Employer of Record (EOR) Providers in Kazakhstan: Comparing the Top 5 Companies

Table of contents:

• Introduction: Why choosing the right EOR in Kazakhstan matters

• What is an Employer of Record in Kazakhstan?

• Risks of hiring without an EOR in Kazakhstan

• Top 5 Employer of Record providers in Kazakhstan

• What to consider before choosing an EOR provider

• Employer of Record vs direct contractor hiring in Kazakhstan

• Workspace & Equipment Policies for Remote Teams in Kazakhstan

• Final verdict: The right EOR depends on what you're solving for

• Frequently asked questions

Introduction: Why choosing the right EOR in Kazakhstan matters

“Wait, why is our codebase legally owned by someone else in Almaty?”

That’s the kind of Slack message that turns founders into insomniacs.

Here’s the real plot twist of hiring in Kazakhstan:

• You’re chasing a booming tech talent pool and 40-60 % lower salaries.

• The local Labour Code is chasing you—with social-fund quirks, bilingual contracts, and fines that start at four figures.

• One misfiled tax or misclassified “contractor” and your CFO’s screaming, “That Series B money just went to penalties!”

So no, an EOR isn’t a nice-to-have.

It’s a Kevlar vest.

In this guide, we slice through the marketing fluff and rank the Top 5 Employer-of-Record providers in Kazakhstan by what actually keeps you safe and moving:

1. Local entity vs. mailbox address, who can really sign an employment contract tomorrow?

2. Tax & social contributions, who knows that GES (10 %) isn’t the only deduction on payroll Friday?

3. Support that speaks English and Kazakh, because Google Translate won’t explain why you need a “Salary Calculation Book.”

4. Transparent pricing, no per-diem “mystery add-ons” that appear the moment you onboard engineer #2.

We’ll name names, list fees, expose hidden traps, and, yes, drop a decent joke or two, because global hiring shouldn’t feel like reading a telecom licence agreement.

Buckle up. Let’s make sure the next headline you read about Kazakhstan is “Product released on schedule,” not “Start-up blindsided by back taxes.”

What is an Employer of Record in Kazakhstan?

Usually, to hire in Kazakhstan, your business needs an entity. That means a local office, an address registered as a subsidiary, and an account with a local bank. All of this, plus navigating regional benefits, payroll, tax, and HR laws, can take months.

And by months, we don’t mean the fun kind where your team scales and revenue grows. We mean the Kafka-esque kind, where you spend weeks deciphering labor law PDFs in Russian, questioning your life choices over tax codes, and wondering whether that one document really needs a blue stamp from the Ministry… or a red one.

That’s why many companies, smart ones, go the EOR route instead.

An Employer of Record (EOR) in Kazakhstan is a third-party company that legally employs people on your behalf. You manage the work, they handle the bureaucracy. It’s like having a local HR department without needing to actually build one.

Here’s what an EOR takes off your plate:

• Employment contracts that comply with Kazakh labor laws

• Monthly payroll calculations (in tenge, of course)

• Withholding and paying income tax, social contributions, pension, and insurance

• Ensuring employee benefits align with local standards

• Staying compliant with things like minimum wage, severance, and leave laws

You stay focused on growth. They make sure your business doesn’t get slapped with a non-compliance fine because you misread a labor regulation buried on page 48 of a PDF from 2012.

In short, an EOR helps you hire like a local without becoming one.

Risks of hiring without an EOR in Kazakhstan

Let’s say you skip the EOR and try to hire in Kazakhstan solo. You found a great candidate, signed a quick contract, and sent over the first payment through Wise. Done, right?

Not even close.

Hiring without an EOR in Kazakhstan is like driving a Lada with no brakes down a mountain road; you might be fine for a few kilometers, but eventually, something’s going to crash.

Here’s what that crash might look like:

Misclassification mayhem

Kazakhstan doesn’t play around when it comes to employment law. If you hire someone as an “independent contractor” but treat them like an employee, fixed hours, regular salary, and company email, you’re walking into a compliance minefield. The government can reclassify the role, demand back taxes, and hit you with penalties.

Payroll & tax errors

You’re responsible for withholding the right taxes, making timely social contributions, and paying into medical and pension funds. Sound easy? It’s not.

The rules change, the contributions have caps, and they’re tied to the Monthly Calculation Index (MCI). Miss something, and your business could face audits or fines. Not a great look in a new market.

No legal entity = no legal protection

Without a local entity, you’re hiring in a legal gray zone. That means no proper employment contracts, no local dispute resolution, and zero protection for your IP. If something goes south, like a developer walking off with your source code, you’ll have a hard time defending your rights under Kazakh law.

Delayed scaling

Need to onboard someone quickly? Good luck navigating banking, tax registration, social fund enrollment, and contract translation on your own. Without local infrastructure, each hire becomes a high-stakes bureaucratic puzzle.

Terminating Someone Is... Complicated

There’s no “at-will” employment in Kazakhstan. Terminating a worker without a local legal framework can land you in serious legal trouble. You’ll need to follow strict procedures around notice periods, severance, and valid grounds. One mistake, and you're in court.

In Short:

Hiring without an EOR in Kazakhstan might feel cheaper or faster, until it’s neither. You save money up front but risk paying for it later in fines, delays, or legal battles.

An EOR isn’t a luxury; it’s how you hire safely, legally, and sanely.

Top 5 Employer of Record providers in Kazakhstan: Detailed comparison

Hiring in Kazakhstan without losing your sanity (or your IP) takes more than a fancy dashboard and a vague promise of “global compliance.”

You need a partner who knows where Almaty is, understands the Kazakh labor code, and doesn’t blink at bureaucratic acronyms like GCVP, MCI, or NCA.

So, we rolled up our sleeves, combed through the noise, and created this side-by-side comparison of the five most talked-about EORs operating in Kazakhstan right now.

Let’s break it down, minus the buzzwords, plus a little truth serum.

Team Up: Best for actual local compliance & zero BS pricing

Team Up does what others claim to do—without the mystery fees or vague promises.

• Local legal entity in Kazakhstan (no shell company drama)

• Payroll, tax, and HR compliance handled by real humans in real offices

• Transparent pricing: €199 per employee/month. That’s it. Really.

• Local benefits, workspace setup, and equipment logistics? Done.

• Support in Kazakh, Russian, and English (because yes, that matters)

Why it wins: If you want someone who actually knows how to onboard a developer in Almaty without triggering a labor audit or messing up payroll in tenge, this is your team.

Deel: Best for platform automation, not local expertise

Deel’s platform is sleek. It automates onboarding like it’s going out of style. But when it comes to hiring in Kazakhstan, the local nuance gets a bit... glossed over.

• Centralized payroll automation

• Minimal local infrastructure (partners do the legwork)

• Great for scaling across many countries at once

• Not ideal if your developer in Shymkent wants to ask an HR question about public holidays

Good for: Companies prioritizing global consistency over local adaptability.

Remote.com: Best for global expansion, light on local flavor

Remote.com is like the IKEA of EOR services: beautifully packaged, standardized across markets, and sometimes confusing to assemble without instructions in your language.

• Easy onboarding through their platform

• Standard pricing (what you see is usually what you get)

• Limited ability to adjust to Kazakhstan-specific needs

• Don’t expect in-depth advice on local labor law; Google might do a better job

Ideal for: Global teams who want a smooth dashboard experience more than they want region-specific insight.

Papaya Global: Best for enterprise payroll ops (and enterprise budgets)

Papaya is built for the big leagues. Think massive payroll runs, heavy integrations, and global compliance at scale.

• Great backend infrastructure and analytics

• Pricing reflects its enterprise-grade ambitions

• Often outsources local functions to third parties

• Less flexible for startups or mid-market companies looking for speed

Best for: Enterprises that care more about spreadsheets than speed.

Velocity Global: Best for big orgs with bigger budgets

Velocity Global has the polish and the global presence, but in Kazakhstan, it’s more “We operate there” than “We live there.”

• Solid support if you’re already operating in 10+ markets

• On-the-ground expertise can feel outsourced

• Pricing is on the steeper end

• Onboarding can be a process, not a sprint

Strong choice if: You’ve got a global HR team, legal counsel on retainer, and need consistency across continents.

What to consider before choosing an EOR provider

Choosing an Employer of Record (EOR) isn’t like picking your lunch spot on a Thursday. You don’t just go with the one that “sounds global” or has the prettiest pricing page.

Especially not in Kazakhstan.

This is a country where employment contracts must follow local templates. Misclassifying a contractor can cost you more than your next product launch. And where payroll isn’t just numbers, it’s a matrix of social tax, pension, insurance, and contributions, all based on a salary indexed to the MCI (monthly calculated index, if you're wondering).

So, before you swipe right on an EOR, here’s what you actually need to weigh:

Do they have a real legal presence in Kazakhstan, or just a partner on paper?

Some EORs say they “cover Kazakhstan.” What they mean is: they partner with someone who partners with someone else who once hired someone in Almaty. That’s fine, if you're okay with zero accountability when stuff goes sideways.

→ Ask: Do they operate through their own local entity or through third parties?

Can they explain the local tax structure without reading from Wikipedia?

Kazakhstan’s payroll system includes social taxes, pension contributions, medical insurance, and more. If your EOR can’t tell you how these apply to different income levels, or worse, gives you vague answers, they’re not built for this market.

→ Ask: How do you achieve payroll compliance for different salary bands?

Will they help you manage local benefits and equipment?

Hiring remotely means more than just signing a contract. Employees expect equipement, health insurance, and workspace setups. And your investors expect that your assets, IP, and liabilities are actually protected.

→ Ask: Can you lease/buy equipment for my team in-country? What benefits do you offer?

Can they onboard in multiple languages?

Kazakh and Russian are both common in employment contracts and communication. If your EOR can’t issue documents in both and offer HR support accordingly, you’re not just missing a nice-to-have. You’re risking misunderstanding and non-compliance.

→ Ask: What languages do you offer contracts and HR support in?

Are they transparent on pricing, or is it “talk to sales” every time?

A flat monthly rate per employee is helpful. But some EORs stack hidden onboarding fees, admin charges, or markups on benefits. That’s fine, if you like surprise invoices.

→ Ask: What’s included in the monthly fee? Are there setup or offboarding costs?

Employer of Record vs direct contractor hiring in Kazakhstan: Risks & benefits you can’t ignore

Below is the no-spin breakdown of using an Employer of Record (EOR) like Team Up versus engaging talent as independent contractors in Kazakhstan.

	Employer of Record (Team Up)	Direct Contractor Model
Legal employer	Team Up’s local LLC carries payroll, tax, and labour-law liability.	You’re the de facto employer (even if the contract says “freelancer”).
Entity required?	No Kazakh entity, no residency permits, no brick-and-mortar presence.	Yes, if you want full compliance; otherwise, misclassification a risk.
On-boarding speed	10–14 days (contracts, tax IDs, bank cards handled).	Depends on your visa status, banking, and how fast your lawyer drafts Kazakh/English agreements.
IP ownership	Locked down via a bilingual employment contract, IP is assigned to you under the Kazakh civil code.	Only valid if your freelancer agreement is locally enforceable; many aren’t.
Payroll & tax	One consolidated invoice (net salary + 12 % PIT + 23 % social tax + admin). We file, remit, and issue payslips.	You must withhold PIT, pay social tax, file quarterly returns, or face back-tax assessments.
Cost visibility	Fully loaded cost upfront; no surprise penalties.	The invoice looks cheaper until fines, FX fees, and late-payment interest land.
Benefits & retention	Health cover, paid leave, pension contributions, boost loyalty and employer brand.	None by default. Higher churn, senior talent often won’t accept.
Audit exposure	Zero: Team Up is the inspected party.	High: tax authority audits your cross-border payments and labour practices.
Best for	Market entry, scale-up, long-term product teams, and IP-sensitive work.	Short one-off projects where losing the codebase tomorrow won’t hurt.

Workspace & Equipment Policies for Remote Teams in Kazakhstan

Let’s cut to it, remote work isn’t just about laptops and Zoom calls anymore. If you’re hiring in Kazakhstan through an Employer of Record (EOR), your remote team deserves more than a secondhand Lenovo and a dining room chair.

They need a proper setup. Local standards. Legal clarity. IT support. And yes, actual equipment policies that protect your IP, your budget, and their productivity.

So, who provides the equipment?

With Team Up as your EOR in Kazakhstan, you choose the model:

• Buy: Own the hardware. Tailored to your specs. Delivered locally.

• Lease: Monthly fixed cost. No upfront spend. Upgrade or swap anytime.

• BYOD (Bring Your Own Device): Possible, but you better be sure about your security policies, and don’t forget to lock down IP clauses in the contract.

We recommend leasing for most teams. Why? Because it removes the logistics mess, protects your cash flow, and scales as you grow. Our local team sources and delivers devices directly to your employee, no customs headaches, no delays.

What about workspace stipends?

Most Kazakh remote workers operate from home, but if your team needs co-working spaces, we’ve got options in Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara.

• Workspace support includes:

• Internet reimbursement (up to a local market cap)

• Co-working membership

• Desk setup stipend (ergonomic chair, monitor, desk)

• Optional home office insurance

What’s legally required?

Kazakh labor law doesn’t mandate that you provide equipment, but if you want retention, productivity, and secure operations, you should.

And if you do provide it, you must:

• List it in the employment agreement

• Assign liability in case of damage/theft

• Log all assets with delivery confirmation

• Include a return policy at contract termination

No worries—we handle all that as part of our onboarding process.

Final verdict: The right EOR depends on what you’re solving for

Let’s be honest, there’s no universal “best” Employer of Record in Kazakhstan. There’s only the best one for you.

Need to onboard fast in Almaty with airtight legal protection? You’ll want a provider with a local entity, real labor law expertise, and bilingual contracts that won’t implode in court.

Running a global team and looking for one login to rule them all? Then maybe you’ll trade local depth for platform automation, something sleek, API-connected, and “click-to-compliant.”

Trying to keep costs predictable? Then, transparency in pricing and flat monthly rates (like €199/employee/month) matter more than fancy dashboards or 14 layers of approval.

Here’s the rule of thumb:

If you're solving for scale, pick the EOR that makes global operations feel local.

If you're solving for compliance, pick the one that knows Kazakh labor law better than Google Translate.

And if you’re solving for peace of mind, well, pick the one that won’t ghost you when you need support in Russian at 4 pm on a Thursday.

At Team Up, we built our EOR model around this exact logic. Real legal infrastructure. Flat pricing. Human support. And a promise to never send you a “let us get back to you” when you need answers now.

So, before you choose your EOR, ask yourself one thing:

What are you solving for, and who’s actually equipped to solve it?

When you’re clear on that, the decision becomes easy. Almost too easy.

Frequently asked questions

What is an employer of record in Kazakhstan?

An employer of record (EOR) in Kazakhstan is a third-party provider that legally employs talent on your behalf. They handle employment contracts, payroll, tax filing, and compliance, so you can hire in Kazakhstan without opening a local entity.

Why should I use an EOR in Kazakhstan instead of hiring directly?

Hiring directly requires setting up a local company, registering for taxes, and staying compliant with complex labor laws. Using an EOR provider in Kazakhstan lets you skip the red tape and still access top local talent—quickly and legally.

What risks do I face if I hire in Kazakhstan without an EOR?

• Misclassification risks if you treat contractors like employees

• Payroll errors that can trigger audits or fines

• No legal entity means no IP protection or benefits compliance

• Delayed hiring due to legal slowdowns

• Complex termination laws that require local expertise

Working with an EOR in Kazakhstan eliminates these risks.

How much do employer of record services cost in Kazakhstan?

Most EOR providers in Kazakhstan charge a flat monthly fee per employee. This can range from €199 to €599, depending on the provider, services included, and level of support.

Which are the top employer of record providers in Kazakhstan?

Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Team Up – Best for true local compliance and transparent pricing

• Deel – Strong platform, but limited on-the-ground knowledge

• Remote.com – Great for global teams, light on local support

• Papaya Global – Built for large enterprises with big budgets

• Velocity Global – Ideal for corporate giants expanding globally

What should I look for in an EOR provider in Kazakhstan?

Ask:

• Do they have a registered entity in Kazakhstan or just a partner?

• Can they explain Kazakh tax and labor law without Googling it?

• Do they handle local benefits, workspace, and equipment?

• Are their prices transparent, or always behind a demo call?