Core Service

Payroll in Vietnam for foreign companies

Compliant payroll, expatriate tax, social insurance, and PIT finalisation for local and foreign staff. Payslips, SI filings, and PIT returns — done monthly.

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Overview

Payroll in Vietnam is more than just paying salaries. It includes social, health, and unemployment insurance contributions, personal income tax withholding, work-permit tracking, and year-end PIT finalisation. Our payroll service covers the full cycle: enrolment, monthly processing, payslips, SI filings, PIT returns, and year-end reconciliation.

Who needs this service

  • FDI companies with local and expatriate staff
  • Startups hiring their first employees in Vietnam
  • Representative offices with a small local team
  • Companies with frequent joiners and leavers that need a streamlined process

Legal requirements

Labour contract

All employees must have a written labour contract. Verbal contracts are not recognised under the labour code.

Social insurance

Employees with contracts of 1 month or more must be enrolled in SI/HI/UI. The employer is the registering and contributing party.

PIT withholding

The employer is responsible for monthly PIT withholding and remittance, and for annual PIT finalisation for each employee.

Work permits

Foreign employees must hold a valid work permit or work-permit exemption certificate before starting work.

Pricing

Indicative fees

ItemFee
Per-employee-per-month (PEPM)from USD 25 per employee
Expatriate payroll (with tax equalisation)from USD 80 per employee
Work permit processingfrom USD 1,500 per employee

Fees are indicative and depend on transaction volume, complexity, and reporting requirements. Request a tailored proposal.

Timeline

Typical engagement timeline

Phase 1 · Week 1

Onboarding

Employee data collection, SI registration, payroll system setup.

Phase 2 · Week 2

First payroll

Process first payroll, issue payslips, file first SI/PIT.

Phase 3 · From month 2

Steady state

Monthly payroll by the 25th, monthly SI/PIT filings, quarterly reconciliation.

Watch out

Common mistakes we help you avoid

  • 01Paying in cash to avoid SI/PIT (illegal; penalties apply)
  • 02Excluding fixed allowances from the SI contribution base
  • 03Withholding PIT at the wrong rate (residents vs non-residents)
  • 04Failing to obtain a work permit before the employee starts
Why us

What you get

Compliant by design

All filings, contributions, and PIT withholdings are calculated correctly. Audit-ready documentation.

Expat-ready

We handle tax equalisation, treaty claims, and the multi-currency payroll for expatriate staff.

Year-end ready

PIT finalisation is included. We handle the employee communications, the certificates, and the GDT submission.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Do you process payroll in VND only or also in foreign currency?
Both. Local employees are paid in VND to a Vietnamese bank account. Expatriates on a contract that allows foreign-currency payment can be paid in USD, EUR, JPY, etc. We reconcile the FX at the contract rate agreed with the employee.
How do you handle tax equalisation for expatriates?
We model the tax-equalisation policy, prepare monthly gross-up calculations, project the annual cost, and reconcile to the actual tax paid in both countries. The deliverable is a monthly hypo-tax register for the assignee.
Can you manage social insurance registration?
Yes. We register new employees with the social insurance agency, prepare the monthly contribution file, file the quarterly reconciliation, and handle the SI book and dependent-registration updates.
What happens during a payroll audit?
We represent the company in the labour-authority audit, prepare the supporting documents, attend the on-site review, and handle the remediation. Pre-audit, we run a compliance health-check to identify and resolve issues.
Get Started

Ready to discuss payroll?

Free 30-minute consultation. We'll review your situation and outline a fixed-fee engagement.

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