Bulgaria has a population of more than 7 million people, with industry, mining, and agricultural sectors leading the economy. If you are just getting started in Bulgaria, or need to improve operations, there are many payroll and employment requirements to ensure compliance.

Payroll and Labor Considerations:

  • Employment contracts must be in writing and contain basic information such as the nature of the job, duration of the agreement, annual leave
  • Minimum wage is 650 BGN per month
  • Overtime is limited to 3 hours per day or 30 hours of day overtime or 20 hours of night overtime per month
  • Severance is paid according to the reason for termination
  • Employers must contribute social security

HR and Statutory Requirements

  • Employees receive at least 20 days of paid leave once they complete 8 months of service
  • Those working in hazardous fields receive at least 5 extra days of paid leave
  • Employees are entitled to sick leave that is paid at 70% of the daily pay for the first 3 days. After 3 days, employees who have worked for at least 6 months are eligible to cash benefits equal to 80% of their paid by the National Social Insurance Institute
  • Females are entitled to 410 days of maternity leave for each child, 45 days taken before the the birth of the child
  • Fathers are given 15 day childbirth leave starting from the delivery date, if they are married or living in the same household as the mother
  • The legal retirement age is 61 years and 8 months for women, and 64 years and 4 months for men
  • To be eligible for retirement, employees must have made contributions for 15 years and worked for 36 years (women) and 39 years (men)

Holidays in Bulgaria

  • January 1 – New Year’s Day
  • January 3 – New Year’s Day observed
  • March 3 – Liberation Day
  • April 22 – Good Friday
  • April 23 – Holy Saturday
  • April 24 – Easter Sunday
  • April 25 – Easter Monday
  • May 1 – Labor Day
  • May 2 – Labor Day observed
  • May 6 – St. George’s Day
  • May 24 – Culture and Literacy Day
  • September 6 – Unification Day
  • September 22 – Independence Day
  • December 24 – Christmas Eve
  • December 25 – Christmas Day
  • December 26 – Second Day of Christmas
  • December 27 – Christmas holiday
  • December 28 – Christmas holiday

Simplify payroll and compliance in Bulgaria with one cloud-based payroll platform to manage payroll across all countries and currencies. With customized reporting and real-time access to payroll, you can view and manage your global employees and ensure compliance. Our hybrid service model provides a dedicated US-based team and in-country experts in Bulgaria to help when questions come up. To learn more about payroll in Bulgaria, click here