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Hiring employees in Luxembourg (2026)

Here's what you need to know before you hire in Luxembourg: what it really costs an employer, the employment laws that shape the contract, and how an Employer of Record lets you hire compliantly without opening a local entity. Every figure below is sourced and dated.

13.7%Employer cost on top
€2,771Minimum wage / mo
26 daysMinimum paid annual leave
Days, not monthsTime to hire via EOR
Robbin Schuchmann
Written by:
Co-Founder at EOR Overview
Last updated: October 21, 2026

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Luxembourg at a glance

The statutory facts that drive a hire in Luxembourg. Each row shows where the figure comes from and how current it is, so you can trust the number and check it yourself.

Pay & working time

Minimum wageper month€2,771CurrentNational government · 2026
Average wageper year98,530AgingOECD · 2025
Statutory work week40 hours/weekCurrentNational government · 2026
13th-month salarynoneCurrentNational government · 2026

Employer cost & tax

Employer social securityof gross salary13.7%AgingOECD · 2025
Employee social securitywithheld from pay12.3%AgingOECD · 2025
Tax and mandatory contributions wedgeOECD, taxes plus non-tax compulsory payments such as mandatory private pension and health contributions40.2%AgingOECD · 2025
Corporate tax rate17%CurrentNational government · 2026

Termination

Notice period17.3 weeksCurrentNational government · 2026
Severance pay4.3 weeksCurrentNational government · 2026
Employment protectionOECD EPL, scale 0–62.5AgingOECD · 2025

Leave & time off

Paid annual leave (minimum, once eligible)26 daysCurrentNational government · 2026
Public holidays11 daysCurrentNational government · 2026
Maternity leave20 weeksCurrentNational government · 2026
Paternity leave28 weeksCurrentManual / editor · 2026
Parental leave26 weeksDatedOECD Family Database · 2024

Labour market

Retirement age65CurrentNational government · 2026
Unemployment rate7%CurrentOECD · 2026
GDP per capita$147,252AgingWorld Bank Open Data · 2025
Union density29.7%DatedOECD/AIAS ICTWSS · 2020
Collective bargaining coverage57.3%DatedOECD/AIAS ICTWSS · 2022

Each row shows the year of the most recent citable source for that figure. Where a year looks old, that is the newest comprehensive source available, and we keep the sourced figure rather than substitute an unsourced newer one. Statutes may have changed since.

What it costs to hire in Luxembourg

Salary is only part of the bill. On top of gross pay you owe employer social security and statutory contributions. Here's what an example salary of $99,000 a year actually costs you as the employer.

Gross annual salary$99,000
Employer contributions≈ 13.7% of gross+ $13,514
Total employment cost$112,514
Your EOR handles the filings

Illustrative, based on the employer social-security rate above. An EOR adds its own service fee on top of this total and runs the income-tax withholding and statutory filings, which are withheld from the employee's pay, not paid by you.

Income tax in Luxembourg

The average effective income-tax rate is about . This is withheld from the employee's salary; an EOR runs the withholding and filing.

Employer contributions
Social security13.7%
Employee contributions
Social security12.3%

Employment-law essentials

The rules an EOR enforces in your contracts, and the ones most likely to trip you up if you tried to hire in Luxembourg on your own.

Working time
Statutory work week40 hours/week
Pay & 13th salary
Minimum wage€2,771
13th-month salarynone
Leave
Paid annual leave (minimum, once eligible)26 days
Public holidays11 days
Maternity leave20 weeks
Paternity leave28 weeks
Termination
Notice period17.3 weeks
Severance pay4.3 weeks

Statutory minimums shown. Collective agreements or contracts can be more generous; an EOR applies whichever is correct for the role.

What changed in Luxembourg

Checked against official sources on .

No rule changes recorded since we began logging them.

Corrections to this guide

  • Corrected 11 October 2026Paternity leave: 1.4 weeks → 2 weeks · source10 working days = 80 hours for a 40-h week (splittable), i.e. 2 working weeks; days/7 basis (1.4) understates it

EOR vs. opening your own entity in Luxembourg

Use an EOR when…
You're hiring one to a handful of people in Luxembourg.
You want someone working in weeks, not months.
You'd rather not own local payroll, tax and compliance.
You're testing the market before committing.
Open your own entity when…
You're scaling to a large local team long-term.
Per-employee EOR fees outweigh the cost of an entity.
You need full control of local employment and IP.

Choosing an EOR for Luxembourg

Providers with strong Luxembourg coverage onboard faster and carry less risk. A shortlist to start from:

Compare all EOR providers in Luxembourg

Best employer of record in Luxembourg: ranked providers

Common questions about hiring in Luxembourg

Common questions about hiring in Luxembourg through an EOR.

Do I need a legal entity to hire someone in Luxembourg? +
No. An Employer of Record (EOR) already has a legal entity in Luxembourg and employs the person on your behalf, so you can hire compliantly without opening your own entity. You manage the day-to-day work; the EOR handles the local contract, payroll, taxes and statutory benefits.
How much does it cost to employ someone in Luxembourg? +
On top of gross salary, employers in Luxembourg contribute roughly 13.7% in social security and statutory costs. An EOR adds its own service fee on top of that total employment cost.
What is the minimum wage in Luxembourg? +
The statutory minimum wage in Luxembourg is €2,771. Pay below this is not permitted, and an EOR will hold contracts to at least this floor.
How hard is it to terminate an employee in Luxembourg? +
Ending employment in Luxembourg generally requires a notice period of around 17.3 weeks and severance of about 4.3 weeks, subject to the reason for termination and the employee's tenure. An EOR runs the offboarding in line with local law to limit your risk.
How much paid leave do employees get in Luxembourg? +
Employees in Luxembourg are entitled to 26 days of paid annual leave, in addition to public holidays. Statutory leave is one of the entitlements your EOR administers automatically.
About the author
Robbin Schuchmann
Co-Founder at EOR Overview
Robbin is the co-founder of EOR Overview, an independent research site for Employer of Record services. He has been in the international hiring space for over a decade.
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