International Contractors and Global Payroll
Written by Harry Prabandham
Curated by Rubric Financial
Last updated
1 / 5
Three Ways to Engage Global Talent
- You can hire someone as an independent contractor, through an employer of record, or as an employee of your own foreign entity.
- Contractors are fastest to start but carry misclassification risk if the person works like a full-time employee under local law.
- An employer of record legally employs the worker on your behalf in their country, handling local payroll, benefits, and compliance.
- Opening your own entity makes sense once headcount in a country is high enough to justify the setup cost and ongoing filings.
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About the author
Harry PrabandhamFounder & CEO
Founder and CEO of StartupCFO. MBA from Wharton, MS in Computer Science, and decades of experience building and advising venture-backed startups.
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