer

We issue a compliant offer and a bilingual labour contract for your candidate to sign, within the 30-day legal window.

Days 2–5
3

Onboarding & permits

Payroll setup, social insurance and housing fund registration, plus the Z-visa work permit and residence permit for expats.

1–12 weeks
4

Payroll & manage

Salary, social insurance and tax run each month. We handle leave, renewals, severance and any changes you need.

Ongoing
China labour law, in brief

What every China employment contract must respect

All figures reflect the Labour Contract Law of the PRC and its local implementing rules. We build each contract to these rules so nothing is left to interpretation.

TopicStandardNotes
Contract typeFixed-term, open-ended or per-taskWritten form mandatory within 30 days of start
Probation1 to 6 monthsTied to contract length; pay at least 80% of the wage
Working hours8 per day / 40 per weekOvertime at 150%, 200% or 300% of normal pay
Annual leave5 to 15 daysBy total career experience, not tenure with one employer
SeveranceOne month per year ("N")N+1 with pay in lieu of notice; 2N if dismissal is unlawful
Notice period30 daysOr payment in lieu; 3 days during probation
Pay & contributionsMonthly, in RMBFive insurances and one fund remitted by city

Read the full breakdown in our China hiring guide.

Compliant EOR

We employ your chosen staff

As a service-based company with a licensed in-country entity, we employ the people you select and manage payroll, tax and HR, while you direct the work. This is the compliant route for hiring without an entity.

Labour dispatch · 劳务派遣

A different, capped model

Labour dispatch is separately licensed and capped at 10% of headcount, for temporary or auxiliary roles where an agency supplies its own workforce. A genuine EOR is not labour dispatch, which matters for your compliance.

Common questions

Hiring in China, answered

Can I hire in China without my own company?
Yes. As your Employer of Record, we are the legal employer on paper. We employ your chosen hire through our licensed Chinese entity and run a compliant contract, payroll, social insurance and tax, so you never need to register a WFOE.
How quickly can someone start?
A Chinese national can usually be onboarded in one to two weeks. An expat who needs a Z-visa work permit takes longer, typically eight to twelve weeks, because of the permit, visa and residence-permit process.
What does it cost beyond salary?
A flat monthly fee per employee, plus the gross salary and the mandatory employer social-insurance and housing-fund contributions, which run roughly 27% to 38% of salary depending on the city. See our pricing page.
Is an EOR the same as labour dispatch?
No. Labour dispatch is a separately licensed model, capped at 10% of headcount, where an agency supplies its own temporary workers. We employ your own chosen staff and manage the legal employment, which keeps the arrangement compliant.
Do you handle offboarding too?
Yes. We calculate and pay the final settlement, including statutory severance and accrued leave, issue the release letter and close payroll and social insurance, following the correct legal procedure.

Ready to hire in China?

Fill out the form and we will come back with a clear cost, timeline and contract structure, usually within one business day.