Employer of Record (EOR) providers in India: Comparing the top 5 companies
- Natia Gabarashvili
- Sep 16
- 10 min read
Table of contents:
Introduction: Why choosing the right EOR in India matters
Everyone wants to hire in India right now. The talent pool’s massive, the salaries don’t torch your burn rate, and the timezone overlap actually works.
Sounds perfect, right?
Until payroll week hits and you realize you don’t know what PF, ESI, and gratuity even mean, let alone how to file them.
This is where the EOR game gets real. Pick the wrong partner and you’re not just paying a premium for a slick dashboard, you’re setting yourself up for misclassified employees, missed filings, and engineers who leave because their “statutory benefits” never showed up. That’s not just bad compliance, it’s bad business.
The right Employer of Record in India?
They keep you clean with the regulators, get your people paid on time in INR, and make sure your team feels like employees of a serious company, not some scrappy side hustle wiring money through PayPal.
This guide breaks down the top 5 EOR providers in India, who they are, what they do well, where they cut corners, and which one makes sense for your team.
What makes a strong EOR provider in India?
Here’s the thing about India: anyone can set up a shiny website and call themselves an “EOR provider.” But when you scratch the surface, most are either reselling someone else’s entity or, worse, cutting corners on compliance. And that’s where companies get burned.
So what separates a strong Employer of Record in India from the noise? Four things that matter every single month your team is on payroll:
1. Legal compliance that holds up in India
A real EOR knows the law isn’t optional. They’re registered under the Shops and Establishments Act, and they manage all the moving parts:
PF (Provident Fund) – 12% of basic pay, mandatory and audited.
ESI (Employee State Insurance) – required for employees under ₹21,000/month.
Gratuity – payable after 5 years, tracked from day one.
State-level rules – professional tax, leave entitlements, working hours.
If your provider can’t explain how they’re staying compliant across states, walk away. For a deeper breakdown of these compliance essentials, check out our Legal and Compliance Checklist for EOR in India.
2. Full service scope (not just global payroll compliance)
Global payroll compliance is table stakes. A strong EOR covers the entire employment lifecycle:
Drafting enforceable contracts under Indian labor law
Payroll processing and tax filings in INR
Administering mandatory and market-standard benefits
Handling visas and work permits if you relocate staff
Clean, compliant terminations with proper settlements
ESOP distribution for startups that want to issue stock
If your provider can only cut paychecks, you don’t have an EOR—you’ve got a glorified bookkeeper.
3. Employee experience that reflects your brand
Your team in India shouldn’t feel like second-class employees. A strong EOR ensures:
Smooth onboarding with contracts and registrations ready before day one
Timely payroll—no “delayed because of FX” excuses
Proper benefits—PF, health cover, paid leave, maternity/paternity rights
Responsive HR support when employees have questions
Because let’s be honest: if payroll’s late or benefits are missing, your employees won’t blame the EOR, they’ll blame you.
4. A transparent pricing model
This is where most global platforms quietly take advantage. Percentage-based fees (8–15% of salary) sound harmless until you hire senior engineers and watch your costs balloon.
The strongest EOR providers in India use a flat monthly fee, predictable, scalable, and fair. Whether you hire a junior QA or a senior backend lead, the support and compliance workload is the same. Why should the fee double?
Top 5 Employer of Record providers in India (2026)
There’s no shortage of companies promising to be your “EOR partner” in India. Some are India-first, others are global payroll platforms trying to cover 150 countries at once. The difference comes down to cost, compliance depth, and how well they support your employees locally.
Here are the five providers most companies compare when hiring in India:
1. Team Up
Overview:
Team Up is a region-focused EOR partner with direct entity coverage in India and a flat pricing model built for scaling teams.
Key Services:
Legal employment under the Indian Shops & Establishments Act
Payroll processing in INR (PF, ESI, gratuity, TDS deductions handled)
Benefits administration (statutory + health insurance add-ons)
Contractor-to-employee conversion support
Compliant terminations and ESOP distribution
Why Choose TeamUp:
Flat €199 per employee/month (not % of salary)
Local-first, not reliant on third-party vendors
Strong employee experience → fast onboarding, clear contracts, timely payroll
Best For: Startups and mid-sized companies that want predictable costs and real compliance expertise in India.
2. Remunance
Overview:
Pune-based Remunance specializes in India-only EOR services and PEO-style models. They’re known for deep local HR knowledge and strong on-the-ground compliance.
Key Services:
Payroll and compliance management
Employee benefits aligned with Indian law
HR advisory and employee engagement support
Why Choose Remunance:
Pure India focus
Strong cultural and legal expertise
Best For: Companies hiring primarily in India and needing close HR management with strong local support.
3. Remote
Overview:
Remote is a global EOR platform covering 150+ countries, including India. Their focus is on SaaS-driven compliance management and integrated payroll.
Key Services:
Global EOR platform with employee self-service portal
Payroll, tax, and compliance filing in India
Benefits management
Why Choose Remote:
Global coverage (useful if India is one of several hiring markets)
Strong tech platform with integrations
Limitations: Higher costs (often $599+/employee/month) and less local-first focus.
Best For: Enterprises with distributed global teams who want one platform for multiple countries.
4. Deel
Overview: Deel is one of the biggest global players in EOR and contractor payroll, active in 100+ countries, including India. They’re strong on speed of onboarding and contractor-to-employee conversions.
Key Services:
EOR hiring in India (contracts, payroll, benefits)
Contractor compliance platform
Immigration and visa support
Why Choose Deel:
Fast onboarding
Strong product for managing contractors + employees in one system
Limitations: Pricing based on % of salary or tiered plans makes scaling expensive.
Best For: Companies managing large global workforces and needing a mix of contractors and employees.
5. Multiplier
Overview: Multiplier is a Singapore-based HR-tech platform with strong coverage in India. Their model combines a SaaS platform with regional expertise.
Key Services:
EOR employment contracts under Indian law
Local benefits and compliance handling
Multi-country payroll
Why Choose Multiplier:
India-founded, strong local focus
User-friendly platform for payroll and HR
Best For: Startups hiring in India and Asia-Pacific markets, looking for a tech-first approach.
Side-by-side quick comparison
How much do employer of record services cost in India
Let’s talk money, because pricing is where most EOR providers in India quietly trip you up.
There are two main models in the market:
Flat-rate pricing
This is the TeamUp model: one predictable fee, no matter who you hire.
€199 per employee, per month covers payroll, compliance, contracts, benefits administration, and HR support.
Whether you’re hiring a junior QA at ₹60,000/month or a senior backend engineer at ₹280,000/month, the EOR fee doesn’t change.
That means you can scale without your costs ballooning as roles get more senior.
Percentage-of-salary pricing
This is the model most “global platforms” use. It sounds simple: 10–15% of gross monthly salary. But here’s what it looks like in practice:
Hire a developer at ₹100,000/month (~€1,100) → you’re paying an extra €110–€165/month.
Hire a senior engineer at ₹280,000/month (~€3,100) → suddenly your fee is €310–€465/month for the exact same compliance workload.
Multiply that across a 10-person team, and you’re overpaying thousands every year just because you hired experienced talent.
Why does this matter when scaling
India isn’t just where you hire juniors. Most companies come for mid- and senior-level roles. Under a percentage model, your EOR costs scale with salary inflation, not with actual service value. Flat fees protect you against that creep.
Risks of choosing the wrong EOR provider
Here’s the part nobody wants to admit: not all EOR providers in India are created equal. Pick the wrong one, and the cost isn’t just higher fees; it’s compliance liabilities, frustrated employees, and legal headaches you didn’t sign up for.
Misclassification Issues
Plenty of providers cut corners by hiring your full-time engineers as “contractors.” On paper, it looks cheaper. In reality, Indian labor inspectors can, and do, reclassify them as employees. That means backdated PF and ESI contributions, tax penalties, and possible legal disputes. Worst of all, your employees are left unprotected, and they’ll know it.
Missed Payroll filings = Penalties
Payroll in India isn’t optional paperwork. You’re legally required to file monthly with the Income Tax Department, EPFO, and ESIC. Miss a filing and you’re immediately on the hook for fines, late payment interest, and, in some cases, audits. A weak EOR won’t cover this gap, you’ll end up cleaning up the mess.
Poor Employee Experience = Attrition
If your hires don’t get payslips on time, benefits aren’t registered, or HR support is non-existent, they won’t blame the EOR. They’ll blame you. That means higher attrition, reputational damage, and wasted hiring cycles. In India’s competitive market, employees expect statutory benefits plus a decent onboarding experience—anything less sends them straight to a competitor.
Weak Contracts = IP Ownership Risks
This one’s brutal for startups. If your provider uses generic contracts that don’t comply with Indian labor law, your IP transfer clauses might not even hold up in court. That means code, designs, or product IP created by your employees could legally be theirs, not yours.
How to select the best EOR provider in India for your business
Choosing an Employer of Record in India isn’t just about who has the slickest dashboard. It’s about who can actually keep your team compliant, your IP safe, and your employees happy. Here’s how to separate the serious providers from the pretenders.
Match the model to your hiring goals
Testing the waters? Go with an EOR that can onboard in days and keep costs flat per employee.
Scaling long-term? Make sure the provider offers flexibility—benefits customization, ESOP support, and clean offboarding.
Multi-country hiring? If India is just one market, you may need global coverage—but never at the expense of strong local compliance.
Ask the hard questions
Don’t stop at “what’s your fee?” Dig deeper:
Compliance guarantees: How do they handle PF, ESI, gratuity, and Shops and Establishments registration? Can they show you proof of filings?
Employee support: Who answers when your hire has a payroll or benefits question? A chatbot, or a real HR team on the ground in India?
Look beyond the dashboard
Software is nice, but India isn’t run on dashboards—it’s run on compliance. A provider with flashy UX but weak local expertise will leave you exposed. What you want is:
Bilingual, locally valid contracts
Proven track record of monthly payroll filings
On-the-ground HR and legal teams who know Indian labor law cold
Because when regulators come knocking, screenshots won’t save you, compliance will.
Employer of Record (EOR) vs PEO in India: Key differences explained
It’s easy to confuse an Employer of Record (EOR) with a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), especially since both promise to “simplify hiring.” But in India, the distinction isn’t just semantics. It’s the difference between being able to hire today and spending months wrestling with red tape.
What an EOR does in India
An EOR is the legal employer on paper. They hire your people under their own registered Indian entity, run payroll in INR, deduct PF/ESI/gratuity, issue contracts compliant with the Shops and Establishments Act, and file taxes on time. You manage the work, they handle the compliance. No entity required.
Key takeaway: With an EOR, you can hire in India without opening a subsidiary.
What a PEO does in India
A PEO, on the other hand, is a co-employment model. You must already have your own legal entity in India to use one. The PEO handles HR admin, payroll, benefits administration, HR records—while you remain the legal employer responsible for compliance, filings, and labor law.
Key takeaway: PEOs don’t solve the “no local entity” problem. They just lighten HR once you already have one.
The Real-world difference
If you’re a foreign company without an Indian entity → Only an EOR works.
If you already run a registered Indian subsidiary and want HR outsourcing support → PEO might make sense.
If you choose a PEO without realizing you need an entity first → you’re stalled before you even start.
Conclusion
Hiring in India is a no-brainer; the talent is there, the costs make sense, and the market’s only getting stronger. The real question isn’t should you hire in India? It’s who do you trust to make it legal, compliant, and smooth for your team?
The right Employer of Record does more than cut payroll for international employees. They protect your business under the Shops and Establishments Act, make sure PF/ESI/gratuity are handled without errors, and give your employees a clean experience from onboarding to exit. The wrong provider? They leave you exposed to fines, high attrition, and contracts that don’t even hold up in Indian courts.
That’s why choosing carefully matters. Compare providers, look beyond the marketing gloss, and ask the hard questions about compliance and employee support.
If you want predictable costs, real local expertise, and employees who actually feel like part of your company, not an afterthought, TeamUp delivers. We keep you compliant at a flat €199 per employee/month, while you focus on building the team you came to India for.
Hiring in India doesn’t have to be a gamble. With the right EOR partner, it’s your cleanest growth move in 2025.
