TL;DR: Links International, Second Talent, AYP Group, Deel and Remote lead the Hong Kong EOR field, with Multiplier, Oyster and Playroll close behind. Published fees run from US$300 to US$699 per employee a month.
Hong Kong adds 5% employer MPF on top of salary, capped at HK$1,500.
Hong Kong's one statutory employer contribution stops growing once pay passes HK$30,000 a month. On a senior hire, the provider's fee is the bigger cost.
I run international employment at Second Talent, where we employ staff in Hong Kong under our own entity.
Quick comparison
| Provider | Hong Kong setup | Published price |
|---|---|---|
| Links International | Own entities, Hong Kong headquarters | From US$300 |
| Second Talent | Own Hong Kong entity | Quote per role |
| AYP Group | Own Hong Kong entity | From US$488 |
| Deel | Not stated on its Hong Kong page | US$599 |
| Remote | Own Hong Kong entity | US$699 |
| Multiplier | Not stated on its Hong Kong page | From US$459, annual |
| Oyster | Not stated on its Hong Kong page | US$699 |
| Playroll | Not stated on its Hong Kong page | From US$399 |
- 1Since 18 January 2026, an employee who works 68 hours in any four weeks qualifies for full Employment Ordinance benefits, even with a short week in between.
- 2Employers can no longer use MPF contributions made after 1 May 2025 to pay down severance or long service payments.
- 3A Top Talent Pass needs no job offer, so a holder can join an EOR payroll without a visa sponsor.
The 8 best EOR providers in Hong Kong
The list leads with providers that hold their own Hong Kong entity and answer during Hong Kong office hours, then the global platforms. Four of the eight say they employ through their own Hong Kong entity.
If a provider's Hong Kong page is silent on ownership, the entry says so.
1. Links International
Links International suits a company that wants a Hong Kong payroll house behind its first hire, not only a software dashboard. The firm has its headquarters in Hong Kong and has sold HR and payroll services for more than 25 years.
Its EOR page answers the entity question in one line: it provides EOR "100% from our own Links entities".
The same page lists the lowest published starting fee on this list, US$300 a month. Once you sign the service agreement, Links says it contacts the employee for contract signing within 48 hours.
Visa applications and renewals sit in the same service, along with recruitment if you have not found the person yet.
Singapore-headquartered Ascentium bought Links in February 2025, and the combined group serves more than 30,000 clients across 14 markets.
Links still trades under its own name, and Scott Thomson, its managing director, leads the group's HR business.
Its site runs a Labour Law Updates section, which earned its place this year.
The continuous contract test changed on 18 January 2026, and a provider that files Hong Kong payroll each month tends to catch that before a global help centre does.
The US$300 is a floor rather than a quote. Links prices Hong Kong by headcount, salary level and the support you need, and it bills expense claims by payout band.
- Best for: a first Hong Kong hire where you want HR advice from a team that files MPF every month.
- Where it struggles: the software is lighter than Deel's or Remote's, and the real fee needs a written quote.
- Price: from US$300 per employee a month.
2. Second Talent
We are on our own list, so read this entry with that in mind. Second Talent suits a company that needs to find the engineer as well as employ them.
Our employer of record in Hong Kong employs your hire under our own Hong Kong entity, run from our office in Causeway Bay.
The contract follows Hong Kong law and assigns IP to your company. We generate it for each role, and the employee signs by e-signature.
We enrol the employee in MPF, file the IR56 forms and track leave, and you pay one US dollar invoice a month. Most employees start within 5 to 10 business days.
Each Hong Kong employment I set up starts with one check: does the hire already hold the right to work here? A permanent resident can start in days.
A foreign hire on a new visa adds the Immigration Department's own four weeks, and no EOR can shorten that.
If you have not found the person yet, we can hire developers in Hong Kong for you from a vetted pool, with first profiles in 24 hours. Across more than 200 client teams we hold a 92% talent retention rate and a 4.9 average client rating.
We employ in nine Asian markets, including mainland China, Taiwan and Singapore.
- Best for: engineering, data and AI hires where you want sourcing and employment under one contract.
- Where it struggles: nine Asian markets only, and frontline volume roles fit less well.
- Price: quoted per role, with no setup or upfront fees.
3. AYP Group
AYP Group suits a company bringing a foreign national into Hong Kong.
Its Hong Kong EOR page says AYP files the work visa application itself, under the General Employment Policy, the Top Talent Pass Scheme or the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme.
AYP states that it runs "a directly owned Hong Kong entity, not a partner network". It quotes as little as five working days to a compliant hire, with MPF enrolment from day one and the IR56E filed with the Inland Revenue Department.
Its pricing page lists EOR from $488 per employee a month.
Sponsorship does not change the government's clock. The GEP route asks for a confirmed job offer and the employer's own company papers, then takes about four weeks once the file is complete.
Approval stays at the Director of Immigration's discretion. A hire who already holds a Top Talent Pass needs no sponsor at all.
Its Hong Kong page already reflects the two biggest recent changes: severance without MPF offsetting from May 2025, and the 468 continuous contract rule from January 2026.
AYP's own guidance puts the switch to your own Hong Kong company at about 30 employees, and it says many clients start on EOR and move across later.
- Best for: foreign hires who need an employment visa, and teams of 1 to 30 in Hong Kong.
- Where it struggles: its pricing page does not state a currency, so confirm the fee in writing.
- Price: from $488 per employee a month.
4. Deel
Deel suits a company that already pays contractors in several countries and wants its Hong Kong employees on the same platform. Its pricing page lists EOR at $599 per employee a month and contractor management at $49.
Its Hong Kong page says a hire could start in as little as two days.
The Hong Kong page puts employer cost at about 5.777% of salary. That is MPF at 5%, employees' compensation insurance at about 0.4%, and an administrative fee of 0.60% applied for worker compensation.
The 5% only holds up to HK$30,000 of pay. On a HK$60,000 salary, the capped MPF works out at 2.5%, so the headline percentage overstates a senior hire's cost.
Our EOR pricing breakdown covers the other charges that sit outside a headline fee.
Deel says more than 250 in-house experts cover local law, tax and payroll. The page does not say whether Deel employs through its own Hong Kong entity or a partner. Ask for the name of the company on the employment contract before you sign.
Deel's own guide to setting up a Hong Kong entity notes that you cannot run your own payroll until you incorporate the company, obtain business registration and set up MPF.
If you later open one, Deel's payroll and PEO products keep the same employees on the platform.
- Best for: mixed teams of contractors and employees on one platform.
- Where it struggles: the 0.60% admin fee sits outside the headline price, and entity ownership needs confirming.
- Price: US$599 per employee a month.
5. Remote
Remote suits engineering teams that grant stock options. Its Hong Kong country page states that Remote owns its own legal entity in Hong Kong and runs its EOR services in-house.
The same page offers stock option administration for Hong Kong staff.
Two details on that page decide a start date. Remote's payroll cut-off is the 10th of the month, so a contract signed after it can push the first full pay cycle back.
A non-national also goes through a right-to-work check that adds three days. Remote's own average onboarding time is 2.3 days, measured across its platform rather than for Hong Kong alone.
The same page sets out the Hong Kong basics a contract must carry. Probation runs one to three months, and the contract has to state it.
Annual leave starts at seven days and rises to 14 after nine years, and sick pay runs at 80% of wages from the fourth day of illness. Severance is two thirds of the last full month's salary per year of service, capped at HK$15,000 a year.
The pricing page lists EOR at $699 per employee a month, the joint highest published price here. Payroll for staff on your own entity costs $29.
- Best for: engineers on equity, employed on a provider-owned entity.
- Where it struggles: the highest list price on this page, and visa sponsorship is not described on its Hong Kong page.
- Price: US$699 per employee a month.
6. Multiplier
Multiplier suits a startup ready to commit for a year in exchange for a lower software-led fee. Its Hong Kong EOR page, updated on 8 October 2026, lists plans from $459 per employee a month, billed annually.
The pricing page puts the Growth plan at $519 and adds a $6 background check per hire. Annual billing shows as an 8% saving on monthly, so a month-to-month contract costs more than the headline.
Multiplier says it acts as the legal employer in Hong Kong and runs payroll, MPF, contracts and benefits from one platform.
It claims it can onboard a Hong Kong employee in under 48 hours, against four to eight weeks to register a local company.
Immigration support covers more than 140 countries. Its Hong Kong page already carries the minimum wage of HK$43.1 an hour that took effect in May 2026.
The Hong Kong page does not say whether the employing entity belongs to Multiplier or a partner. That matters less for one hire than for a regional deal, where ownership can differ country by country.
Ask for the Hong Kong entity's name and registration number.
- Best for: startups building a small team across several Asian markets on one dashboard.
- Where it struggles: the headline price assumes annual billing, and entity ownership needs confirming.
- Price: from US$459 per employee a month, billed annually.
7. Oyster
Oyster suits a distributed company that wants visa sponsorship from a global platform rather than a regional firm.
Its country availability list shows three products for Hong Kong: Employer of Record, Global Contractors and Visa Sponsorship.
Oyster's Hong Kong guide sets out the sequence. Oyster issues an offer letter within 48 hours of receiving the candidate's details, and the candidate signs online.
It then enrols the employee in MPF inside the statutory 60-day window and files the IR56E with the Inland Revenue Department.
The guide is clear on who holds the risk. Oyster is the legal employer on paper, and your company has no direct employment relationship with the worker under Hong Kong law, while you still direct the daily work.
The pricing page lists EOR at $699 per employee a month, with an annual seat-based option at a reduced fee it does not publish.
Oyster says a local legal counsel reviews each agreement it uses in Hong Kong, and that it adds no termination fees or currency markup. Neither page says whether Oyster employs through its own Hong Kong entity or a partner.
- Best for: remote-first teams that need a visa route and one global contract.
- Where it struggles: joint highest list price, and the annual discount is quote only.
- Price: US$699 per employee a month.
8. Playroll
Playroll suits a company testing Hong Kong with one or two hires and no long commitment. Its Hong Kong EOR page prices the service from $399 per employee a month, on a separate bill from payroll, with no setup fees or minimum term.
Playroll drafts contracts in English or Chinese.
The page works a full example. A HK$30,000 salary adds HK$1,500 of employer MPF and about HK$45 of employees' compensation insurance, for HK$31,545 before the fee.
Playroll prices insurance at about 0.15% of payroll, while Deel uses about 0.4%. Premiums depend on the insurer and the job, so ask for the actual policy cost.
Playroll's page also commits the EOR to file the IR56E notice with the Inland Revenue Department within three months of the start date, and the IR56F within three months of an exit. Immigration support covers more than 95 countries.
The Hong Kong page does not say whether Playroll employs through its own entity or a partner.
- Best for: a single test hire where a low fee and no lock-in matter most.
- Where it struggles: US$399 is a starting price, and entity ownership is not published.
- Price: from US$399 per employee a month.
Three more providers employ in Hong Kong and suit narrower cases. Skuad lists Hong Kong EOR at $399 a month, discounted to $299 at volume. RemoFirst starts from $199 a month, with the fee varying by country.
Globalization Partners, now G-P, quotes Hong Kong on request.
What a Hong Kong employee costs, and the rules behind it
Hong Kong's statutory layer is thin. Employer and employee each pay 5% of relevant income into MPF, counted between HK$7,100 and HK$30,000 a month, so the employer share stops at HK$1,500.
An employer who misses the 60-day enrolment window faces a fine of up to HK$350,000, and employees' compensation insurance is compulsory on top.
The minimum wage rose to HK$43.1 an hour on 1 May 2026.
Since 18 January 2026, the continuous contract test accepts 17 hours in each week or 68 hours across four weeks, so part-timers on uneven rotas qualify for leave and holiday pay sooner.
From 1 May 2025, employers can no longer offset severance or long service payments with MPF contributions made after that date.
A long service payment after five years runs at two thirds of monthly wages per year of service, with wages capped at HK$22,500.
Hong Kong has 15 statutory holidays in 2026, with Easter Monday added, and Good Friday follows in 2028.
The Labour Department's Concise Guide covers leave and termination in full, and our Hong Kong payroll, benefits and tax guide covers Salaries Tax.
Hiring in Hong Kong with Second Talent
Most teams that ask us about a Hong Kong EOR are still looking for the engineer. Second Talent finds that person and employs them under our Hong Kong entity, on one contract.
If you are also weighing Singapore, our Singapore EOR list covers it.
Tell us the role and we will come back with candidates and the full Hong Kong cost.
Frequently asked questions
What is an employer of record in Hong Kong?
An employer of record is a company that becomes the legal employer of your staff in Hong Kong when you have no local entity. It holds the contract and runs payroll, MPF and tax filings, while you direct the work.
What's the best EOR for hiring employees in Hong Kong?
Links International for local payroll depth, Second Talent if you also need to find the hire, and AYP Group for foreign hires who need a visa. Deel and Remote suit teams already on a global platform.
Can an EOR sponsor a work visa in Hong Kong?
Yes. AYP Group and Oyster list visa sponsorship for Hong Kong. GEP processing takes about four weeks, and Top Talent Pass holders need no sponsor.
How much does an EOR cost in Hong Kong?
Published fees run from US$300 to US$699 per employee a month. Add salary, employer MPF of up to HK$1,500 a month, and employees' compensation insurance.
Is a Hong Kong EOR the same as a China EOR?
No. A Hong Kong EOR employs under Hong Kong law and runs MPF. A hire in Shenzhen or Shanghai needs a mainland employer and social insurance, covered in our China EOR provider list.
