Hiring in Slovakia

The contract sets out the type of work, place of work, start date, salary in EUR, working time, leave, notice and any non-compete clause. The EOR is the counterparty to the employee, which is what removes the need for your own entity.

Contracts are normally drafted in Slovak, often with a parallel English version.

Fixed-term contracts are capped at two years and can be extended or renewed no more than twice in that period, so most EORs default to indefinite terms.

Set probation from day one. It cannot be extended by agreement, only by time lost to sickness or other obstacles to work, and on a fixed-term contract it cannot run longer than half the term.

Some EORs shorten probation as policy because they, not you, carry the dismissal risk. Ask before you agree a start date.

Overtime is paid at the earned wage plus at least 25% of average earnings, with caps of 150 hours a year that the employer can order and 400 hours in total.

Managerial and senior specialist salaries can be agreed to include overtime, within limits, so it becomes a contractual matter rather than a statutory one. Put the position in writing either way.

Professional employers often give 25 days to all staff regardless of age, so quote the market figure when you budget. The public holiday count has also been cut and may change again, so check the calendar each year.

Sick pay is employer funded for the first 14 days, at 25% then 55% of the daily assessment base, before the Social Insurance Agency takes over. Maternity leave runs 34 weeks and is paid by the state, so confirm what, if anything, the EOR tops up.

Either side may terminate on notice, but there is no pay in lieu and notice only starts on the first day of the following month. The employer needs one of the grounds listed in the Labour Code, such as redundancy, health, performance or misconduct, so many exits are agreed instead.

The EOR runs the process as the legal employer and will want the paperwork in order, including final pay, unused leave and severance of one to four months' average earnings for redundancy after two years' service. Invalid dismissal claims can lead to reinstatement and back pay, so keep a documented reason.

Meal vouchers or a cash meal allowance are compulsory, with the employer covering at least 55% of the voucher value. Supplementary pension contributions and extra paid days off are standard for professional roles even though they are not mandatory.

EORs often bundle benefits through a group scheme. Ask what is included in the fee and what is billed on top.

Employer contributions add 36.2% on top of gross salary, with social insurance capped at a monthly assessment base of 16,764 EUR and health insurance uncapped. That is before the EOR fee.

Registration timing is the trap. The employee must be registered with the Social Insurance Agency before the first working day, and late registration can count as illegal employment, so build that into the onboarding timeline.

Ask whether the EOR sponsors directly or refers to a partner. A partner-model EOR often cannot sponsor at all, and the vacancy notice and Blue Card salary floor apply to the sponsor, not to you.

Set start dates after the complete application is filed, not before.

Get the data processing terms in the service agreement, not just the privacy notice. Transfers outside the EEA need an adequacy decision or standard contractual clauses.

Ask where payroll data is hosted and who in the partner chain can see it.

Incorporation here is straightforward, with 5,000 EUR of share capital for a limited company, but the running cost is the point: accounting, payroll, annual financial statements, audit thresholds and a minimum corporate tax set an annual floor.

Permanent establishment risk is about what people do, not where payroll sits. Revenue-generating activity can create exposure regardless of the employment route.