Global Hiring Payroll Chaos
94 posts across 33 communities in the last 30 days; 12% from r/remotework.
“Depends on a country. [re: Why do $300 clients demand 10x more than $3,000 clients?]”
“income is not sourced from wisconsin, remote work not based there. only use that address as it's pretty much impossible to maintain a US bank without a US address. I usually qualify for FEIE as well as it's not a home base. taxes for abroad is irrelevant to this question and I'm…”
“You cannot do that under German law. That'd classify as fake self-employment (Scheinselbständigkeit) [re: Should we use an EOR for our first hire in Germany or just wait until we can open a GmbH?]”
Small businesses and startups struggle with the complexity and cost of international payroll and compliance. They're juggling multiple providers, facing unexpected expenses, and feeling overwhelmed by the lack of clear solutions and pricing transparency for expanding teams abroad. The current options (PEO, EOR) often feel confusing and ill-suited for smaller organizations.
SOURCES (60)
“Depends on a country. [re: Why do $300 clients demand 10x more than $3,000 clients?]”
“I’ve recently started taking on my own jobs and I’m curious how other contractors are preparing their quotes. Right now I’m using Excel to calculate everything and it works, but doing everything manually every time gets time consuming. Just wondering how everyone else handles it and whether there’s a more efficient way. submitted by /u/thefakejulian [link] [comments]”
“income is not sourced from wisconsin, remote work not based there. only use that address as it's pretty much impossible to maintain a US bank without a US address. I usually qualify for FEIE as well as it's not a home base. taxes for abroad is irrelevant to this question and I'm not taxed where I stay, as I'm not a resident. [re: on freetaxusa is there any benefit to filing as partial state resident when spending the majority of time abroad?]”
“I guess I don’t understand what you’re saying. You give a lot of information but some of it contradicts the other ones. My first question is what do you mean by you paid it through the corporation? You stated that the 941 matches the taxes. From what I understand now you are saying your net is wrong? If so then wouldn’t it make sense to allocate the overage to distributions? [re: S-Corp owner paid extra federal income tax through EFTPS but didn't deduct it from wages — now IRS CP05A notice. How”
“How is your net salary 750 to 850 a month but your expenses are 850 a month?? Even for Portugal that salary seems very low and your expenses are unsustainable compared to your salary? [re: Sell an inherited property and invest, or keep it and rent it out? What would you do?]”
“Hey! Just a quick heads-up: my small AU online store is looking for 1-2 remote support folks (mix of chat/email tickets and light admin). Pay is $650 USD/month, paid twice a month. The best part? I wire it straight to your BDO or BPI account, so there are no Payoneer or Wise fees eating into your pay. It’s fully remote with flexible hours (you just need to clear tickets within the same day). Written English only, absolutely no voice calls. Just need 1 year of CS experience (BPO or non-BPO is tot”
“You cannot do that under German law. That'd classify as fake self-employment (Scheinselbständigkeit) [re: Should we use an EOR for our first hire in Germany or just wait until we can open a GmbH?]”
“We've got a great candidate in Germany but no local entity, and I'm stuck on whether it's worth going through an employer of record now or just holding off until we're big enough to justify a GmbH properly. The EOR route, going through something like Workmotion or Remote, would get them started in a few weeks, but costs apparently add up fast once you're past 3 or 4 people in the same country, and there's a grey area around how long you can use an EOR before German author”
“Same my company hired 4yoe guy supposedly but each time i allocate him something small i end up waiting for a week for it i don't even live in good paying country even [re: My company recently opened a GCC (offshore office in ind) and I’m having to baby sit people with “10+ years of experience” as a new grad and I’m struggling mentally]”
“[Wise] ★ 1/5 (v9.108) — I’m very frustrated with the constant Verification from this company. I’m considering switching back to Upwork because I am unable to pay my contractors!”
“Here are what i can say: Make sure the EOR is a real Canadian entity, not just a payments middleman. Look at how they handle terminations, because Canadian severance can run well above the statutory minimum. And test their support before signing: send a couple of questions and see how fast and specific the answers are. Actually, for Canada an EOR is usually the right comparison. [re: EOR recommendations for hiring in Canada]”
“Off shore plys ai Win win [re: My company recently opened a GCC (offshore office in ind) and I’m having to baby sit people with “10+ years of experience” as a new grad and I’m struggling mentally]”
“Due to cost and licensing issues our infra is almost the same. I'm in Central Asia. Cheers! [re: EU sysadmins: have you explored non-US alternatives for your IT stack?]”
“Some 500 total in EMEA, ¾ in the main country. "How many in the IT deparment" is hard to say, since we're doing IT projects (software development & hosting), so I'd guess some 80-90% are in some IT-related capacity. [re: EU sysadmins: have you explored non-US alternatives for your IT stack?]”
“They are outsourcing a lot of work, require a high amount of billable hours, compensate worse than a lot of firms, also treat you poorly. [re: Forvis Mazars 2026?]”
“Thanks a lot this is quite helpful. Any idea if companies are looking for remote workers in multiple countries except India it would be wise to still apply with US hours availability? [re: Creative Strategist (paid social, UGC and AI creative) looking for remote roles. What fits me?]”
“good point about EOR being more geared toward low-skilled workers, that part doesnt get mentioned enough imo [re: is EOR the right structure for one employee or should we open a GmbH? (i will not promote)]”
“I’m confused by how often payroll gets brought up. Why do so many companies ask for payroll integration? I’ve never been part of a product that dealt with this [re: Would you make payroll optional or part of the core product?]”
“Do you know anything about OPs market or customers? It’s insane to me a PM would answer this question with so little information. [re: Would you make payroll optional or part of the core product?]”
“Hello, Is there anyone here who started their company in the US while on a H1b visa? How did y'all navigate the process of visa transfer and incorporation ? I have read about the Jan2025 amendment and asked AI for legal. I am not sure how to proceed. I find lawyers who are specialized in incorporating or immigration, and keep getting referred around. I dont have much funds to spend a ton on legal unless I know the path is valid. I am looking for someone with similar experiences so I can be c”
“Yeah, every country’s laws are different, so you should specify, if you are looking for advice. If not then that’s cool [re: Hiring manager asking how will i manage the role when I get married and have kids]”
“I think there's another layer worth discussing here. An EOR solves the employment setup, but it doesn't necessarily solve the broader implications of operating in another country. Take a US SaaS company hiring its first Account Executive in Germany, for example. An EOR can handle payroll, benefits and local employment compliance, which is great. But if that AE is regularly negotiating deals that HQ signs off without meaningful changes, you might still face permanent establishment risks d”
“A lot of people assume you have to set up a company in a country before you can hire anyone there. That’s not always true. One way around it is using an Employer of Record. They become the legal employer on paper and handle the contract, local payroll, benefits and the compliance stuff. Your team still manages the person’s day-to-day work like normal. You just skip the months of setting up an entity first. It’s not right for every situation though. If you’re hiring a freelancer, that’s usually a”
“Hi everyone, hoping to get some advice from those of you with experience with a UK EOR. I am an HR Director and I have 1 employee in the UK who is currently a contractor for us. They are a contractor mainly because we are a US based company (New York State) and do not have our own entity in the UK. I've been asked to figure out the fastest, least-costly way to bring this employee on as a full-time salaried team member, so, naturally, I started to get quotes from EORs. At this point, I've”
“I couldn't agree more. I found it difficult to explain what the payroll service did, much less comprehend why they did it. Your simple template was helpful; I'll head to a supervisor better armed. Thank you. [re: 2025 Payroll Error for S-Corp & Correcting W-2]”
“well, if you don't mind spending the time it takes to do a one person payroll - go for it. but go in knowing that's a half hour of your time you'll never get back [re: Is it realistic of me to do my own payroll?]”
“Not advised. There is way too much compliance involved. You’re better off spending $75/month to have a payroll company handle [re: Is it realistic of me to do my own payroll?]”
esmartpaycheck.com [re: Is it realistic of me to do my own payroll?]
“Has anybody experienced issues with earnings in australia since the government mandated minimum hourly pay for active hours . I keep receiving the wrong amount every week , sometimes more than what i actually made and sometimes less. Yesterday i calculated for the past 6 weeks and i am 162 dollars short. Anyone else experiencing this ? submitted by /u/BluebirdIcy4430 [link] [comments]”
“I work in a private service company in Bangalore. I've been working with the company since 2019. Contract: Last year, around December 2025, I was provided with an opportunity to work abroad (Europe) through my Company. All the necessary facilities VISA, tickets, short term hotel stay was provided by the company with some advance amount to settle in. I was employed as a deputed employee, taking care of my own expenses and was working for the company's customer. The customer's requirem”
“I want to hire a guy in spain immediately asap. How fast can we register with eor and start his hqp visa process ? He has all the documents ready for visa [re: Global payroll and best EOR tools for a US startup hiring in Europe]”
“$450/mo is expensive? [re: is EOR the right structure for one employee or should we open a GmbH? (i will not promote)]”
“You should absolutely name names if that really is the case. That's not how EOR works, they can't just "pull from a given customer." The US company employing you IS their customer. The US company pays the EOR to employ you at the terms of your contract within the legal constructs of foreign employment. In my case, Finland, my business sets up an account with the EOR stating that the employee gets paid "X" per month, and the company is billed a service fee and the cost”
“"EOR employment terms are set by the company not some random third party and employment protections mirror the local country." Don't want to give names, but it was one of the larger providers. They did not want to change their standard contract and even though I'd have the normal protections, they still could pull me from a given customer and pay minimum wage. That was the main reason to register the company and not go through a third party. [re: is EOR the right structure for”
“What kind of EOR are you dealing with? That’s not standard. I’m setting one up for myself to be employed by my own agency when I move abroad. EOR employment terms are set by the company not some random third party and employment protections mirror the local country. [re: is EOR the right structure for one employee or should we open a GmbH? (i will not promote)]”
“EOR gets around this by having multiple entities in Germany. They shuffle you back and forth to skirt the law. Not talking ethics here but I have utilized them in the past and it is the way they skirt the German laws on time. [re: is EOR the right structure for one employee or should we open a GmbH? (i will not promote)]”
“But you have to read the contract. I got one in which the EOR could pull me from my employer with 14 days notice without cause and then pay me minimum wage. So I like my German contract with 2 months notice period a bit more. [re: is EOR the right structure for one employee or should we open a GmbH? (i will not promote)]”
“We have one person in Germany who's been working full-time and exclusively with us, and our legal team has flagged that this looks like an employment relationship under German law, and we need to either convert them properly or risk an AÜG violation. The person wants to stay on long-term and so do we, so it's between going through an EOR like Workmotion or Remote, or opening a GmbH ourselves because we might need a German entity at some point anyway. Can't figure out if EOR is even t”
“We're a 12-person fintech startup expanding into the Netherlands, and we're going with EOR (employer of record) because we're not ready to set up a local entity there yet. Currently comparing the big 3 Deel, Remote and Workmotion with fees in a similar range, so the question is what else matters before we commit. From going through threads here, the issues people flag are onboarding speed, how offboarding costs work and whether those are disclosed upfront, who is technically the empl”
“It’s going to be a challenge because of the tax and legal issues it opens up for US companies when an employee works abroad. The advice to look to local employment is way better. [re: What are some high-paying remote jobs I can pursue with a bachelor's degree in Accounting while living abroad?]”
many such cases sorry mate [re: Offshoring gone wrong!!!]
“I've been working as an online coach and my clients are from all over the world, but its still a small business with about 40 clients, would I be required to pay any VAT or any taxes to any of the countries? specifically worried about EU and UK. Just trying to not get caught by surprise as it's my first year in business. Any tips are appreciated, Thank you! submitted by /u/NeighborhoodLow9145 [link] [comments]”
“I think it would make sense to clarify this. Say it's for tax purposes [re: Working remotely from overseas for a NYC law firm — how much should I ask for?]”
“I'm an HR manager in a company based in Florida and we're considering expanding and hiring internationally (starting with a few people in Europe and possibly LATAM) for the first time, but I realize that there's a lot more to figure out than I initially thought. I'm trying to get a sense of how you typically manage local payroll, employment contracts, compliance, etc. I've also seen EORs mentioned a lot but not quite clear when it's more appropriate to work with local pro”
“Airbnb has an office in India, not sure if they have engineering teams there or if it's purely CS. Most companies won't help you get a visa to get out of India unless you're already working for them in India and seek an internal transfer. Most companies expect candidates who interview for jobs in a given market to already have valid work authorization in that market or a clear path to work authorization (e.g. OPT in the US) in that market. [re: Airbnb Staff Offer]”
“Question: Is it allowed for a business to hire someone as an employee(paid via the normal payroll processing) and contractor(paid via other platforms? submitted by /u/worldcounting [link] [comments]”
“Hey, I hired a freelancer from Nigeria for a project and they definitely delivered a satisfactory result I wanted to pay them, but they insisted that we do it via REmitly, and while i was at first on board, it keeps denying me transferring them money while also constantly asking for more and more private information Is their service legit? Why is a service like Remitly such much more skeptical over having a foreigner hire a freelancer? And also, why is my hire so insistent that we do the payment”
“Your pay will be aligned with local market pay. You won't get US salaries working as a Mexico employee. Source: I am in HR Comp at a multi-national company Example of a workaround: a US based employee working remotely in Thailand during the pandemic. They maintained a US address and they filed taxes in that state. However this is tax fraud, and if the company finds out (IP addresses) you will get fired. And they will find out. You could also get in trouble with the US government, a the Thail”
“Hey guys, since the W9 threshold went up to $2k, my team has gotten too laxed with collecting w9 details from contractors on some of our smaller jobs. In theory this is okay, but the issue is whenever we have repeat vendors/contractors and their jobs add up past $2k, which has led us to chasing a lot of them for their details. What are the best practices for collecting w9's from these guys? We use QB but not sure if theres an integration in here somewhere to help with that submitted by”
“Most of the IT specialists work on B2B contracts for a single client. An employment contract with a company from abroad causes a huge tax burden for the employee because our social security system makes the employees to pay the social security contribution for themselves and the employer which means your employee will have to pay up to 50% of to the government every time they receive a transfer from you. And your candidate may not be even aware of this. I went through this personally when I was”
“Sorry you went through that, but honestly, you're not the only one. I've heard a lot of similar stories and if you look up Remote.com employer of record reviews on G2, Trustpilot, or Reddit, you'll see plenty of people complaining about surprise fees, billing mix-ups, or support getting messy as soon as something doesn't fit their "standard" process. I don’t think the EOR model itself is the problem though. It's more about picking the right provider. I'd look pa”
“On the late payers, you already have the lever. You sell dashboards. Suspension is half a day of work. The reason it doesn't get used is that nobody wants to be the person that switches off a customer who always pays eventually, so it sits there unfired. It only works automatically, with the date in the contract they already signed, so the day it happens nobody has to decide anything. I built this layer for a living and we were no better. The switch existed for two years before anyone used i”
“I work in Zimbabwe, so some of these things are definetely only relevant here. Businesses here don’t give us contracts typically, from my personal experience they pay in cash and a lot of short cuts are taken during project developments etc… I have been working for two years after masters now, and I’ve been working at this new place for officially three months. I have a question about the overall expectations of someone in my position because I feel as though my boss might be being particularly”
anyone how this works for non US checks? (eg: middle east and Australia)
“Since you're hiring a team rather than one dev, I'd worry less about LATAM vs Eastern Europe and more about who holds the team together. Quality is pretty comparable in both regions. What usually breaks freelance teams is five people with nobody owning architecture or code review. What I'd do: hire one senior lead first, ideally someone who's run a distributed team before, and let them help vet the rest. If you need daily standups with a US team, LATAM makes life easier. If you c”