Is an Employer of Record legal in Colombia?

Yes. The worker is employed under a compliant local contract by an entity registered in Colombia, and you direct the day to day work. SILA confirms the correct structure for the role and the headcount before anyone starts.

What is the statutory employer burden in Colombia?

30–50% of gross salary, covering Prima de servicios, Cesantías & interest, EPS & pension. Budget landed cost, which adds that burden plus a 15% blended service fee on top of salary. Last verified 2026-08-21.

How fast can we start someone in Colombia?

5–10 business days for an identified candidate. A full search plus placement for a professional role takes 2 to 4 weeks.

Do we need a local entity in Colombia?

No. SILA can employ, pay and manage your team in Colombia under our regional structure, and transfer the workforce into your own entity later if you open one.

Employer of Record in Colombia

Hire and legally employ people in Colombia without opening a local entity. SILA holds the employment relationship, runs local payroll and statutory filings, and stays accountable for the team as it grows.

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Prefer to talk to a specialist

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Statutory employer burden: 30–50%
Time to start: 5–10 business days for an identified candidate
Payroll currency: COP

How much does an Employer of Record cost in Colombia?

Employing in Colombia through an Employer of Record costs gross salary plus 30–50% in statutory employer burden, plus a 15% blended service fee. Bilingual customer support lands at $1,271 to $3,019 per month, all in. Start time is 5–10 business days for an identified candidate. Figures last verified 2026-08-21.

Coverage status: SILA launch-ready
Service fee assumption: 15% blended, on salary plus burden
Data last verified: 2026-08-21

Monthly landed cost per role in Colombia

Gross monthly salary, USD equivalent, before employer burden. The landed benchmark adds statutory employer burden and a blended managed-delivery fee. Verified 2026-08-21.

Role	Gross monthly salary	Monthly landed cost
Bilingual customer support	$850 to $1,750	$1,271 to $3,019
Software engineering	$3,300 to $8,100	$4,934 to $13,972
Accounting & finance	$1,300 to $3,250	$1,943 to $5,606
Executive & virtual assistants	$900 to $2,100	$1,346 to $3,622
Sales development	$1,000 to $2,500	$1,495 to $4,313
Healthcare back office	$1,000 to $2,400	$1,495 to $4,140

What SILA carries in Colombia

Local employment contracts, registration and statutory filings under Colombia law.
Payroll, benefits administration and statutory contributions, paid on the local calendar.
Fixed-term contracts renew into indefinite status if not managed correctly.
Contractor (prestación de servicios) arrangements for full-time roles invite reclassification.
One agreement covering every LATAM market you employ in, not a separate vendor per country.
Transfer of the employment relationship into your own entity when you are ready.

Price employer of record in Colombia

Set the role, the seniority and the headcount. You get the salary, the statutory employer burden and the landed monthly cost from the same verified figures above.

Live workforce cost model

Model your team

Change any input. The cost, market comparison and savings update immediately.

Role

Market

Ranked by verified role fit, talent depth and total workforce cost, not by lowest wage. Review-required markets are excluded and scoped with a specialist.

Seniority

Team size: 3

Comparable U.S. annual fully loaded cost

Leave blank to use our published benchmark ($58,900, salary plus 25% for payroll taxes, benefits and insurance). Put your real number in and the comparison becomes yours, not ours.

Your modeled outcome

$110,748

baseline annual saving on 3 mid bilingual customer support seats in Colombia. Modeled range $98,436 to $121,800 (56%–69% below the US in-house equivalent).

1. US hire
$4,908 / month
A mid-level bilingual customer support hire on your US payroll costs $4,908 a month fully loaded, salary plus payroll taxes, benefits and insurance.
2. LATAM landed
$1,832 / month
The same mid-level bilingual customer support hire in Colombia lands at $1,832 a month, salary, statutory employer burden and the SILA fee inside one number. Plan between $1,525 and $2,174 depending on the profile you approve.
3. Your gap
$3,076 / month · 63%
That is $3,076 a month and $110,748 a year on 3 seats, 63% below the US equivalent, with SILA as the accountable employer of record where the model requires one.
4. Next step
Build My LATAM Plan
A SILA specialist confirms the salary band, employing structure and price in writing before anything is activated.

US in-house$176,700

Colombia with us$65,952

$332,244

saved over 3 years

63%

lower annual workforce cost

5–10 days

typical onboarding once talent is selected

Plan on this

$1,832

per seat, per month

Mid salary, mid statutory burden, standard service fee. This is the number to take to finance.

Budget safely

$2,174

per seat, per month

Upper modeled range for these assumptions. Your reviewed quote confirms the final budget and any additional items.

Best case

$1,525

per seat, per month

Lower end of the published band with the leanest structure. Reachable when seniority and market allow it.

▸ Landed cost breakdown, $1,832 / seat / month

Gross salary: $1,138
Statutory employer burden: $455
Service fee: $239
Team of 3, annual: $65,952

Burden in Colombia: Prima, cesantías + interest, EPS, pension, parafiscales.

Salary band modeled: $1,048–$1,228 gross monthly at mid level.
Statutory employer cost: 30%–50% of gross. Mandatory benefits included, discretionary benefits excluded.
Service fee assumption: 12%–18% of landed employment cost. Pass-throughs (equipment, background checks, one-time onboarding, severance reserves) excluded.
USD-equivalent, quoted at the rate on the verification date. Local-currency payroll moves with FX and statutory indexation.
Regional execution, payroll and compliance are coordinated through one SILA relationship.
Fit for this role: High confidence, Strong fit for this role, fully served by SILA.
Source: SILA placement data and each country's published statutory contribution schedules (IMSS, DIAN and UGPP, INSS and FGTS, CCSS, IESS, IGSS, TSS, CSS, IPS, NIS, NHT, SSB and equivalents), cross-checked against PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries. Ranges include mandatory accruals: 13th and 14th salary, vacation premium, severance and CTS or FGTS provisioning, and statutory profit sharing where it applies. Last verified 2026-08-21. See the methodology and claim registry.
Built from SILA's current country salary, statutory burden and delivery data. A SILA specialist confirms final pricing, employing structure and launch date in writing before activation.

Colombia statutory sources

Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social: Health (EPS) and pension employer contributions.
Código Sustantivo del Trabajo: Prima de servicios, cesantías and interest, transport allowance.
SENA: Parafiscal contributions.

Source id colombia-01, colombia-02, colombia-03. Verified 2026-08-21.

What your reviewed quote contains

Your requirement: 3 x mid Bilingual customer support in Colombia · $1,832 per seat per month landed, USD
Recommended market and model: Colombia, with the engagement model confirmed for the role and the headcount. A relevant alternative market is priced beside it.
Itemized components: Gross salary by seniority, statutory employer cost, mandatory benefits, our fee and any pass throughs, shown as one landed monthly figure per seat.
Responsibilities: Who employs, who pays, who manages the work and who carries the compliance obligation in this market. For a managed team, BPO or build operate transfer scope, the operating scope, dependencies and ownership are set out instead of a per employee price.
Next decision: Approve the market and model, or ask us to price the alternative.

Turn this estimate into a country-by-country hiring plan with employment costs, recommended operating model and launch timeline.

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Turn this into a costed plan for Colombia.

Your market, model, landed cost and launch path, built from the same figures on this page.

Your selection carries into the plan: Colombia.

Build My LATAM Plan See the full Colombia guide

Who does what in Colombia

The cost only means something once the responsibilities are clear. This is how each route splits recruiting, employment, supervision, payment and support for a team in Colombia, and the split is written into the agreement before signature.

Employing and contracting route: We contract with you directly and place the worker on a compliant local employment structure in Colombia. The exact contracting party and legal employer are named in your agreement before signature.

Responsibility	Staff augmentation	EOR, employer of record	Direct hire
Recruits	SILA	You, the person is already identified	SILA
Employs	The local legal employer named in your agreement	The local legal employer named in your agreement	You, through your local entity
Supervises	You, inside your team and rituals	You, day to day	You
Pays	SILA, one monthly per-seat invoice	SILA runs local payroll, benefits and contributions	You, on your own payroll
Supports	SILA for employment, retention and replacement	SILA for employment, compliance and terminations	You after placement; SILA through the search and offer

Staff augmentation

Recruits: SILA
Employs: The local legal employer named in your agreement
Supervises: You, inside your team and rituals
Pays: SILA, one monthly per-seat invoice
Supports: SILA for employment, retention and replacement

EOR, employer of record

Recruits: You, the person is already identified
Employs: The local legal employer named in your agreement
Supervises: You, day to day
Pays: SILA runs local payroll, benefits and contributions
Supports: SILA for employment, compliance and terminations

Direct hire

Recruits: SILA
Employs: You, through your local entity
Supervises: You
Pays: You, on your own payroll
Supports: You after placement; SILA through the search and offer

Not sure which route fits? Run the Engagement Model Finder and carry the answer into your plan.