How to hire and pay employees in Taiwan
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Before hiring
Before hiring employees in Taiwan, there are a few important things you’ll need to know. Firstly, in Taiwan, employees who have worked for their employer at least six months are entitled to eight weeks fully paid maternity leave. If they have worked for less than six months, the rate is lowered to 50%.
It’s also important for employers to know that in Taiwan, employees receive half of their pay for up to 30 days of sick leave. When an employee’s illness is covered by labour insurance, but it's compensation is less than half of the employee’s salary, their employer pays the difference.
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 Taiwan below.
At a glance
CURRENCY
TWD
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
MANDARIN CHINESE
PAYROLL FREQUENCY
MONTHLY
EMPLOYER TAXES
12.65%
13th / 14th SALARY
13th month salary is not required but is customary and generally provided at Lunar New Year.
Good to know
- The majority of employers provide employees cash bonuses in celebration of the three major holiday festivals: the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, and Lunar New Year. The typical bonus ranges from NT$800 to NT$2000.
- Employees can choose to either be paid for their overtime work or be granted compensatory leave equal to the number of hours of overtime worked.
- Non-compete agreements cannot be for longer than two years and employees must be compensated for it at a rate that is not less than 50% of their average monthly wage.
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Labor laws in
Taiwan
Working hours and overtime
Employees in Taiwan work eight hours a day, 40 hours a week.
It is also mandatory in Taiwan to have two days off every seven days, one of which is a compulsory day off during which an employee cannot agree to work; the other day off is flexible and work on these days is negotiable.
In Taiwan, working hours cannot exceed 12 in one day, and maximum overtime is 46 hours per month.
Overtime work is paid at 134% for the eighth to 10th hours worked in a day, and 167% for the 10th to 12th hours worked in a day.
Overtime work on a “flexible day” off is paid at a higher rate of 134% for the first two hours, 167% for the second to eighth hours, and 267% for eighth to 12th hours.
Employees can choose to either be paid for their overtime work or be granted compensatory leave equal to the number of hours of overtime worked.
Minimum wage
Employment contracts
In Taiwan, three months is a customary probationary period.
IP protection and non-compete agreements
Non-compete agreements must be reasonable in scope and include compensation for the employee. Such compensation can be in the form of cash, securities, or any other valuable property or asset, and must not be less than 50% of the employee's average monthly wage at the time of termination.
The agreement cannot be for longer than two years.
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Benefits and leave in
Taiwan
Vacation time
In Taiwan, annual leave is dependent on the years an employee has worked for their employer. The breakdown is as follows:
- Over six months but less than one year: Three days
- More than one year but less than two years: Seven days
- More than two years but less than three years: 10 days
- More than three years but less than five years: 14 days
- More than five years but less than 10 years: 15 days
- Over 10 years: One additional day for each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days)
Unused vacation days can carry over to the following year. If these vacation days aren’t used within two years, they’re converted into salary and paid according to the employee’s first-year wage.
Sick leave
Employees in Taiwan can take:
- 30 days of ordinary sick leave a year, if they are not hospitalizsed or
- One year of sick leave within a two-year period if they are hospitalizsed.
The combined number of sick days taken cannot exceed one year within a two year period.
Employees in Taiwan get half-pay for up to 30 days of sick leave. When an employee’s illness is covered by labour insurance, but it's compensation is less than half of the employee’s salary, the employer pays the difference.
When employees use up all their sick days, they can ask for additional unpaid days off. The maximum of unpaid sick leave the employee can take is one year.
Maternity and paternity leave
Parental leave
Employees who have worked for their employer at least six months are entitled to eight weeks fully paid maternity leave. If they have worked for less than six months, the rate is lowered to 50%.
Employees are also entitled to five days of fully paid paternity leave.
Holidays
Employer tax
An employer’s total social contributions in Taiwan include:
- Labor Insurance: 7%
- Pension Fund: 6%
- National Health Insurance: 4.84%
- Employment Insurance: 0.7% (Employers with fewer than five employees are required to contribute 1% of pay per employee)
- Health Insurance: 60% of the premium
Individual tax
In Taiwan, employees pay between 5% and 45% in taxes depending on their income bracket. They also pay a social security tax of 11.69% which includes labour insurance, pension fund, national health insurance, and employment insurance.
Termination in
Taiwan
Employees are entitled to severance pay in addition to a notice period or pay in lieu of notice. For employees hired after 2005, the prescribed severance pay is equal to 50% of an average month's wages for each year of service—not to exceed a total of six months wages.
Employees who have worked for less than a year are entitled to severance pay in proportion to the months of service.
The notice period for dismissals in Taiwan is based on the length of employment. The breakdown is as follows:
- More than three months and less than a year: 10 days notice
- More than one year but less than three years: 20 days notice
- Three or more years of service: 30 days notice
These notice periods are also mandated for employees on indefinite-term contracts resigning.
Employees on fixed-term contracts of over three years can resign after the completion of their contract with 30 days' notice. Employees on fixed-term contracts of less than three years can only resign if there are serious grounds for resignation or with the employer's agreement.
Start hiring employees in
Taiwan
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.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this resource is for general educational purposes only and shall not be construed as legal advice. While Oyster strives to provide current and accurate information, Oyster makes no warranties or representations as to the correctness of the content provided and accepts no liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in the content provided. By using this resource you acknowledge and agree that you do so at your own risk. The content of this resource is subject to change without notice.
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