Best Employer of Record · EuropeBest EOR for Europe: seven countries priced
For one engineer in Germany at $75,000, the cheapest published route is RemoFirst at $7,840 a month all-in ($199 fee), then Rivermate from $319 ($7,960) and Playroll from $399 ($8,040, plus a refundable deposit of one month's salary). Germany adds 22.3% in statutory charges, so the fee is 2.5% to 8.4% of the invoice. Across the seven countries priced below the state adds 12.8% (Ireland) to 37.4% (Italy): the country moves the total more than the provider.
Prices checked 2 Sept 2026 · updated 2026-09-05 · methodology
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The ranking · 1 hire in Germany at $75,000 gross / yr
8 providers with a published price, in the order the numbers put them.
| # | Provider | EOR fee / employee / mo | all-in / mo | Deposit | Commitment | Countries | Quote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RemoFirstEOR in 185+ countries from $199 per employee per month, no annual contract. | from $199 | $7,840 | Deposit not stated | No minimum commitment stated | 185+ | Get a quote from RemoFirst· $7,840/mo |
| 2 | RivermateEOR in 180+ countries from $319 to $639 per employee per month. | from $319 | $7,960 | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | 180+ | Get a quote from Rivermate· $7,960/mo |
| 3 | PlayrollEOR in 180+ countries from $399 per employee per month; deposit of one month's salary. | from $399 | $8,040 | One month's salary, refundable≈ $6,250 for this hire | No minimum commitment stated | 180+ | Get a quote from Playroll· $8,040/mo |
| 4 | MultiplierEOR from $459 (annual) or $499 (monthly) per employee, plus mandated add-ons. | from $499$459 annual | $8,140 | Deposit not stated | Monthly or annual billing | 150+ | Get a quote from Multiplier· $8,140/mo |
| 5 | Papaya GlobalEOR starting from $499 per employee per month, quote-based, 160+ countries. | from $499 | $8,140 | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | 160+ | Get a quote from Papaya Global· $8,140/mo |
| 6 | DeelEOR in 130+ countries, starting at $599 per employee per month. | from $599 | $8,240 | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | 130+ | Get a quote from Deel· $8,240/mo |
| 7 | OysterEOR in 120+ countries at USD 699 per employee per month; refundable deposit. | $699 | $8,340 | Refundable deposit, amount not stated | Monthly or annual billing, annual discount not published | 120+ | Get a quote from Oyster· $8,340/mo |
| 8 | RemoteEOR in 90+ countries at $699 per employee per month, no deposit. | $699 | $8,340 | No deposit stated | Monthly billing | 90+ | Get a quote from Remote· $8,340/mo |
| — | RipplingEOR bundled with the Rippling platform; custom quote only. | Quote only | $7,641 + quote | Deposit not stated | Billing period not stated | — | Get a quote from Rippling |
Rule. Sorted by the all-in monthly cost of the scenario (gross salary + statutory employer charges + published EOR fee). Providers without a published price are listed last, unranked. Fees are the prices printed on each pricing page on 2 Sept 2026; "from" prices vary by country. Deposits, FX margins and add-ons are shown as stated and are not added to the totals. Unranked: Rippling (no published EOR price).
Cost engine · preset to this scenario
Change the country, the salary or the headcount; the order may change too.
≈ EUR 64,778 gross / year · EUR at ECB reference rate, 2 Sept 2026
| Per employee | Rate | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $6,250 | |
| Statutory pension insurance (Rentenversicherung), employer half | 9.30% | $581 |
| Unemployment insurance (Arbeitslosenversicherung), employer half | 1.30% | $81 |
| Statutory health insurance (Krankenversicherung), employer half incl. average supplementary rate | 8.75% | $547 |
| Long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung), employer share | 1.80% | $113 |
| Maternity levy (Umlage U2), Techniker Krankenkasse rate | 0.44% | $28 |
| Insolvency levy (Insolvenzgeldumlage, U3) | 0.15% | $9 |
| Statutory accident insurance (Berufsgenossenschaft VBG), hazard class 0.70 | 0.51% | $32 |
| Employer on-cost | +22.3% | $1,391 |
| Cost of employment, before EOR fee | $7,641 |
$7,840/ month · 1 employee
- Fee / mo
- from $199
- Per year
- $94,076
- Fee share
- 2.5%
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a RemoFirst quote$7,960/ month · 1 employee
- Fee / mo
- from $319
- Per year
- $95,516
- Fee share
- 4.0%
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a Rivermate quote$8,040/ month · 1 employee
- Fee / mo
- from $399
- Per year
- $96,476
- Fee share
- 5.0%
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a Playroll quoteEmployer charges from official sources; provider fees are list prices on the dates shown; deposits, FX margins and add-ons are not included. Not legal or tax advice. Methodology
Three picks, three situations.
-
#1
RemoFirst
$7,840/ month, 1 hire in Germany
- Fee
- from $199 / employee / mo
- Fee share
- 2.5% of the invoice
- Deposit
- Deposit not stated
- Terms
- No minimum commitment stated
Choose RemoFirst if you want the lowest published fee across several European countries: $199 starting price in 185+ countries, no setup, onboarding or termination fees, no annual contract. RemoFirst says the price may vary by country, so ask for each European country's figure in writing.
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a quote from RemoFirst· $7,840/mo -
#2
Rivermate
$7,960/ month, 1 hire in Germany
- Fee
- from $319 / employee / mo
- Fee share
- 4.0% of the invoice
- Deposit
- Deposit not stated
- Terms
- Billing period not stated
Choose Rivermate if you want a second low quote for a mix of local and expat hires: from $319 to $639 per employee per month in 180+ countries, price varying by country, headcount and hire type. Deposit and billing period are not stated on its pricing page.
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a quote from Rivermate· $7,960/mo -
#3
Playroll
$8,040/ month, 1 hire in Germany
- Fee
- from $399 / employee / mo
- Fee share
- 5.0% of the invoice
- Deposit
- One month's salary, refundable
- Terms
- No minimum commitment stated
Choose Playroll if you accept a fully refundable deposit of one month's salary per employee, which at European salaries is significant ($6,250 for this hire), for a $399 fee, no minimum commitments and no onboarding or offboarding fees; Playroll also displays its price in EUR (379) and GBP (319).
Checked 2 Sept 2026
Get a quote from Playroll· $8,040/mo
Countries on this page
One employee at each country's example salary, all-in through the three picks.
Statutory charges only, from each country's official rules; the fee comes on top.
| Country | Salary | Employer on-cost | RemoFirst / mo | Rivermate / mo | Playroll / mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL Netherlands | $65,000 | +26.0% | $7,023 | $7,143 | $7,223 |
| GB United Kingdom | $60,000 | +16.4% | $6,019 | $6,139 | $6,219 |
| IE Ireland | $65,000 | +12.8% | $6,306 | $6,426 | $6,506 |
| DE Germany | $75,000 | +22.3% | $7,840 | $7,960 | $8,040 |
| ES Spain | $45,000 | +32.2% | $5,155 | $5,275 | $5,355 |
| IT Italy | $55,000 | +37.4% | $6,497 | $6,617 | $6,697 |
| PL Poland | $45,000 | +21.0% | $4,736 | $4,856 | $4,936 |
Statutory employer charges are identical whichever provider employs the person: from +12.8% in Ireland to +37.4% in Italy at these example salaries. The country moves the total far more than the provider does; the fee gap between the three picks is the same $200 a month everywhere.
Seven European ledgers, one rule
The country table runs one employee at each country’s example salary through the three picks. Every statutory line comes from the national authority: Revenue and the Department of Social Protection for Ireland, the Belastingdienst and UWV for the Netherlands, the Seguridad Social for Spain, INPS and INAIL for Italy, ZUS for Poland, the German Rechengrößen and health funds, HMRC for the UK. The pages for Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Poland, Germany and the UK show each line with its source and check date.
In Europe the fee is a rounding error next to the country
The spread between the lowest and highest published fee is $500 a month per person. The spread between Ireland’s and Italy’s statutory charges at their example salaries is more than $1,000 a month. A European hiring plan should therefore start with the country ledger, then shop the fee. In Germany the fee is 2.5% to 8.4% of the invoice; in Italy, where the state adds 37.4%, it is smaller still.
Deposits at European salaries
Playroll’s deposit of one month’s salary per employee is refundable but sizeable here: $6,250 for a $75,000 German hire, $5,417 for a $65,000 Dutch one. Oyster requires a refundable deposit without stating the amount; Remote states none outside rare cases. At European salaries, the quantified deposit can exceed a year of fee difference between two providers, so ask for it in writing before comparing fees.
The 18-month clock in Germany
Germany’s staff-leasing law caps the assignment of a leased employee to the same client at 18 months unless a collective agreement provides otherwise. Any European plan with German hires should include the EOR vs your own entity calculation from day one.
Send the same scenario to the three picks.
Same country, salary and headcount to each; ask for the deposit, the FX rule, the minimum term and any mandatory add-on in writing. The fee is the only line that differs between their invoices.
Disclosure Some provider links are affiliate links; they never change the numbers on this page. Details
Questions people ask before booking a demo
- How much does an EOR cost in Europe?
- The published fee is the same everywhere, $199 to $699 per employee per month (checked 2 September 2026). What changes is the statutory employer charge: +12.8% in Ireland, +16.4% in the UK, +21.0% in Poland, +22.3% in Germany, +26.0% in the Netherlands, +32.1% in Spain and +37.4% in Italy at the example salaries, each line sourced on the country pages.
- Which European country is cheapest to employ in through an EOR?
- Among the seven priced here, Ireland has the lowest statutory employer on-cost (+12.8%: PRSI class A1 at 11.25% plus 1.5% auto-enrolment) and Italy the highest (+37.4%: INPS 30.5% plus 6.9% TFR). Salaries differ too, so compare the all-in column in the table rather than the percentage alone.
- Is there a limit on how long an EOR can employ someone in Germany?
- Yes. German staff-leasing law (AÜG) limits the assignment of a leased employee to the same client to 18 months, unless a collective agreement provides otherwise. An EOR in Germany is therefore a bridge to an entity, not a destination; the Germany page details it.
- Do European EOR fees include 13th-month salaries or holiday pay?
- No. The fee is the provider's charge; statutory extras are salary costs billed through. Spain's two extra payments and Italy's 13th and 14th months are part of the annual gross the engine uses, so they are not added twice; the Dutch 8% holiday allowance and the Italian TFR accrual (6.9%) are added because they come on top of the twelve salaries.