Congo EOR & PEO

Q: What is the difference between a DR Congo PEO and a DR Congo EOR?

Generally speaking, the terms “DR Congo PEO” and “DR Congo EOR” are used interchangeably.

Q: Should I hire a DR Congo EOR?

A DR Congo EOR is a good option for international businesses that seek to hire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and need to ensure that their hiring is in full compliance with local laws. It saves time, and money, and avoids the compliance risks of setting up a local entity.

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Simple, compliant hiring with Horizons EOR

Hire in Congo

Horizons enables any business, anywhere in the world, to easily hire employees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — in full compliance with local laws and regulations. The Horizons Democratic Republic of the Congo EOR solution enables your company to hire a , without the need for a local entity or subsidiary.

When you engage an EOR, you save your business time and money, and guarantee compliance.

Facts & Stats

stay compliant with DRC labor laws

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (also known as DR Congo and DRC, formerly known as “Zaire”) is located in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is the second largest country in Africa by geographical size, and the fourth largest by population. The main economic hubs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are: Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Kisangani, Bas-Uele, and Ituri. It is neighboured by the Republic of the Congo (also known as ‘Congo-Brazzaville’).

Its economy showed strong growth in 2021 (6.2%) and is expected to continue this growth through 2022 and 2023 at an estimated 6.1%. The key driver of this growth is the mining investment and export sector (mainly copper, cobalt, and gold). The economic outlook over the next few years is generally positive; the main risks for the Democratic Republic of the Congo are consistent with the rest of the world: the possibility of a Covid-19 resurgence and rising cost-of-living prices due to the conflict in Europe.

As the largest Francophone country in the world by population, DR Congo has historically been an important locale for expansion from French companies.

What is a Democratic Republic of the Congo EOR?

A Democratic Republic of the Congo EOR enables companies to hire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo without the need to set up a costly local entity.

A DR Congo EOR is the most compliant, and fasted method of employee hiring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The DR Congo EOR will take care of all payroll, HR and compliance tasks, leaving client companies to concentrate on their core business.

As well as hiring and payroll, a DR Congo EOR may also take care of recruitment, contractor payments and visa support.

A DR Congo EOR may be a local company specializing only in supporting local businesses, or a regional African EOR serving the continent, or a global EOR serving client companies throughout Africa and the world.

Note, a DR Congo Employer of Record is also known as a DR Congo Professional Employer Organization (PEO).

What are the benefits of a Democratic Republic of the Congo EOR?

Using a DR Congo EOR benefits both client companies and their employees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The benefits of using a DR Congo EOR for the employee include:

Access to excellent global health insurance plans
All employer taxes paid on time
Dedicated Horizons HR contact fluent in DR Congo labor laws
A centralized, secure platform for leave requests and expense reports.

The benefits of using a DR Congo EOR for client companies includes:

Guaranteed compliance with local labor laws
All employer taxes paid compliantly
Quick, flexible employment of Democratic Republic of the Congo residents.
Centralized, secure platform for leave and expense approvals.
Payroll & benefits administration
Opportunity for local recruitment services in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

How does a Democratic Republic of the Congo EOR help businesses hire employees?

Hire and onboard local staff — many DR Congo EORs are international HR companies who can manage this for you through a global platform

Process payroll, in accordance with local pay cycles and payroll regulations
Withhold and remit employee income taxes, dealing with the tax authorities on your behalf
Take care of compulsory social contributions, including pension and workplace risk contributions.
Administer employee benefits, including leave and health insurance.
Provide ongoing compliance and HR support as necessary.

Commonly, a DR Congo EOR will manage this process through a platform. The Horizons EOR platform offers all these capabilities and more, including leave request & expense reporting platform, all in one secure location.

Benefits administration in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

When you engage a DR Congo EOR, the EOR will administer all benefits to the letter of the Democratic Republic of the Congo law. This includes all public holidays, parental leave, healthcare, pensions, and more.

A DR Congo EOR will also offer supplementary benefits, including global healthcare plan options. For leave days, Horizons’ HR cloud platform will inform clients of public holidays and provide access to a simple yet effective system for leave requests & approvals.

Leave management and national holidays in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

A DR Congo EOR can administer benefits for all your staff in country. This includes leave management, pensions, healthcare and various social contributions.

Paid annual leave in the DR Congo accrues at one day per month. In addition to this are several paid national holidays in the country. These are:

Holiday Schedule in the DRC [2024]

Canada has a number of public holidays for employees. The following holidays are celebrated in DRC, although some only provincially:

Date	Holiday name
1 Jan, 2024	New Year’s Day
4 Jan, 2024	Martyrs of Independence Day
16 Jan, 2024	Anniversary of President Laurent Kabila’s Assassination
17 Jan, 2024	Anniversary of Prime Minister Patrice Emery Lumumba’s Assassination
1 May, 2024	May Day
17 May, 2024	Liberation Day
30 Jun, 2024	Independence Day
1 Aug, 2024	Parents’ Day
25 Dec, 2024	Christmas Day

Note also that there are some regional or local holidays that are only celebrated in certain parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Paternity and Maternity leave in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

After 6 months of service, expectant mothers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are entitled to 14 weeks of maternity leave paid at a rate of 67% of normal salary. Leave can be taken after the employee is pregnant, and a maximum of 8 weeks of leave can be taken after childbirth. Employees who have less than 6 months of service are entitled to unpaid maternity leave.

Fathers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are entitled to minimum 2 days of paternity leave paid at a rate of 100% of normal salary. Paternity leave is normally taken after the child is born.

Employer pension contributions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo national insurance fund (Institut National de Sécurité Sociale or INSS) was updated in 2018 through legislative action, setting the minimum contribution rate for formal employees at 10%. 5% of the burden is borne by the employer, and the other 5% is borne by the employee. In special cases, the government will subsidize contributions (mostly in cases of public employees).

Pensions can be taken under the following circumstances:
Old age pension: for those aged 60+ with >180 months of contributions
Old age settlement: a lump sum for those aged 60+ with <180 months of contributions. Employment must end.
Disability pension: for those who are aged <60, who lose 66%+ earning potential due to permanent disability. Must have minimum 36 months of contributions in the last 5 calendar years.
Survivor pension: for the family of a deceased employee who received an old age pension or who had 180 months of contributions.
Survivor settlement: a lump sum for the family of a deceased employee who had more than 12 but less than 180 months of contributions.

Horizons’ DR Congo EOR solution will ensure all laws related to pensions are followed compliantly in cases where employees are entitled to the benefit.

Income tax withholding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Income tax refers to taxes paid by employees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on their salaries. The Democratic Republic of the Congo implements a progressive tax system, which includes tax brackets; this means that high-earning tax residents of the Democratic Republic of the Congo pay a higher tax rate on their higher earnings.

Currently, the individual income tax in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Up to CDF 1,944,000: 3%
CDF 1,944,0001 – 21,600,000: 15%
CDF 21,600,001 – 43,200,000: 30%
CDF 43,200,001and above : 40%
Sums paid to casual employees : 15%

Payroll tax in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Payroll tax is a term used to describe the various compulsory contributions that need to be made or withheld by businesses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that employ staff. In addition to the pension contributions outlined above, payroll taxes include:

1.5% for ‘occupational risks’ (i.e., worker’s compensation)
6.5% for family benefits.

Other contributions include:

National office for professional training (Institut National de Préparation Professionnelle or INPP). This is
3% for state enterprises, and private companies with 1-50 employees
2% for private companies of 51-300 employees
1% for private companies of 300+ employees.
National office of employment (Office National de l’Emploi or ONEM) contribution:
0.2%.

Healthcare and health insurance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Healthcare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is relatively limited, mostly due to a shortage of qualified healthcare professionals and infrastructure in the country. Despite this, funding for healthcare has steadily increased in recent years, and vaccination rates have been rapidly increasing since 2018 (+50% to 2022).

There is public healthcare and private healthcare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Neither is free, but public healthcare in the country is more affordable than private healthcare.

Public healthcare is run by the government with the assistance of various NGOs. It is organized as a ‘pyramid structure’. The first layer are clinics / community health centers, run by nurses, and provide basic care. The second layer are offices where patients can get care from general physicians. The third layer are regional hospitals, where certain kinds of specialist care can be received. The final layer at the top of the pyramid are university hospitals, where the most specialized care can be received. Appointments are required at all levels of the public healthcare system, often leading to long wait times.

Private healthcare in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is generally considered better quality, with several private hospitals in Kinshasa, the capital, having similar standards as Western hospitals.

With the Horizons DR Congo EOR, your employees have access to global health coverage through Horizons Health.

Hire through a DR Congo EOR

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Sub-Saharan Africa, is a Francophone nation with economic activity centered largely around mining, import & export, agriculture, and services. Most of these sectors are expected to grow in coming years, as are literacy rates. The biggest risks to business in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to be political stability, but there have been several key indicators since 2018 that point toward a formalization of government regulation, improved quality of life for the general population, and the possibility for continued peaceful transitions of power in coming years.

Now might be the best opportunity to enter the Democratic Republic of the Congo market. With increasing regulation and congruence with the universal commercial law for west and central Africa (OHADA), it’s best to having a hiring partner who can stay up to date on emerging labor laws. A DR Congo EOR can further offload previously mentioned risks and provide maximum flexibility for companies who don’t want to set up an entity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Horizons DR Congo EOR can help by hiring employees on your behalf in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Contact us now for a free assessment of your hiring project.

Congo Employer Of Record Peo

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a DR Congo PEO and a DR Congo EOR?

Generally speaking, the terms “DR Congo PEO” and “DR Congo EOR” are used interchangeably.

Should I hire a DR Congo EOR?

A DR Congo EOR is a good option for international businesses that seek to hire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and need to ensure that their hiring is in full compliance with local laws. It saves time, and money, and avoids the compliance risks of setting up a local entity.