# Hiring in Bulgaria: employment costs, payroll and compliance

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> Canonical page: https://eoroverview.com/hiring-guides/bulgaria/
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> Statutory data last updated: 2026-02-23. Every figure below carries its own source year.

## Country

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Region | Europe |
| Currency | EUR (Bulgarian lev) |

## Pay & working time

| Field | Value | Source year |
|---|---|---:|
| Minimum wage | €620 | 2026 |
| Statutory work week | 40 hours/week | 2024 |
| 13th-month salary | none | 2026 |

## Employer cost & tax

| Field | Value | Source year |
|---|---|---:|
| Employer social security | 18.9% | 2024 |
| Employee social security | 13.8% | 2024 |
| Corporate tax rate | 10% | 2025 |

## Termination

| Field | Value | Source year |
|---|---|---:|
| Notice period | 4.3 weeks | 2019 |
| Severance pay | 4.3 weeks | 2019 |

## Leave & time off

| Field | Value | Source year |
|---|---|---:|
| Public holidays | 15 days | 2026 |
| Maternity leave | 58.6 weeks | 2024 |
| Paternity leave | 2.1 weeks | 2026 |
| Parental leave | 51.9 weeks | 2024 |

## Labour market

| Field | Value | Source year |
|---|---|---:|
| Retirement age | 63 | 2024 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.6% | 2025 |
| GDP per capita | $17,596 | 2024 |
| Union density | 13.7% | 2016 |
| Collective bargaining coverage | 10.8% | 2016 |

## Overview

Bulgaria's employer social security rate sits at 18.92% of gross salary, which is one of the lower burdens in the EU. You get access to a labour force of just over 3 million people, a corporate tax rate of just 10%, and a monthly minimum wage of 620.2 EUR as of 2026. That combination makes Bulgaria genuinely cost-competitive for foreign companies hiring through an Employer of Record (EOR).

The employment framework is structured but not unusually heavy. The statutory work week is 40 hours, the retirement age is 63.4, and unemployment sits at 3.5%, meaning the talent pool is fairly tight in some specialisms. An EOR handles Bulgarian payroll registration, social contributions, and compliance so you can hire without setting up a local entity.

## Cost context

On top of every employee's gross salary, you pay 18.92% in employer social security contributions. That single percentage is the main driver of your total employer cost in Bulgaria. There are no itemised breakdowns in the current data record beyond that headline rate, but it covers pension, health, and other statutory social insurance funds as required under Bulgarian law.

## Things to watch

A few specifics are worth keeping in mind before you hire your first Bulgarian employee.

- Maternity leave is long. At 58.6 weeks, it is among the most generous in Europe. Plan your team cover accordingly, because the entitlement is statutory and non-negotiable.

- Parental leave adds more time. Beyond maternity leave, parental leave extends to 51.9 weeks. Back-to-back, these absences can run well over two years for a single employee.

- Notice and severance are modest but fixed. Both sit at around 4.3 weeks, so offboarding costs are relatively predictable, but you cannot contract below the statutory floor.

- Employee-side contributions are not trivial. Your employees contribute 13.78% of gross in social security. That affects net take-home and can influence salary expectations when you benchmark against local market rates.