hire in the DRC

Democratic Republic of the Congo PEO

Q: What is the difference between a DR Congo PEO and a DR Congo EOR?

A DR Congo PEO offers a full employment solution in Africa. It ensures that your employees are hired and paid in full compliance with applicable labor and tax laws. It may also provide you with associated employment and HR services, such as visa support and recruitment. A DR Congo Employer of Record (DR Congo EOR) means a company that provides compliant legal hiring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Some companies, like Horizons, are both a DR Congo PEO and a DR Congo EOR.

Q: Should I hire a DR Congo PEO?

A DR Congo PEO is a good option for international businesses that seek to hire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and need to ensure that their hiring is in full compliance with local laws. It saves time, and money, and avoids the compliance risks of setting up a local entity.

SALARY PAYMENT IN Congolese Franc (FC)

CONTRACT LANGUAGES French & English

PAYROLL TAX 13%

PAYROLL CYCLE Monthly

TIME TO HIRE 24 hours
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The Horizons PEO solution allows you to hire in Democratic , without setting up a costly subsidiary.

Horizons has the most fair price point for Democratic PEO on the market with zero hidden fees. Contact us for a cost breakdown

With extensive experience in the Democratic market, Horizons can hire new employees in as little as 12 hours.

The intuitive Horizons PEO platform enables you to hire and pay employees in Democratic with just a click of the button.

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Democratic Republic Of The Congo

Hire in the DRC

What is a Democratic Republic of the Congo PEO?

What are the benefits of a Democratic Republic of the Congo PEO?

How does a Democratic Republic of the Congo PEO help businesses hire employees?

Benefits administration in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Hire through a DR Congo PEO

FAQs

Simple, compliant hiring with Horizons PEO

Hire in the DRC

Horizons enables any business, anywhere in the world, to easily hire employees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — in full compliance with local laws and regulations. The Horizons Democratic Republic of the Congo PEO solution enables your company to hire a , without the need for a local entity or subsidiary.

When you engage a PEO, you save your business time and money, and guarantee compliance.

Facts & Stats

PEO Platform

Hire in the DRC , and pay employees through our platform or app.

PEO Cost

Our DRC PEO solution is the most affordable on the market.

Time-to-hire

Fast DRC onboarding, hire in as little as 24 hours.

Contracts

We draft compliant DRC labor contracts.

Local benefits

We manage all local benefits for the DRC, including all insurances.

180+ Countries

It doesn’t stop with DRC — we hire employees globally.

stay compliant with DRC labor laws

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (also known as DR Congo and DRC, formerly known as “Zaire”) is located in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is the second largest country in Africa by geographical size, and the fourth largest by population. The main economic hubs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are: Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Kisangani, Bas-Uele, and Ituri. It is neighboured by the Republic of the Congo (also known as ‘Congo-Brazzaville’).

Its economy showed strong growth in 2021 (6.2%) and is expected to continue this growth through 2022 and 2023 at an estimated 6.1%. The key driver of this growth is the mining investment and export sector (mainly copper, cobalt, and gold). The economic outlook over the next few years is generally positive; the main risks for the Democratic Republic of the Congo are consistent with the rest of the world: the possibility of a Covid-19 resurgence and rising cost-of-living prices due to the conflict in Europe.

As the largest Francophone country in the world by population, DR Congo has historically been an important locale for expansion from French companies.

What is a Democratic Republic of the Congo PEO?

A Democratic Republic of the Congo PEO enables companies to hire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo without the need to set up a costly local entity. It is also known as a DR Congo PEO or a DRC PEO.

A DR Congo PEO is the most compliant, and fasted method of employee hiring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The DR Congo PEO will take care of all payroll, HR and compliance tasks, leaving client companies to concentrate on their core business.

As well as hiring and payroll, a DR Congo PEO may also take care of recruitment, contractor payments and visa support.

A DR Congo PEO may be a local company specializing only in supporting local businesses, or a regional African PEO serving the continent, or a global PEO serving client companies throughout Africa and the world.

What are the benefits of a Democratic Republic of the Congo PEO?

Using a DR Congo PEO benefits both client companies and their employees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The benefits of using a DR Congo PEO for the employee include:

Access to excellent global health insurance plans
All employer taxes paid on time
Dedicated Horizons HR contact fluent in DR Congo labor laws
A centralized, secure platform for leave requests and expense reports.

The benefits of using a DR Congo PEO for client companies includes:

Guaranteed compliance with local labor laws
All employer taxes paid compliantly
Quick, flexible employment of Democratic Republic of the Congo residents.
Centralized, secure platform for leave and expense approvals.
Payroll & benefits administration
Opportunity for local recruitment services in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

How does a Democratic Republic of the Congo PEO help businesses hire employees?

A DR Congo PEO helps companies hire employees through proven expertise in the local market. A DR Congo PEO will:

Hire and onboard local staff — many DR Congo PEOs are international HR companies who can manage this for you through a global platform
Process payroll, in accordance with local pay cycles and payroll regulations
Withhold and remit employee income taxes, dealing with the tax authorities on your behalf
Take care of compulsory social contributions, including pension and workplace risk contributions.
Administer employee benefits, including leave and health insurance.
Provide ongoing compliance and HR support as necessary.

Commonly, a DR Congo PEO will manage this process through a platform. The Horizons PEO platform offers all these capabilities and more, including leave request & expense reporting platform, all in one secure location.

Benefits administration in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

When you engage a DR Congo PEO, the PEO will administer all benefits to the letter of the Democratic Republic of the Congo law. This includes all public holidays, parental leave, healthcare, pensions, and more.

A DR Congo PEO will also offer supplementary benefits, including global healthcare plan options. For leave days, Horizons’ HR cloud platform will inform clients of public holidays and provide access to a simple yet effective system for leave requests & approvals.

Leave management and national holidays in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

A DR Congo PEO can administer benefits for all your staff in country. This includes leave management, pensions, healthcare and various social contributions.

Paid annual leave in the DR Congo accrues at one day per month. In addition to this are several paid national holidays in the country. These are:

Holiday Schedule in the DRC [2023]

Canada has a number of public holidays for employees. The following holidays are celebrated in Canada, although some only provincially:

Date	Holiday name
1 Jan Sunday	New Year’s Day
4 Jan	Martyrs of Independence Day
16 Jan	Anniversary of President Laurent Kabila’s Assassination
17 Jan	Anniversary of Prime Minister Patrice Emery Lumumba’s Assassination
1 May	May Day
17 May	Liberation Day
30 Jun	Independence Day
1 Aug	Parents’ Day
25 Dec	Christmas Day

Note also that there are some regional or local holidays that are only celebrated in certain parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Paternity and Maternity leave in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

After 6 months of service, expectant mothers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are entitled to 14 weeks of maternity leave paid at a rate of 67% of normal salary. Leave can be taken after the employee is pregnant, and a maximum of 8 weeks of leave can be taken after childbirth. Employees who have less than 6 months of service are entitled to unpaid maternity leave.

Fathers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are entitled to minimum 2 days of paternity leave paid at a rate of 100% of normal salary. Paternity leave is normally taken after the child is born.

Employer pension contributions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo national insurance fund (Institut National de Sécurité Sociale or INSS) was updated in 2018 through legislative action, setting the minimum contribution rate for formal employees at 10%. 5% of the burden is borne by the employer, and the other 5% is borne by the employee. In special cases, the government will subsidize contributions (mostly in cases of public employees).

Pensions can be taken under the following circumstances:

Old age pension: for those aged 60+ with >180 months of contributions
Old age settlement: a lump sum for those aged 60+ with <180 months of contributions. Employment must end.
Disability pension: for those who are aged <60, who lose 66%+ earning potential due to permanent disability. Must have minimum 36 months of contributions in the last 5 calendar years.
Survivor pension: for the family of a deceased employee who received an old age pension or who had 180 months of contributions.

Survivor settlement: a lump sum for the family of a deceased employee who had more than 12 but less than 180 months of contributions.

Horizons’ DR Congo PEO solution will ensure all laws related to pensions are followed compliantly in cases where employees are entitled to the benefit.

Income tax withholding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Income tax refers to taxes paid by employees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on their salaries. The Democratic Republic of the Congo implements a progressive tax system, which includes tax brackets; this means that high-earning tax residents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo pay a higher tax rate on their higher earnings.

Currently, the individual income tax in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Up to CDF 1,944,000: 3%
CDF 1,944,0001 – 21,600,000: 15%
CDF 21,600,001 – 43,200,000: 30%
CDF 43,200,001and above : 40%
Sums paid to casual employees : 15%

Payroll tax in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Payroll tax is a term used to describe the various compulsory contributions that need to be made or withheld by businesses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that employ staff. In addition to the pension contributions outlined above, payroll taxes include:

1.5% for ‘occupational risks’ (i.e., worker’s compensation)
6.5% for family benefits.

Other contributions include:

National office for professional training (Institut National de Préparation Professionnelle or INPP). This is
- 3% for state enterprises, and private companies with 1-50 employees
- 2% for private companies of 51-300 employees
- 1% for private companies of 300+ employees.
National office of employment (Office National de l’Emploi or ONEM) contribution:
- 0.2%.

Healthcare and health insurance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Healthcare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is relatively limited, mostly due to a shortage of qualified healthcare professionals and infrastructure in the country. Despite this, funding for healthcare has steadily increased in recent years, and vaccination rates have been rapidly increasing since 2018 (+50% to 2022).

There is public healthcare and private healthcare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Neither is free, but public healthcare in the country is more affordable than private healthcare.

Public healthcare is run by the government with the assistance of various NGOs. It is organized as a ‘pyramid structure’. The first layer are clinics / community health centers, run by nurses, and provide basic care. The second layer are offices where patients can get care from general physicians. The third layer are regional hospitals, where certain kinds of specialist care can be received. The final layer at the top of the pyramid are university hospitals, where the most specialized care can be received. Appointments are required at all levels of the public healthcare system, often leading to long wait times.

Private healthcare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is generally considered better quality, with several private hospitals in Kinshasa, the capital, having similar standards as Western hospitals.

With the Horizons DR Congo PEO, your employees have access to global health coverage through Horizons Health.

Hire through a DR Congo PEO

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Sub-Saharan Africa, is a Francophone nation with economic activity centered largely around mining, import & export, agriculture, and services. Most of these sectors are expected to grow in coming years, as are literacy rates. The biggest risks to business in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to be political stability, but there have been several key indicators since 2018 that point toward a formalization of government regulation, improved quality of life for the general population, and the possibility for continued peaceful transitions of power in coming years.

Now might be the best opportunity to enter the Democratic Republic of the Congo market. With increasing regulation and congruence with the universal commercial law for west and central Africa (OHADA), it’s best to having a hiring partner who can stay up to date on emerging labor laws. A DR Congo PEO can further offload previously mentioned risks and provide maximum flexibility for companies who don’t want to set up an entity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Horizons DR Congo PEO can help by hiring employees on your behalf in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Contact us now for a free assessment of your hiring project.

Hire in the DRC in 24h
without your own local entity.

With Horizons, you get quick service, transparent pricing, and expert support.

FAQs

What is the difference between a DR Congo PEO and a DR Congo EOR?

A DR Congo PEO offers a full employment solution in Africa. It ensures that your employees are hired and paid in full compliance with applicable labor and tax laws. It may also provide you with associated employment and HR services, such as visa support and recruitment. A DR Congo Employer of Record (DR Congo EOR) means a company that provides compliant legal hiring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Some companies, like Horizons, are both a DR Congo PEO and a DR Congo EOR.

Should I hire a DR Congo PEO?

A DR Congo PEO is a good option for international businesses that seek to hire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and need to ensure that their hiring is in full compliance with local laws. It saves time, and money, and avoids the compliance risks of setting up a local entity.

hire in the DRC

Democratic Republic of the Congo PEO

Simple, compliant hiring with Horizons PEO

Hire in the DRC

Facts & Stats

stay compliant with DRC labor laws

What is a Democratic Republic of the Congo PEO?

What are the benefits of a Democratic Republic of the Congo PEO?

How does a Democratic Republic of the Congo PEO help businesses hire employees?

Benefits administration in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Leave management and national holidays in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Paternity and Maternity leave in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Employer pension contributions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Income tax withholding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Payroll tax in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Healthcare and health insurance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Hire through a DR Congo PEO

Hire in the DRC in 24h without your own local entity.

FAQs

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Hire in the DRC in 24h
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