How to hire and pay employees in Greece
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Before hiring
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
EMPLOYER TAXES
~25%
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.
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Labor laws 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.
Minimum wage
Employment contracts
Employers in Greece are obligated to provide a minimum remote working stipend in the amount of at least 28 EUR/month.
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.
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).
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Benefits and leave in
Greece
Vacation time
Statutory vacation allowance in Greece is dependent on a combination of the duration of an employee’s time with their current employer and the duration of time with any employer. The breakdown is:
- During the first 12 months of employment: 20 days
- During second calendar year of employment: 21 days
- During third to ninth year of employment: 22 days
Sick leave
Annual sick leave entitlement depends on the duration of employment. The breakdown is as follows:
- From 11 days to one year: 15 days
- From one year to four years: One month
- From four years to 10 years: Three months
- From 10 years to 15 years: Four months
- Over 15 years: Six months
Maternity and paternity leave
Parental leave
Mothers in Greece are generally entitled to 17 weeks of paid leave, eight to be taken before the birth and nine after.
Fathers are entitled to 14 days of paternity leave.
Holidays
View a list of recognized public holidays in Greece here.
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 in
Greece
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
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
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.
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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