Hire employees in 180+ countries

Hire international contractor

Find the best candidates for your team

Retain talents with the best benefits

Work visa & permit services

Explore all our add-ons

Our borderless team and our mission

How we accelerate global hiring

Discover our partner benefits

Platform news and annoucements

Our offices around the world

How we keep your data secure

How to hire remote teams

Shape your global hiring strategy

Global hiring cost insights

Calculate employment cost

Malaysia Payroll Services & Solutions

Horizons will simplify and fast-track your expansion into Malaysia

Setting up and maintaining payroll in Malaysia

Malaysia is a dynamic, exciting country with a growing economy and a bright future. With economic powerhouses like Kuala Lumpur and its proximity to many other important areas of Asia, Malaysia attracts many foreign companies aiming to expand into the region. 

If you’re interested in expanding your business into Malaysia, a key step is hiring locally. Part of this involves setting up a Malaysia payroll system, which can be a bewildering process for many. This is exactly why many companies choose to outsource their payroll setup and management.

At Horizons, we offer tailored Malaysia payroll outsourcing services, helping you build your presence in Malaysia more efficiently, whether you already have a registered entity in the country or not.

Why choose the Horizons payroll solution?

If you have an entity

Do you have a registered entity in Malaysia? We offer comprehensive payroll outsourcing services to help you set up and run your payroll via our Malaysia payroll outsourcing platform. 

Your entity will be the employer of record, but we are here to handle all the HR, administration, tax compliance, and more, using our expertise in Malaysian employment regulations to make life easier for you.

If you don’t have an entity 

If you don’t have a registered entity in Malaysia, you can use our Malaysia PEO. Our Malaysian subsidiary will act as employer of record for your employees, and our team will handle the HR, administration, and complex legal compliance work.

Choose this service for a low-risk, flexible solution for your Malaysia payroll setup and management, with all the benefits of hiring locally and none of the hassle.

Hire borderless talent with Horizons

Malaysia payroll tax rates & laws

What are the withholdings and tax rules in Malaysia?

As with most countries, Malaysia uses a progressive tax system with higher earner contributing more as a percentage of income. The income tax rate varies between 0% and 28%. There is also a fund called the Employment Provident Fund (EPF), which covers pensions and savings for workers. Employees pay 11% into this fund, and employers pay either 12% or 13% (for employees earning under 5,000 MYR/month.

Additionally, both employees and their employers are required to pay into a social security system to cover benefits in cases of injury, illness, and death. The amount paid by employees varies depending on income, and employers pay 1,75% of payroll every month.

Corporate taxes are set at 24% for the majority of businesses.

 

Employee entitlements and terminations

It is always important to provide a clear and formal contract of employment to employees when hiring in Malaysia, laying out details such as paid leave, sick pay, and so on. If you need to terminate an employee, the required notice period will depend on the length of employment, and the terms should have been previously set out in the contract.

How to establish Malaysia payroll outsourcing

You may choose to establish an internal payroll in Malaysia, but this is a time-intensive option that can be very difficult to execute in practice, with language barriers, cultural differences, and frequently changing regulations getting in the way. The simplest option is to outsource your Malaysia payroll setup and management. 

Horizons offers comprehensive payroll setup and management services, helping you get up and running in the country as quickly as possible. We can also offer our Malaysia subsidiary to act as employer of record, so you can benefit from our services even if you don’t have an entity in the country.

Manage payroll in Malaysia

Whether it’s EOR service or just payroll management, Horizons’ employment experts can help you get started in 24h.

Malaysia Payroll Services & Solutions

Horizons will simplify and fast-track your expansion into Malaysia

Setting up and maintaining payroll in Malaysia

Malaysia is a dynamic, exciting country with a growing economy and a bright future. With economic powerhouses like Kuala Lumpur and its proximity to many other important areas of Asia, Malaysia attracts many foreign companies aiming to expand into the region. 

If you’re interested in expanding your business into Malaysia, a key step is hiring locally. Part of this involves setting up a Malaysia payroll system, which can be a bewildering process for many. This is exactly why many companies choose to outsource their payroll setup and management.

At Horizons, we offer tailored Malaysia payroll outsourcing services, helping you build your presence in Malaysia more efficiently, whether you already have a registered entity in the country or not.

Why choose the Horizons payroll solution?

If you have an entity

Do you have a registered entity in Malaysia? We offer comprehensive payroll outsourcing services to help you set up and run your payroll via our Malaysia payroll outsourcing platform. 

Your entity will be the employer of record, but we are here to handle all the HR, administration, tax compliance, and more, using our expertise in Malaysian employment regulations to make life easier for you.

If you don’t have an entity 

If you don’t have a registered entity in Malaysia, you can use our Malaysia PEO. Our Malaysian subsidiary will act as employer of record for your employees, and our team will handle the HR, administration, and complex legal compliance work.

Choose this service for a low-risk, flexible solution for your Malaysia payroll setup and management, with all the benefits of hiring locally and none of the hassle.

Hire borderless talent with Horizons

Malaysia payroll tax rates & laws

What are the withholdings and tax rules in Malaysia?

As with most countries, Malaysia uses a progressive tax system with higher earner contributing more as a percentage of income. The income tax rate varies between 0% and 28%. There is also a fund called the Employment Provident Fund (EPF), which covers pensions and savings for workers. Employees pay 11% into this fund, and employers pay either 12% or 13% (for employees earning under 5,000 MYR/month.

Additionally, both employees and their employers are required to pay into a social security system to cover benefits in cases of injury, illness, and death. The amount paid by employees varies depending on income, and employers pay 1,75% of payroll every month.

Corporate taxes are set at 24% for the majority of businesses.

 

Employee entitlements and terminations

It is always important to provide a clear and formal contract of employment to employees when hiring in Malaysia, laying out details such as paid leave, sick pay, and so on. If you need to terminate an employee, the required notice period will depend on the length of employment, and the terms should have been previously set out in the contract.

How to establish Malaysia payroll outsourcing

You may choose to establish an internal payroll in Malaysia, but this is a time-intensive option that can be very difficult to execute in practice, with language barriers, cultural differences, and frequently changing regulations getting in the way. The simplest option is to outsource your Malaysia payroll setup and management. 

Horizons offers comprehensive payroll setup and management services, helping you get up and running in the country as quickly as possible. We can also offer our Malaysia subsidiary to act as employer of record, so you can benefit from our services even if you don’t have an entity in the country.

Manage payroll in Malaysia

Whether it’s EOR service or just payroll management, Horizons’ employment experts can help you get started in 24h.

What to expect when you connect with Horizons

Recruit, hire and pay remote
teams without a local entity

We respect your data, and process it according to our Privacy Policy