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How to hire and pay EMPLOYEES IN

Greece

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Greece
Before Hiring
At a Glance
Good to Know
Employment
Cost
Holidays
Time Off
Taxes
Termination
Start Hiring

Before hiring

EMPLOYEES IN
Greece

Before hiring employees in Greece, there are a few important things you’ll need to know. Firstly, statutory vacation allowance in Greece is based on how long an employee has been employed by any employer, not just their current one. The amount of vacation days an employee is entitled to depends on how long they’ve been working. 

In Greece, employees are taxed between 9% to 44% depending on their income bracket. An employer can expect to be taxed 24.8% on top of an employee’s salary.

We know this might sound overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be. A solution like Oyster eliminates the barriers for you. With Oyster, you can automate compliance across 180+ countries, easily managing HR and payroll—all in one, easy-to-use platform. 

Get an overview of what you need to know when hiring in Greece below.

At a Glance

CURRENCY

EUR

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE

GREEK

PAYROLL FREQUENCY

MONTHLY

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

14

(based on region;
see here
)

EMPLOYER TAXES

~25%

of gross salary

13th / 14th SALARY

Three mandatory bonuses equivalent to two months of salary—half month for Easter, half month for summer, and one month for Christmas.

Good to know

  • In Greece, employment can be ended immediately with no notice. However, if you provide the statutorily suggested notice, the statutory severance amount is halved.
  • While working a 40-hour week is typical, employers can ask their employees to work an additional five hours for which they’re compensated at a higher rate.
  • Greece has three mandatory bonuses for staff which equate to two months of salary.

Employment in

Greece

Working hours and overtime

Working hours in Greece are limited to 40 hours per week. Employers can request that employees work an additional five hours per week (i.e. 9 hours per day). This is known as “overwork” and must be paid at 120%.

This does not apply if they're considered a “managerial employee,” defined as an employee that acts as an owner of the business, or if they receive exceptionally high wages compared to other employees in the business.

Employment contracts

Employers in Greece are obligated to provide a minimum remote working stipend in the amount of at least 28 EUR/month.

Probationary period

Greece has a statutory probation period of 12 months in which employment can be ended immediately with no severance, unless otherwise agreed by both parties.

Pensions
Notice period

Notice periods in Greece depend on the duration of employment. The breakdown is as follows:

  • Greater than one year and less than two years of employment: One month
  • Between two and five years of employment: Two months
  • Between five and ten years of employment: Three months
  • 10 years of employment: Four months
Non-compete agreements

Non-compete agreements in Greece can be included in an employment agreement provided that they are not too long in duration (two year maximum), are narrowly defined, and are compensated for (typically 50% of an employee’s monthly salary for each month of restriction).

Calculate costs to hire internationally

Holidays

01 Jan

New Year's Day

03 May

Orthodox Easter Monday

01 Jan

New Year's Day

Employer tax

An employer can expect to contribute 24.8% in social contributions on top of an employee’s salary.

Individual tax

Employees in Greece are taxed from 9% to 44% depending on their income bracket. Social contributions are 15.3%.

Termination of employment

For terminations to be valid in Greece, employers are obliged to provide written notice and make a severance payment.

Since May 2019, employers must also have a valid reason to terminate an employment contract, even when statutory severance is paid. Failure to provide a valid reason for terminating an employee could result in a claim from the employee with the burden of proof lying with the employer.

Statutory severance pay varies depending on the duration of employment:

  • Between one and four years of employment: Two months’ salary
  • Between four and six years of employment: Three months’ salary
  • Between six and eight years of employment: Four months’ salary
  • Between eight and 10 years of employment: Five months’ salary
  • Between 10 and 16 years of employment: One month’s salary per year of employment

Start hiring employees in

Greece

Setting up a business entity everywhere you want to hire a new employee isn’t scalable—it takes too long and the legal fees are high. At the same time, understanding and adhering to the local labor laws and employee expectations can be complex and time consuming. And it’s hard to find reliable information on up-to-date employment information for all the countries where you’re considering hiring. Not to mention tracking down invoices and managing employee contracts over email and spreadsheets—that gets messy fast. 

We can’t afford to take risks when it comes to compliance—we need to make sure we follow the local guidelines, especially when it comes to taxes and legalities. 

With Oyster, you can manage HR and payroll, and automate compliance across 180+ countries—all in one, easy-to-use platform.

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