Independent Caribbean EOR & payroll intelligence
Run the true 2026 employer cost of a hire in any of 12 Caribbean jurisdictions, see what a global EOR adds in fees, FX spread and deposits, then request direct quotes from regional EOR operators and payroll bureaus — no demo call needed.
The data behind every tool
Every figure below drives the calculators on this site. The employer side is what you budget on top of gross pay; the employee side is withheld from pay and remitted by the employer. Ceilings matter: in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Guyana, The Bahamas and St. Lucia the social-security charge stops growing above a monthly cap, so the employer burden on a senior salary is much lower in percentage terms than on an entry-level one. Jamaica’s NHT, Education Tax and HEART levy have no cap, which is why its load stays near 12.5% at every salary.
| Jurisdiction | Currency | Employer statutory | Employee statutory | Key ceiling | Income tax | Remit by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamaica | JMD | NIS 3% + NHT 3% + Ed Tax 3.5% + HEART 3% ≈ 12.5% | NIS 3% + NHT 2% + Ed Tax 2.25% | NIS JMD 5,000,000/yr | PAYE 25% / 30%; threshold JMD 1,902,360 | 14th (S01) |
| Trinidad & Tobago | TTD | NIS 10.8% | NIS 5.4% + Health Surcharge TTD 8.25/wk | TTD 13,600/mo | PAYE 25% / 30%; allowance TTD 90,000 | 15th |
| Barbados | BBD | NIS 12.75% + RRF 0.25% | NIS 11.0% + RRF 0.25% | BBD 5,360/mo | PAYE 12.5% / 28.5%; allowance BBD 25,000 | 15th |
| Guyana | GYD | NIS 8.4% | NIS 5.6% | GYD 280,000/mo | PAYE 25% / 35%; GYD 140,000/mo allowance | 14th |
| Dominican Republic | DOP | SFS 7.09% + AFP 7.10% + SRL ~1.2% + INFOTEP 1% + 13th month 8.33% | SFS 3.04% + AFP 2.87% | 10 / 20 / 4 minimum wages | ISR progressive 15%–25% | TSS monthly |
| The Bahamas | BSD | NIB 5.9% | NIB 3.9% | BSD 830/wk | None | Monthly |
| Cayman Islands | KYD | Pension 5% + health insurance 50% share | Pension 5% + health 50% | KYD 87,000/yr pension | None | Monthly |
| Bermuda | BMD | Payroll tax 4.0%–9.75% + social insurance + pension 5% | Payroll tax (progressive) + social insurance + pension 5% | $1,000,000/yr payroll tax | Employee payroll tax 0.5%–12.5% (to BMD 1M) | Quarterly / monthly |
| Puerto Rico | USD | OASDI 6.2% + Medicare 1.45% + FUTA + SUTA/SINOT + CFSE | OASDI 6.2% + Medicare 1.45% + SINOT 0.3% | $184,500 OASDI | Hacienda 0%–33%; $3,500 exemption | Semi-weekly / monthly |
| St. Lucia / OECS | XCD | NIC 5% | NIC 5% | XCD 5,000/mo | PAYE 10%–30%; allowance XCD 25,000 | Monthly |
| Curaçao | ANG | AOV/AWW 9.5% + BVZ 9.3% + ~1% | AOV/AWW 6.5% + BVZ 4.3% | ANG 85,753.20/yr | Wage tax 9.75%–46.5% | Monthly |
| Aruba | AWG | AOV/AWW 10.5% + AZV 8.9% | AOV/AWW 5.0% + AZV 1.6% | AWG 85,000/yr | Wage tax 10%–52%; AWG 30,000 tax-free | Monthly |
Each jurisdiction hub has the full rules, a worked payroll example, remittance forms and severance tiers. The methodology page lists the authorities each rate is checked against.
Fee audit
Most global employer-of-record platforms publish a headline fee per employee per month and little else. On a Caribbean team the larger costs are often elsewhere: the spread applied when your USD is converted into JMD, TTD, GYD or DOP to fund payroll and statutory remittances, the surcharge for paying staff in USD, and one or two months of gross pay held as a deposit. In several islands the platform also uses an in-country partner as the legal employer, which is a reasonable model but one you should know about before you sign.
| Cost line | Global aggregator EOR | Direct regional EOR / PEO | What to ask in writing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | $599–$699 PEPM list (Multiplier $400–$499) | $195–$350 PEPM | Fee per employee, minimum term, annual uplift |
| FX on payroll funding | 1.5%–3.5% over mid-market (commonly quoted) | Mid-market + ~0.5%, or local-currency invoice | Rate source, margin, timing of conversion |
| Off-currency pay | ~$50 PEPM surcharge reported | Usually none | Surcharge when paying in USD instead of local currency |
| Security deposit | 1–2 months of gross + statutory | 0–1 month | Amount, interest, refund timeline |
| Legal employer | Own entity in some islands, in-country partner in others | Own local entity in its islands | Name and registration number of the employing entity |
| Severance accrual | Sometimes pre-billed monthly | Billed when due, per statute | Whether accruals are refundable |
Test your own numbers in the EOR fee audit calculator, or read the vendor audits for Deel, Remote and Multiplier.
RFP desk
CaribbeanHR is independent. It is not an employer of record itself and does not take a margin on payroll; the calculators and audits are free to use without sending anything.
Who it is for
The library
Every page on the site, one click from here. Each file carries its code and the date its figures were last checked.
6 pages
Employer cost, EOR fee audit, severance, nearshore TCO and entity break-even, with shareable links and PDF briefs.
12 pages
Rates, ceilings, remittance forms, worked payroll and severance tiers for each of the 12 jurisdictions.
12 pages
Global EOR platforms against direct regional operators, bureaus and software, side by side.
10 pages
What each provider’s Caribbean quote includes, what it leaves out and what to ask in writing.
12 pages
Filing calendars, permits, leave, terminations and sector hiring guides for finance and HR leads.
5 pages
The RFP desk, methodology, independence statement and legal pages.
Straight answers
Employers pay NIS 3% (capped at JMD 5,000,000 a year), NHT 3%, Education Tax 3.5% on statutory income and the HEART/NSTA levy 3%, about 12.5% of gross in total. Employees pay NIS 3%, NHT 2%, Education Tax 2.25% and PAYE at 25% above the JMD 1,902,360 threshold from April 2026.
Global aggregator EORs list about $599–$699 per employee per month, plus an FX spread of 1.5%–3.5% on payroll funding and often a one- to two-month deposit. Direct regional Caribbean EOR and PEO operators typically quote $195–$350 per employee per month.
No. An employer of record can employ staff for you in most islands within weeks. A local subsidiary usually pays off from roughly 8–15 employees, depending on the island, because incorporation, bank onboarding (often 4–7 months) and annual audit costs are fixed. The entity vs EOR analyzer shows the break-even month.
Yes. All five calculators are free, need no sign-up and run in your browser. Nothing is sent unless you choose to submit the request form.
No. CaribbeanHR is an independent intelligence and RFP routing desk. It publishes statutory data and benchmarks and routes requests to in-country EOR operators, PEOs and payroll bureaus that quote you directly.
RFP desk · no CAPTCHA, no demo call
Tell us the island, headcount and service. We route it to in-country operators and you receive itemised quotes by email from hello@caribbeanhr.com.
Every quote states