Why hire in Turkmenistan through an EOR
The employer carries all of it — and expatriate hires may be exempt entirely
Turkmenistan's pension contribution runs entirely through the employer at 20% of gross remuneration — employees contribute nothing to the main scheme. More usefully still: income paid to expatriate employees generally isn't subject to the pension insurance payment at all, a genuinely significant detail for the kind of foreign-specialist hire our clients often need. There's also a strict local-hiring quota worth knowing about upfront.
No entity required
Employ staff in Turkmenistan without registering a company or running your own pension insurance filings.
Expat exemption checked
Expatriate employees are generally exempt from the 20% pension contribution — we confirm this applies before you commit.
Foreign-hire quota understood
Only 10% of an employer's workforce can be foreign nationals — worth knowing before you plan a hire.
Independent advice
We confirm whether the expatriate pension exemption applies before quoting — it can remove the entire 20% employer contribution.
Deal directly, if you'd rather
A genuinely uncommon market to have covered
Turkmenistan is a market very few international HR and payroll providers bother covering. If you have a real need here, get in touch and we'll walk you through exactly what applies to your specific hire — including whether the expatriate pension exemption applies to your situation.
Ask about a Turkmenistan hire →Employer costs at a glance
Turkmenistan's headline numbers
Employer costs explained
An employer-funded system, with a real exemption worth knowing
Pension insurance — 20%, employer-only
Turkmenistan's pension insurance runs at 20% of an employee's total remuneration, paid entirely by the employer — local employees make no mandatory contribution to the main scheme at all (though they may opt into a voluntary 2% additional pension). Roles classified as hazardous carry a further 3.5% employer contribution to professional pension insurance.
The expatriate exemption — genuinely significant
Income paid to expatriate employees is generally not subject to the pension insurance payment at all. For a client hiring a foreign specialist rather than a local employee, this can mean the entire 20% employer contribution simply doesn't apply — a real, material difference in the cost of the hire, and worth confirming specifically for your situation before you budget.
The 10% foreign-worker quota
Employers must prioritise local citizens, with only 10% of the total workforce permitted to be foreign nationals. This is a genuine planning constraint worth factoring in early, particularly for a client considering more than one foreign hire in Turkmenistan.
Employment basics
What's standard for a Turkmenistan employment contract
Pension insurance
20% employer, 0% employee (local)
Expatriate employees are generally exempt from this contribution entirely.
Income tax
10% flat
A single rate applied broadly to employment income.
Annual leave
24 calendar days minimum
Additional days apply for certain professions and working conditions.
Maternity leave
112 days paid
Supported through the social insurance system.
Before you budget a Turkmenistan hire
Get our free spreadsheet of employer social charges across 150 countries and see how Turkmenistan compares.
Common questions
Hiring in Turkmenistan, answered
Does the 20% pension contribution apply to a foreign specialist hire?
Generally, no — income paid to expatriate employees is typically exempt from Turkmenistan's pension insurance payment. This can make a foreign specialist hire genuinely cheaper on the employer side than a local one, though we confirm this applies to your specific situation before you commit.
Is there a limit on how many foreign staff I can employ there?
Yes — foreign nationals can make up no more than 10% of an employer's total workforce, so this is worth planning around from the outset if you're considering more than one hire.
Do I need a Turkmenistan entity to hire someone there?
No — through an Employer of Record arrangement, we become the legal employer, handling pension insurance, tax withholding, and the quota rules, while you keep full control of the person's day-to-day work.
Ready to talk about a Turkmenistan hire?
Tell us the role and whether it's a local or expatriate hire, and we'll give you the real cost and the fastest compliant route.
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