Employer of Record in Zimbabwe

An Employer of Record (EOR) is a company that legally employs workers in Zimbabwe on your behalf. This means you can build a team in the country without setting up a local legal entity. The EOR handles all the HR tasks like payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance with Zimbabwe's labor laws. You manage your team's day-to-day work, while the EOR takes care of the employment paperwork and legal responsibilities. For companies looking to hire in Zimbabwe, an EOR provider like Rivermate can simplify the process.

How an Employer of Record (EOR) Works in Zimbabwe

Using an EOR in Zimbabwe streamlines the process of hiring employees. Here is a simple breakdown of how it works:

1. You Find the Talent: You identify the candidate you want to hire in Zimbabwe.
2. The EOR Hires Them: The EOR legally hires the employee on your behalf through a compliant local employment contract.
3. Onboarding: The EOR manages the onboarding process, collecting necessary documents and setting up payroll.
4. Payroll and Benefits: The EOR handles all aspects of payroll, including calculating salaries, withholding taxes, and managing contributions to Zimbabwe's National Social Security Authority (NSSA). They also administer employee benefits.
5. Ongoing HR Support: The EOR provides ongoing HR support to your employees, answering their questions about employment, payroll, and benefits.
6. You Manage Your Team: You retain full control over your employee's daily tasks, projects, and performance.

Why use an Employer of Record in Zimbabwe

Using an EOR in Zimbabwe helps you expand your business and hire talent quickly and efficiently. It removes the significant administrative burden and legal risks associated with setting up a legal entity in a new country. This allows you to focus on your core business operations and managing your team.

Here are some key benefits of using an EOR in Zimbabwe:

• Enter the Market Faster: You can hire employees in a matter of weeks, instead of the months it can take to establish a local company.
• Ensure Compliance: EORs have expertise in local labor laws, ensuring you stay compliant with Zimbabwe's employment and tax regulations.
• Reduce Costs: You avoid the high costs associated with setting up and maintaining a legal entity.
• Simplify Payroll: The EOR manages all payroll calculations, tax withholdings, and reporting, ensuring your team is paid accurately and on time.
• Focus on Growth: By outsourcing HR and legal responsibilities, you can dedicate more resources to growing your business.

Rivermate's transparent pricing model eliminates complexity with a single, competitive monthly fee per employee. Unlike traditional PEO providers, our pricing in Zimbabwe includes comprehensive HR support, benefits administration, compliance management, and access to our proprietary dashboard for real-time workforce analytics. No hidden costs, no setup fees—just straightforward pricing that scales with your business needs while ensuring full legal compliance in Zimbabwe.

Hiring in Zimbabwe requires a good understanding of its local labor laws. The primary legislation governing employment is the Labour Act [Chapter 28:01]. This act sets the minimum standards for employment conditions, including wages, working hours, and termination procedures. While the economic environment can be complex, there are opportunities in various sectors like mining, agriculture, tourism, and technology. For foreign nationals to work in Zimbabwe, they typically need a work permit from the Department of Immigration.

Employment contracts & must-have clauses

When you hire an employee in Zimbabwe, you should provide a written employment contract. While verbal agreements are legally recognized, a written contract provides clarity and helps prevent disputes.

There are two main types of employment contracts in Zimbabwe:

• Indefinite contracts: These contracts have no end date and are the standard for permanent employment.
• Fixed-term contracts: These contracts are for a specific period or project and end on a set date.

Your employment contracts must include several essential clauses to be compliant with Zimbabwean law. Think of these as the non-negotiables.

Probation periods

You can include a probation period in your employment contracts to assess a new employee's suitability for a role. In Zimbabwe, a probation period is a one-time, non-renewable trial phase.

• For most jobs, the maximum probation period is three months.
• For casual or seasonal work, the probation period is typically one day.

If you decide to terminate the contract during probation, you must provide written notice. The notice period is usually two weeks, or one week for casual work. Once the probation period ends, the employee automatically becomes a full-time employee if you haven't terminated their contract.

Working hours & overtime

Standard working hours in Zimbabwe are typically 8 hours a day, adding up to a 40 to 48-hour week. Any time worked beyond these hours is considered overtime.

Here’s how you should handle overtime pay:

• Regular overtime: Pay 1.5 times the employee's normal hourly rate.
• Work on public holidays: Pay 2 times the employee's normal hourly rate.

Zimbabwe's labor laws limit overtime to a maximum of 10 hours per week.

Public & regional holidays

Your employees are entitled to paid time off for public holidays. Zimbabwe has a number of national holidays throughout the year.

Here are the public holidays for 2025:

Hiring contractors in Zimbabwe

You can also hire independent contractors in Zimbabwe. This gives you flexibility, especially for project-based work. Contractors are self-employed and manage their own taxes and social security contributions. This can reduce your administrative workload.

However, you need to be careful about how you classify workers. Misclassifying an employee as an independent contractor can lead to legal problems. If a worker is treated like an employee (for example, you control their work hours and methods), they may be considered an employee in the eyes of the law, regardless of their contract.

An Employer of Record (EOR) can help you mitigate this risk. An EOR can help you correctly classify your workers and ensure you comply with local labor laws. They handle the legal and administrative tasks of employment, so you can focus on managing your team and growing your business.

Navigating compensation and payroll in Zimbabwe requires a clear understanding of a unique, multi-currency system and specific legal requirements. The country's economy relies on both the United States Dollar (USD) and the recently introduced Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG), which impacts how you calculate salaries, taxes, and other contributions. Staying compliant means staying current with regulations that can change frequently.

Payroll cycles & wage structure

In Zimbabwe, you typically process payroll on a monthly basis, with most employees receiving their pay at the end of the month. While not required by law, some companies choose to offer a 13th-month bonus or performance-based incentives as part of their compensation structure.

Overtime & minimums

Minimum wage in Zimbabwe is not a single, national rate. Instead, it varies by industry and is often determined through collective bargaining agreements. For example, as of early 2025, the minimum wage for general workers was set at ZWL 25,000 per month. You must adhere to the specific minimum wage set for your sector.

Employer taxes and contributions

As an employer in Zimbabwe, you are responsible for several contributions based on your employees' earnings. These are your direct costs on top of employee salaries.

Employee taxes and deductions

You must withhold the following taxes and deductions from your employees' pay and remit them to the appropriate authorities.

In Zimbabwe, providing the right benefits and leave is key to attracting and keeping great talent. It's not just about what's required by law. A good benefits package shows your team you value them. This builds loyalty and a positive company culture. Understanding the local rules is your first step.

Statutory leave

Zimbabwean law sets out the minimum leave employees must receive.

• Annual Leave: After one year of service, employees get 30 days of paid annual leave. This includes weekends and public holidays that fall within the leave period.
• Sick Leave: An employee can take up to 90 days of sick leave at full pay. To get this, they need a doctor's note. After a year of working for you, they can get another 90 days at half pay.
• Maternity Leave: Female employees who have worked for you for at least a year get 98 days of fully paid maternity leave.
• Special Leave: Employees can get up to 12 days of paid special leave for things like attending court or union meetings, or for compassionate reasons like the death of a loved one.

Public holidays & regional holidays

Employees get a paid day off for all national public holidays. If they work on a public holiday, you must pay them at least double their normal rate.

Typical supplemental benefits

While the law sets the minimum, many companies offer more to attract the best people.

How an EOR can help with setting up benefits

Setting up a competitive benefits package in a new country can be tricky. An Employer of Record (EOR) makes it simple. We handle everything for you.

An EOR ensures you comply with all of Zimbabwe's labor laws. We take care of payroll, taxes, and all the required contributions. This saves you time and reduces risk.

We also help you offer competitive supplemental benefits. We know the local market and can advise on what employees value most. This helps you attract and retain top talent without the headache of managing it all yourself.

When your time with an employee in Zimbabwe comes to an end, it's important to handle their departure correctly. The process, known as termination or offboarding, is guided by the country's labor laws to ensure fairness for everyone. You must follow specific steps, give the right amount of notice, and pay final wages properly. Getting this wrong can lead to legal problems, so understanding your responsibilities is key to a smooth exit process.

Notice periods

When you end an employment contract, you need to give your employee advance notice. The amount of notice depends on how often they get paid.

It's a good idea to check the employment contract, as it might state a longer notice period. You can also pay the employee for the notice period instead of having them work it. For serious issues like misconduct, you may not need to give notice, but you must follow a formal disciplinary process.

Severance pay

In Zimbabwe, you are not generally required to pay severance unless it is stated in the employee's contract. However, if the termination is due to restructuring or downsizing your operations, you will need to provide a compensation package. In all cases of termination, you must pay the employee for any vacation time they have earned but not used.

How Rivermate handles compliant exits

When you partner with an Employer of Record like Rivermate, we manage the entire offboarding process for you. We make sure that every termination complies with Zimbabwean labor law.

Here is how we help:

• Documentation: We handle all the necessary paperwork for the termination.
• Final pay: We calculate and process the employee's final salary, including any unused vacation days.
• Compliance: We ensure that the correct notice periods are given and that all legal procedures are followed to avoid any claims of unfair dismissal.

By managing these steps, we help you offboard employees in a way that is fair, compliant, and reduces legal risks for your business.

Navigating Zimbabwe's visa and work permit system requires a clear understanding of the rules. For any foreign national to legally work in the country, they must have a valid work permit. A work visa allows you to enter Zimbabwe for work purposes, but the work permit is what authorizes you to actually perform your job. The employer in Zimbabwe must handle the application process for these permits on behalf of the employee.

Employment visas & sponsorship realities

The most common route for working in Zimbabwe is the Temporary Employment Permit (TEP). These permits are typically issued for a year but can be renewed. For longer-term roles, a Long-Term Work Permit is also available.

Any registered company in Zimbabwe can sponsor a foreign worker. The employer must initiate the application with the Department of Immigration. A key part of this process is demonstrating that a local search for qualified candidates was unsuccessful.

An Employer of Record (EOR) offers a practical solution for companies without a legal entity in Zimbabwe. An EOR can legally hire and sponsor employees on your behalf. This approach allows you to build a team in Zimbabwe while the EOR manages the complexities of payroll, compliance, and work permit sponsorship.

The general process for a work permit application involves:

• The employer extending a formal job offer.
• The employee providing necessary documents like passport copies, CV, and qualifications.
• The employer submitting the complete application to the Department of Immigration.
• Processing times typically range from 4 to 8 weeks.

Business travel compliance

For short-term business trips, such as meetings, conferences, or seminars, you will need a business visa. This visa does not permit you to work in the country. A business visa is generally granted for a period of 30 days and is not renewable.

Zimbabwe categorizes foreign nationals into three groups to determine visa requirements:

• Category A: Nationals from these countries do not need a visa to enter Zimbabwe.
• Category B: Nationals from these countries can get a visa on arrival at the port of entry.
• Category C: Nationals from these countries must apply for and obtain a visa before traveling.

Many travelers can apply for an e-visa online through the official government website, which simplifies the process. The e-visa is typically valid for three months from the date of issue.