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Hiring in Mexico through an EOR (2026)

Here's what you need to know before you hire in Mexico: 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.

10.8%Employer cost on top
8,190Minimum wage / mo
12 daysPaid annual leave
Days, not monthsTime to hire via EOR
Robbin Schuchmann
Written by:
Co-Founder at EOR Overview
Last updated: September 19, 2026

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Mexico at a glance

The statutory facts that drive a hire in Mexico. 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 month8,190CurrentNational government · 2026
Average wageper year24,463AgingOECD · 2025
Statutory work week48 hours/weekCurrentNational government · 2026
Payroll cyclesemi-monthlyCurrentResearch desk · 2026
13th-month salarymandatoryCurrentResearch desk · 2026

Employer cost & tax

Employer social securityof gross salary10.8%AgingOECD · 2025
Employee social securitywithheld from pay1.4%AgingOECD · 2025
Total tax wedge21.7%AgingOECD · 2025
Corporate tax rate30%CurrentOECD · 2026

Termination

Notice period0 weeksCurrentWorld Bank Employing Workers / B-READY · 2019
Severance pay22 weeksCurrentWorld Bank Employing Workers / B-READY · 2019
Employment protectionOECD EPL, scale 0–62.4AgingOECD · 2025

Leave & time off

Paid annual leave12 daysCurrentNational government · 2026
Public holidays7 daysCurrentNational government · 2026
Maternity leave12 weeksDatedOECD Family Database · 2024
Paternity leave1 weekCurrentNational government · 2026
Parental leave0 weeksDatedOECD Family Database · 2024

Labour market

Retirement age65DatedOECD Pensions at a Glance · 2024
Unemployment rate2.6%CurrentOECD · 2026
GDP per capita$13,889AgingWorld Bank Open Data · 2025
Union density12.8%DatedOECD/AIAS ICTWSS · 2024
Collective bargaining coverage8.2%DatedOECD/AIAS ICTWSS · 2024

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. Rows marked Research desk were filled by our research desk from primary sources where no institutional dataset publishes the figure; each carries the date it was checked and is re-verified on its refresh cycle.

What it costs to hire in Mexico

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 $24,000 a year actually costs you as the employer.

Gross annual salary$24,000
Employer contributions10.8% of gross+ $2,596
Total employment cost$26,596
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 Mexico

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 security10.8%
Employee contributions
Social security1.4%

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 Mexico on your own.

Working time
Statutory work week48 hours/week
Pay & 13th salary
Minimum wage8,190
Payroll cyclesemi-monthly
13th-month salarymandatory
Leave
Paid annual leave12 days
Public holidays7 days
Maternity leave12 weeks
Paternity leave1 week
Termination
Notice period0 weeks
Severance pay22 weeks

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

EOR vs. opening your own entity in Mexico

Use an EOR when…
You're hiring one to a handful of people in Mexico.
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 Mexico

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

Compare all EOR providers in Mexico

See our ranked best EOR providers in Mexico

Local players in Mexico

EOR and global-employment providers headquartered in Mexico:

Common questions about hiring in Mexico

Common questions about hiring in Mexico through an EOR.

Do I need a legal entity to hire someone in Mexico? +
No. An Employer of Record (EOR) already has a legal entity in Mexico 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 Mexico? +
On top of gross salary, employers in Mexico contribute roughly 10.8% 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 Mexico? +
The statutory minimum wage in Mexico is 8,190. 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 Mexico? +
Ending employment in Mexico generally requires a notice period of around 0 weeks and severance of about 22 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 Mexico? +
Employees in Mexico are entitled to 12 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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