pricing
Pricing for Employer of Record in India
What it costs to employ in India through an Employer of Record — our fee, and the statutory employer costs that sit alongside it. No setup fee, no deposit, no FX markup, no platform charges.
How we quote
We quote per engagement, because the right number depends on headcount, roles, locations and how much of the employment stack you need. Tell us what you're planning and you'll have an itemized cost sheet — salary, every statutory line and our fee — usually within 24–48 hours.
Service levels
What you get, by team size
The scope changes as your team grows. The billing model does not: one flat monthly fee per employee, with salaries and statutory contributions passed through at actuals.
1–5 employees
EOR — Starter
Contact us for pricing
- Compliant employment contracts
- Monthly payroll & payslips
- EPF, ESI, TDS & PT filed with proofs
- No setup fee, no deposit
6–15 employees
EOR — Growth
Contact us for pricing
- Everything in Starter
- Dedicated compliance calendar
- Leave, attendance & HR policy admin
- Monthly MIS for your finance team
16+ employees
EOR — Scale
Contact us for pricing
- Everything in Growth
- Quarterly compliance review calls
- Priority director-level support
- Entity-transition support when you're ready
“We needed engineering capacity in India without the overhead of an entity, and without compliance surprises in a business where compliance is everything. Aether Blue runs it like clockwork — contracts, payroll, filings, proofs — one invoice, zero follow-up needed from our side.”
Hooman Parvardeh·CEO, AssetIntel
Verified client
Other services
Beyond Employer of Record
Each is scoped and quoted against what you actually need.
Payroll only
You have the Indian entity; we run payroll & filings.
PEO / compliance retainer
Full HR + statutory administration under your entity's banner.
Recruitment
One-time fee, charged only on successful joining.
Accounting & back-office
Zoho Books bookkeeping, invoicing & reporting, scoped to need.
Passed through at actuals
What the statutory
employer costs are
These are set by Indian law and are identical for every employer — they are not our fee. We pass them through at actuals, with proofs every cycle.
Provident Fund (EPF)
All eligible employees — "wages" (Basic + DA) must be ≥ 50% of total pay under the new Labour Codes
12% of wages
Employee State
Insurance (ESI)
Employees earning up to ₹21,000/mo gross
3.25% of gross
Gratuity accrual
All employees on the new wage base — fixed-term staff eligible after 1 year; funded via our Group Gratuity Fund
≈ 4.81% of wages
Statutory bonus
Employees within the Payment of Bonus Act wage threshold
8.33% – 20% of eligible wages
Professional Tax
Per applicable state schedule
≈ ₹200/mo (state-wise)
Illustrative summary of common statutory employer costs; exact applicability depends on salary structure and state. We give you an exact cost sheet per candidate before you commit — free.
Comparison
How this compares to
a global EOR platform
The differences that matter are structural, and they do not move with negotiation.
Provider
EOR fee (per employee/mo)
Salary deposit
FX markup / other fees
Focus
Aether Blue
Associates
Quoted per engagement
None
None — actuals with proofs; no setup or platform fee
India specialist ·
Director-level service
Typical global EOR
platforms
$400 – $699
Often ≈ 1–1.5× monthly cost held in advance
FX conversion markups, platform fees &
implementation charges common
Global platforms,
100+ countries
Indicative range of published and independently reported 2026 rates and terms across leading global EOR platforms; individual providers vary by country, headcount and contract. A detailed provider-by-provider comparison is available on request. All providers bill salary, employer statutory contributions and benefits at cost in addition to the service fee.
FAQ
Pricing questions
How do we pay you?
One consolidated monthly invoice in USD, covering salaries, statutory contributions and our service fee. As an exporter of services under LUT, our invoices carry no Indian GST.
How does payment work each month?
We invoice once monthly in USD — salaries and statutory contributions at actuals plus our fee — payable by wire before the salary date. Salaries are paid to employees on schedule every month; we maintain the working discipline that your team's payday is never dependent on same-day transfers. Filing proofs and payroll registers accompany every cycle.
What is your pricing model?
A transparent per-employee monthly fee over actual salary and statutory cost, with no setup fee, deposit or platform fee. The rate depends on your headcount, the roles and where they sit, so we quote it per engagement rather than publishing a list price. Ask us for a sample cost sheet for the role you're planning — it is free and usually with you within 24–48 hours.