A buyer’s guide for 2026

Best EOR Provider
in Colombia: what to test first

Any EOR can show a price list. A capable one for Colombia can answer from memory when the employer’s health, SENA and ICBF levies switch back on (at 10 SMMLV), which months the prima falls due, why ARL cover must start the day before work does, and why a digital nomad visa cannot cover a job with a Colombian employer. Ask those four questions on the first call. This page lists what we take on, the questions worth asking any provider and how fees compare.

Pick a timeOur storyFee from USD 560 per employee per month, in US dollars
We sign as the employerunder the CST
PILA every monthplus DIAN withholding returns
Valentina, Client Success Lead at EOR Colombia, in a charcoal blazer with a Colombian flag

The employer duties we carry for your Colombian staff

Each of these sits with the employer under Colombian law. With us, that employer is EOR Colombia.

  • Written contract stating job, place of work, pay and pay periods, per article 39 of the CST
  • EPS, pension fund, ARL and caja de compensación affiliations finished before the first working day
  • Contributions self-assessed and paid on the PILA by the NIT deadline
  • Income tax withheld monthly and declared to DIAN by a 7th to 16th business-day deadline
  • Electronic payroll support document sent to DIAN within 10 days of month end
  • Prima paid by 30 June and 20 December; cesantías deposited in the fund by 14 February
  • Right-to-disconnect policy in writing, with a way for staff to complain
  • Final settlement on exit, with proof of three months’ contributions
Man in a white shirt with a tablet, shown with an EOR portal for contracts and payroll
Support

A named person, not a queue.

Say a sick certificate arrives on a Monday that is also a public holiday, and payroll closes on Wednesday. Your account manager knows the first two days fall to the employer and the EPS pays from day three, and fixes the pay run unprompted.

Same contact each timeoffer to exit
Due diligence

Eight Colombian questions for any EOR provider

A provider that knows Colombian employment answers these quickly and with the article of law.

Contract signatory

Whose name is on the contract, the PILA and the withholding return, and who answers if the UGPP opens an audit?

Payroll accuracy

How do you handle the prima months, when withholding rises because all of June’s or December’s payments are taxed together? Can I see a sample payslip for each?

Risk and liability

What happens if a contribution is paid late? The UGPP charges 5% to 10% of the unpaid amount per month. Who pays that?

Employee records

Who can see payslips, medical certificates and ID documents, and can I get copies of the PILA showing each month’s payment?

Labour law depth

What changed with Ley 2466 de 2025, and how does it affect fixed-term contracts, night hours and the disciplinary procedure for my team?

Real start dates

If my candidate resigns today from a Colombian job, what is the earliest realistic start, allowing for 30 days’ notice?

Fee clarity

Is the fee flat per employee or a share of salary? Are prima, cesantías and interest billed at cost or marked up?

Paperwork you keep

Will I receive the signed contract, the affiliation certificates and the annual income and withholding certificate for each employee?

Fees compared

What EOR firms charge in Colombia

Monthly list prices per employee in US dollars, read on 9 October 2026.

Single-country serviceEOR ColombiaDeelRemoteOysterRemoFirstNative TeamsPapaya Global
Fee a monthfrom USD 560$599$699$699from $199from $99$650
Salary, levies and benefits billed at cost✓––––––
Contract drafted in Spanish✓––––––
EPS, pension, ARL and caja set up ahead✓––––––
Withholding table applied in prima months✓––––––
Prima, cesantías and interest on the dates the law sets✓––––––
Nómina electrónica to DIAN✓––––––
Single account manager✓––––––
Only Colombian payroll✓––––––
Indemnity figures before dismissal✓––––––

Prices read on 9 October 2026 from the websites of the providers themselves. All seven fees are quoted in US dollars, so none needed converting. Papaya Global’s USD 650 is its price outside Europe, which covers Colombia. At from USD 560 a month we are cheaper than Deel, Papaya Global, Remote and Oyster, and dearer than RemoFirst and Native Teams, whose prices start at $199 and $99. A dash shows only that the provider’s pricing page is silent on that row. Ask each provider for a written quote for your role.

Six outcomes

Six things a Colombian hire through us comes with from day one

A Spanish contract naming the role, the workplace, the salary and paydays.

Social security in force before the employee’s first day.

Payslips each month, and a larger one with half the prima.

Cesantías in the employee’s own fund before the February deadline.

One invoice, with costs and fee shown on separate lines.

Advance notice of any cost before you change hours or terms.

2026rules we applied this year

Which Colombian rules moved in 2026?

The minimum wage rose 23% to COP 1,750,905 a month from 1 January 2026, and the transport allowance for those earning up to 2 SMMLV became COP 249,095. DIAN set the UVT at COP 52,374, moving every withholding band. The 2025 labour reform kept landing in stages: night hours have run from 7 pm since 25 December 2025, the Sunday and holiday surcharge has been 90% since 1 July 2026, up from 80%, and the ordinary week fell to 42 hours on 15 July 2026 with no pay cut. A fixed-term job can now last four years at most, and a sanction needs written charges and five days to reply.

Typical clients

Built for teams hiring their first Colombians

01

Software firms adding Medellín or Bogotá developers to a team abroad.

02

Companies trying out Colombia with a first hire or two before deciding whether to form an SAS.

03

Businesses keeping a valued contractor who now needs a proper employment contract.

04

Employers bringing a foreign specialist to Colombia on a worker visa tied to the job.

Provider FAQ

Comparing providers: FAQ

Whose employee is my hire, legally?+
Ours. EOR Colombia is named on the contract, on every PILA and withholding return, and on the payroll file sent to DIAN. You pick the person, decide what they work on and sign off pay changes, and the employee reports to you day to day.
What goes into a Colombian payroll month?+
Each run waits for your sign-off in the portal. Then we pay salaries in pesos, withhold income tax under art. 383, pay contributions on the PILA by the deadline the employer’s tax number sets, file the withholding return and send DIAN the payroll document within 10 days of the next month. June and December runs include half the prima.
Pensions?+
Pension contributions are 16% of salary, of which the employer pays 12 points and the employee 4, on a base between 1 and 25 SMMLV. Staff earning 4 SMMLV or more also pay 1% into the pension solidarity fund, rising to 2% above 20 SMMLV. We pay all of it on the PILA each month.
If a former employee sues over a dismissal, what then?+
Claims go to the labour courts within three years. Without just cause, the indemnity is fixed by law, and an unpaid final settlement costs one day’s salary per day of delay, up to 24 months. So we work out the figures before any step and check for protected status, such as pregnancy, that needs prior Ministry of Labour authorisation.
What records will I be able to see?+
Payslips, contracts, affiliation certificates and the monthly PILA receipts, all in the portal. The employer must give a worker a copy of the PILA on request and keep the files, and since labour claims can be brought for three years, we keep the records at least that long.
How is your fee set?+
From USD 560 per employee per month, flat for a given role. Where the fee sits above that depends on the role and the scope you need, not on the salary, and it is never charged as a percentage of pay.
Can I change the contract later?+
Yes, with the employee’s written agreement: a raise, new duties or different hours become a written amendment, and ordinary hours stay within 42 a week. Someone paid over 10 SMMLV can move to a salario integral of at least 13 SMMLV (COP 22,761,765 a month in 2026), which folds the prima and cesantías into pay; cesantías built up so far are then settled.
Who answers my employee’s questions?+
Your account manager, who also handles yours. Employees can ask about payslips, leave balances, sick certificates or their annual income and withholding certificate, and you see every request that affects pay before it goes through.

Get a written quote for your Colombian role

You receive the yearly employer cost in pesos for that salary, our monthly fee and a likely start date.

Quote request

Four fields, then a short call at a time you choose. Asking for a quote commits you to nothing.

Not taking new enquiries just now

Our Colombia team is at capacity at the moment, so we have paused new enquiries. Please check back soon.