By Mary Jones, International Employment Specialist · Reviewed by Sarah Bloom, Editor · Updated
Kenya regulates private employment agencies through registration and accreditation requirements. That approval is distinct from the employment obligations of the entity hiring the worker. Source ↗
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Teamed advertises USD 599 per employee per month. Salary and statutory employer costs are additional; the fee alone is not your hiring budget.
Compare the fit and monthly provider fees for hiring in Kenya.
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Decisive in-country HR support when employment questions need answers. The only major EOR that charges no FX fees on cross-currency payroll. Removing the provider FX spread can lower the full bill and make month-end reconciliation clearer.
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Employees and contractors in one platform
Kenya regulates private employment agencies through registration and accreditation requirements. That approval is distinct from the employment obligations of the entity hiring the worker. Confirm the provider’s actual activity and legal employer, including any separate permission needed for foreign workers.
Check the agency credentials where relevant and the local employment contract before onboarding.
A Class D permit is tied to specific employment with a specific employer and requires skills or qualifications unavailable in Kenya and an employment benefit to Kenya. An EOR service offer alone does not establish this permit eligibility.
Applies to: Kenyan Class D employment permit; other nationality or permit routes must be checked separately
For your hire: Nationality and current status, actual sponsor, skills evidence, understudy and permit approval before unauthorised work
For written contracts covered by section 9, section 10 requires the statutory employment particulars no later than two months after employment begins. They include role, location, hours, remuneration, payment interval, leave, notice and applicable collective agreements.
Applies to: Kenya Employment Act sections 9–10; this deadline does not waive other prestart duties
For your hire: Contract category, all required particulars, wage order, working time and collective agreement
Sources: Kenya Ministry of Labour
PAYE returns and payment of employee tax withheld are due by the ninth day of the following month. This is an employer remittance deadline, not the employee’s salary payday.
The employer must remit both employer and employee Affordable Housing Levy payments within nine working days after the end of the month in which the payment is due.
Applies to: Kenyan PAYE and Affordable Housing Levy remittances; working days differ from calendar days.
For your hire: Salary payday, NSSF, SHIF, other remittances and the provider funding cutoff.
Sources: Kenya Revenue Authority: PAYE deadline · Kenya Revenue Authority: Housing Levy deadline
For monthly-paid employment, section 35 provides twenty-eight days’ written termination notice, subject to longer contractual notice. Redundancy under section 40 includes at least fifteen days’ pay per completed year of service and separate notice, leave and process requirements.
Applies to: Kenya Employment Act ordinary monthly-paid employment and redundancy; lawful reason and procedure remain necessary
For your hire: Contract, lawful grounds, consultation and notice recipients, calculation base and final-pay timing
Sources: Kenya Law
Employment Act section 13 requires written notification of relevant changes at the earliest opportunity and generally within one month; certain overseas-work changes require earlier notice.
Applies to: Changes to statutory employment particulars under the Kenyan Employment Act
For your hire: Employee agreement and applicable collective terms; Whether duties change a wage or overtime category; Payroll cutoff and corrected contributions
Possibly, but a contractor’s invoice value cannot be treated as the employee’s net salary. Obtain a Kenyan gross-to-net illustration at the proposed salary and price employer charges separately before making a take-home promise.
Applies to: Kenyan employment subject to PAYE; individual reliefs and other deductions vary
For your hire: Employee tax status and reliefs; Current NSSF, SHIF and housing-levy treatment; Historical contractor classification and EOR eligibility
Sources: KRA: PAYE
Treat the manager’s email as a proposal to the legal employer. Get the revised duties, pay and effective date documented and accepted into payroll, with the employee consultation and agreement required for the change.
Applies to: Changes to statutory employment particulars under the Kenyan Employment Act
For your hire: Employee agreement and applicable collective terms; Whether duties change a wage or overtime category; Payroll cutoff and corrected contributions
Know the whole bill
The service fee is one line in the budget. Use amounts from a local quote to separate monthly spending from deposits and other upfront cash.
First-year spending = 12 × monthly spending + one-off fees. The refundable deposit is shown only in upfront cash. This assumes constant monthly costs for 12 months and excludes anything not entered, including future exit charges.
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