Employer of Record Belarus
An Overview of Employing in Belarus
Salary currency
Belarusian Ruble (BYN)
Salary pay date
Employees are typically paid in arrears on the 10th of each month.
Salary
The minimum pay for full time workers should not be lower than BYN 400 per month.
Bonus
There is no statutory bonus in Belarus; however, it is standard practice to include a clause in the contract of employment allowing for bonuses to be paid at the discretion of the employer.
Social security system
Social security in Belarus provides covers: medical care and sickness benefits; invalidity, old age and survivor’s benefits; employment injury and unemployment.
Healthcare
The Belarusian Ministry of Health provides free universal healthcare to all citizens and tax-paying residents.
Private healthcare is available, but options are limited to the main cities.
Employer Costs
Employers are required to make monthly social security contributions (34% of employee’s gross salary) and 0.6% mandatory insurance payments to cover accidents at work and professional diseases (Belgosstrakh)
An Overview of the Main Statutory Benefits
Pension
Belarus offers both a contributory based and state-guaranteed pension to its citizens. Pension contributions are made each month through social insurance contributions. Employer contributions are taken at a rate of 28% of the employee’s gross salary and a further 1% is contributed by the employee.
The retirement age in Belarus is 63 for men and 58 years for women.
Sickness
Employees are entitled to sick leave pay upon presentation of a medical certificate. Remuneration for non-worked days due to sickness will be paid in the month following receipt of the medical certificate. Sick leave is funded by Social Security in Belarus.
The first 12 days of sick leave are paid at a rate of 80% of the employee’s average daily salary. From the thirteenth day, sick leave is paid at a rate of 100% of the average daily salary.
Salary
The minimum pay for full time workers should not be lower than BYN 400 per month.
Maternity & Paternity
Employees are entitled to 126 days of paid maternity leave following the birth of a child. This is increased to 140 days for multiple births and in the case of medical complications.
Paternity leave of up to 14 days can be taken within the first six months after the child is born.
Either parent may take up to three years’ unpaid maternity leave, during which time their position must remain secure until her return. Whilst on parental leave, the employee will be entitled to a government-funded allowance equal to 35% of the national average wage. The maternity entitlement is renewed if the employee has another child during this time.
Contractual Provisions
Contract of employment
Contracts of employment must be executed in line with the terms outlined in the Labour Code of Belarus. The Labour Code provides for both fixed term and indefinite contracts. The maximum length of a fixed-term contract is five years.
It is a legal requirement that contracts are written in Russian; dual language contracts are accepted.
Rules of Registration
Employers must ensure any new employees are included in the PU-2 form which is sent to the Social Security 10 days after the close of every quarter.
There is no legal requirement for a medical to be carried out prior to employment.
Probationary period
Employers may choose to include a probationary period of up to a maximum of three months. This cannot be extended under any circumstances.
Should the employee not pass the probationary period, the employer is required to give three days’ written notice.
Working hours
A regular working week consists of:
Employees are legally entitled to a one-hour break for every eight hours worked.
It is a legal requirement to record hours worked.
Overtime
Any work carried out over the agreed contracted hours is considered as overtime. This is restricted to a limit of 10 additional hours per week and 180 hours annually. Overtime hours should be compensated at two times the normal rate of pay.
Additional Leave
Employees are entitled to up to two days’ paid leave following the death of a family member.
Termination
A contract of employment can be terminated for the following reasons:
Contracts may only be terminated with just cause in accordance with Article 42 of the Labour Code.
It is advised that all terminations are discussed with TopSource Worldwide.
Notice Period
An employment contract may be terminated at any times upon mutual agreement of both the employer and employee.
An employee is required to serve one month’s written notice upon resignation.
Notice required by the employer is dependent on the grounds for termination.
For breach of contract, an employee can be dismissed immediately if the cause is considered valid.
Severance Pay
Severance pay will vary dependent on the cause of termination, in accordance with Article 42 of the Labour Code.
Holiday Entitlement
Employees are entitled to a minimum of 24 paid annual leave days each calendar year; a minimum of 14 days must be taken together.
Accrual begins from the first day of employment, but cannot be taken until the employee has completed six months of continuous employment. Unused holiday can be carried forward to the following year.
Holiday pay must be paid in advance of the first vacation day (typically 1-3 days prior).
Public Holidays
Belarus observes nine public holidays each calendar year. A calendar of the observed non-working days is released annually by the government. Public holidays may be moved to a Saturday and additional, non-working days will be added to give longer holiday periods.
| Public holidays | |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | 1st January – 2nd January |
| Orthodox Christmas Day | 7th January |
| Women’s Day | 8th March |
| Labour Day | 1st May |
| Radunitsa | 3rd May |
| Victory Day | 9th May |
| Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus | 3rd July |
| Day of the October Revolution | 7th November |
| Catholic Christmas Day | 25th December |
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