Employ in Greece with ease.
Remote makes employment in Greece easy. With our localized contracts, easy invoice management, and best-in-class compliance, you can grow your global team with confidence.
Capital city
Athens
Currency
Euro
(€, EUR)Languages spoken
Greek
Services available:
Facts & Stats
Greece, officially known as the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Ελληνική Δημοκρατία; Ellinikí Dimokratía) is a sovereign democracy located in Southeast Europe.
Considered the birthplace of western civilization, Greece has given us democracy, theatre, philosophy, and pathfinders like Hippocrates, Herodotus, and Alexander the Great.
On the economic front, Greece is home to a highly educated population with a large proportion of skilled professionals. The nation is driven by its tourism and shipping industries, but the high quality of living and natural beauty of the Hellenic nation creates an attractive proposition for remote workers and those looking to relocate.
Capital city
Athens
Currency
Euro
(€, EUR)Languages spoken
Greek
Population size
10,724,599 (est. 2019)
Ease of doing business
Easy
Cost of living index
$$$ (39 of 139 nations)
Payroll frequency
Monthly
VAT - standard rate
24%
GDP - real growth rate
1.9 (2019)
Grow your team in Greece with Remote
Looking to employ workers in Greece? Companies hiring in Greece must either own a legal entity in the country or work with a global employment solutions provider, usually one that provides employer of record services.
Remote can employ your team in Greece on your behalf through our local legal entity in the country and handle payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance for your Greece team. You can also pay contractors now in Greece with Remote.
Employing in Greece
Greek employment provisions are spelled out across several government regulations which define terms for employee protections, workers’ rights, and labor relations applicable to Greece’s workforce of 4.7 million. Employees in Greece enjoy protections against discrimination based on age, religion, sexual orientation, gender expression, and race.
Common questions that could come up during the hiring process may cover the topics of supplemental benefits, overtime rates, and additional paid time off. Remote can help you offer a complete, competitive, and compliant benefits package to your employees in Greece.
Minimum Wage
The Greek minimum wage is set at 713 € per month, or 831,83 € per month when 13th and 14th salary payments are factored in.
Payroll Cycle
For customers of Remote, all employee payments will be made in equal monthly installments on or before the last working day of each calendar month, payable in arrears.
Workers in Greece are also entitled to the equivalent of 14 months pay in a year. This includes the normal 12 month pay, one month pay as a Christmas bonus; half a month pay as an Easter bonus; and half a month pay as an annual holiday bonus. The Christmas, Easter, and annual holiday bonus payments are all treated as part of the agreed salary in Greece. Employers looking to calculate the total cost of employment should include these payments.
Onboarding Time
We can help you get a new employee started in Greece fast. The minimum onboarding time we need is only 3 working days.
Our team ensures your employees are onboarded and paid as quickly as possible while keeping your business compliant with all local employment legislation. The minimum onboarding time begins after the employee submits all required information onto the Remote platform. The onboarding timeline is also dependent upon registration with local authorities.
For all non-nationals of the country of employment, the Right to Work assessment (if applicable) will add three extra days to the total time to onboard. There may be extra time required if we need to follow-up on the right to work assessment.
Please note, payroll cut-off dates can impact the actual first day of employment. Remote has a payroll cut-off date of the 10th of the month unless otherwise specified.
Competitive benefits package in Greece
At Remote, we’re obsessed with helping you craft the best possible employee experience for your team. We are leading the way in practicing “fair equity,” which means making sure employees everywhere have access to both the required and supplemental benefits they need to thrive (and that will allow you to attract the best local talent).
Our benefits packages in Greece are tailored to fulfill the local needs of your employees. Typically, our packages contain some or all of the following benefits:
- Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Mental Health Support
- Pension or 401(K)
- Life and Disability Insurance
Calculate the cost to hire an employee
in Greece
Taxes in Greece
Learn how employment taxes and statutory fees affect your payroll and your employees’ paychecks in Greece.
Employer
13.33% - Pension fund contribution
4.3% - Healthcare contribution
0.25% - Supplementary health contribution
3.25% - Supplementary insurance
1.41% - Additional contributions
Employee
6.67% - Pension fund contribution
2.15% - Healthcare contribution
0.4% - Supplementary healthcare contribution
3.25% - Supplementary insurance
1.65% - Additional contribution
Personal income tax rates
9% - 0 - €10,000
22% - €10,001 - €20,000
28% - €20,001 - €30,000
36% - €30,001 - €40,000
44% - Above €40,000
Types of leave
Paid time off
After working with an employer for an entire year, employees are entitled to a maximum of 26 days of paid time off annually. The final figure depends on their tenure with the employer’s organization.
Employees who work a five-day week get 20 prorated days of vacation annually, which increases by a day, up to 22 days, every year the employee stays with the same employer. Employees who have been in the labor force for 12 years, with 10 of those spent with one employer will be entitled to 25 days of paid leave annually.
Leave entitlements are calculated at a rate of 50% of the employee’s normal wages.
Public holidays
There are six mandatory public holidays and nine others that employers can recognize independently. If employees are expected to work on a holiday, a bonus equivalent to a minimum of 75% of their normal wage must be paid in addition to the base wages.
Sick leave
Employees are entitled to 50% of their wages for the first three days of an illness, paid by the employer; employees can draw sickness benefits from the social security office, starting on the fourth day of an illness and lasting up to 720 days, depending on how long the employee worked in the previous year.
Maternity leave
Female employees are entitled to 17 weeks of maternity leave, starting eight weeks prior to delivery. During the leave, such employees will draw a maternity benefit equivalent to a month’s wages, or just 15 days, if the employee has worked with the employer for less than a year.
Paternity leave
Parental leave is granted to parents to enable them to share the responsibility of taking care of their young children without losing their jobs. This policy exists across all EU Member States. In Greece it is called Άδεια χωρίς αποδοχές.
Fathers are entitled to 14 days of paid leave upon delivery of a child and are able to have some of their partner’s maternity leave transferred to them.
Employees with children aged 16 and below are entitled to take time off to assess their children’s educational performance, up to a maximum of four days annually.
Other leave
- Adoption Leave: Adoptive and foster parents can take three months of paid leave, starting when adoption or fostering proceedings are finalized.
- Education Leave: Employees who are schooling at a public school or university can request up to 30 days off work to sit for examinations once they’ve worked with an employer for at least an entire year.
- Bereavement Leave: Employees are permitted to take two working days off in event of the death of a close relative.
- Civil duty: During elections, employees can take anywhere from 1 – 3 days off work to vote at their designated polling station.
- Carer’s Leave: Employees can take up to 30 unpaid days to cater to a sick, injured, or hospitalized child.
Employment termination
Termination process
Employee contracts can be terminated if a just cause is established, such as dishonesty, negligence, fraud, or any other work-related offenses.
Notice period
Notice periods in Greece depend on employees’ seniority within the employer’s organization.
- 1 month: employed for 12 months to 2 years
- 2 months: employed for two years to 5 years
- 3 months: employed for 5 years to 10 years
- 4 months: employed for 10+ years
Severance pay
Greek labor laws stipulate severance payments that depend on the employee’s tenure with the employer’s organization, ranging from none, for employees who’ve worked less than a year, all the way to 24 months of monthly wages for employees who’ve worked with the same employer for at least 28 years.
Probation periods
In the event of an indefinite-term employment contract, the probationary period may not exceed 12 months, during which time the contract may be terminated without due notice and without any compensation for dismissal, except if otherwise agreed between the parties. The employee shall receive wages during the probationary period as well.
