How to Hire Employees in Argentina: A 2026 Guide for Overseas Companies
To hire an employee in Argentina, you need an employer registered with ARCA, the federal tax and social security agency: either your own Argentine company or an employer of record that employs the person for you. Then you set pay against the minimum wage and the applicable collective agreement, sign a contract, register the employment before the first day and run monthly payroll, including the aguinaldo. This guide walks through each step for companies hiring from abroad.
Step 1: Decide who will employ the person
An overseas company cannot simply add an Argentine resident to its home payroll. Someone has to be the employer in Argentina, register the employment and pay contributions locally.
| Option | When it fits |
|---|---|
| Your own Argentine company or branch | You plan a growing team, local sales or a long-term base, and can handle registration and ongoing filings |
| An employer of record | You want to hire one or a few local employees soon, without an entity |
| A contractor | The work is a defined project by a professional who runs their own business and invoices you |
| Hiring a foreign national | The person needs residence that allows work; see Hire Foreigner in Argentina |
For a closer comparison of the models, read EOR vs PEO in Argentina.
Step 2: Check the candidate’s identity and right to work
Check the candidate’s identity and CUIL, the labour identification number used for payroll and social security. A DNI is the usual identity document. ANSES also provides a CUIL application route for eligible foreign nationals who do not yet hold a DNI; a DNI alone is not the test of permission to work.
Other foreign nationals need a residence category that authorises work, such as temporary residence as a migrant worker under the Migration Law. Employing someone without it can lead to fines for the employer. See the National Migration Directorate for the routes.
NNRoad’s Argentina EOR service covers local employee hiring. Foreign employee engagements are assessed through our separate Hire Foreigner in Argentina service.
Step 3: Find the collective agreement and set the pay
Most employees are covered by a collective agreement (convenio colectivo de trabajo, CCT) negotiated for the employer’s activity. It sets minimum pay by job category, extra items such as attendance bonuses, and how often scales are updated. Senior and executive roles are often outside the agreement, but that has to be checked, not assumed.
The national minimum wage is ARS 391,200 a month from 1 October 2026, rising monthly to ARS 406,400 in December 2026 (Consejo del Salario). Agreement scales are usually higher.
Decide the pay currency and your review policy before the offer. Since Law 27,802, salaries can be agreed in pesos or in foreign currency. With inflation, many employers review pay more than once a year.
Step 4: Budget for the costs on top of salary
| Cost | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Employer contributions | 24% of gross pay, or 26.4% for large service and commerce employers, with no ceiling |
| Aguinaldo (13th salary) | Half of the highest monthly salary in each half-year, paid by 30 June and 18 December |
| Work-risk insurance (ART) | Premium set by the insurer for the activity |
| Group life insurance | Small fixed premium per employee |
| Employee contributions (withheld, not extra) | 17% up to a monthly ceiling, plus income tax |
For initial planning, contributions, ART and aguinaldo can add roughly 35%–40% to twelve months of base salary for an office role. This is an illustration, not a statutory rate or a complete budget: life insurance, vacation-pay uplift, collective-agreement items, benefits and termination costs may add more. See the Argentina EOR cost guide for assumptions and the cost calculator for an indicative estimate.
Step 5: Write the contract
The default in Argentina is an indefinite-term contract. Fixed-term contracts must be in writing and are lawful only for objectively temporary work. A written contract in Spanish is still best practice for every hire. It should state:
- Job title, category and the collective agreement that applies
- Start date and the 6-month probation period
- Salary, currency, pay items and how bonuses work
- Working hours, place of work and any remote-work arrangement
- Confidentiality, intellectual property and data protection
The general probation period is six months. A collective agreement may extend it to eight months for employers with 6–100 workers, or one year for employers with up to five. It cannot be used again for the same employee with the same employer. Dismissal during a valid probation period does not attract ordinary seniority severance; the employer is also exempt from notice under LCT article 231(b). Accrued salary, leave and proportional aguinaldo remain payable.
Step 6: Register the employment and set up payroll
The employer registers the employee with ARCA before work starts (the “alta temprana”), enrols them with the work-risk insurer (ART) and the health fund (obra social), and opens a salary account for payment. Unregistered or late-registered employment is a serious breach, with fines and back contributions.
Each month the employer calculates gross-to-net pay, withholds employee contributions and income tax, issues a payslip, files the F.931 return and pays contributions to ARCA. Monthly salaries are paid by the fourth working day of the following month.
Step 7: Working hours, leave and holidays
| Topic | The rule |
|---|---|
| Hours | 8 a day and 48 a week (Law 11,544). Overtime at +50% on working days, +100% on Saturdays after 1 p.m., Sundays and holidays |
| Vacation | 14 to 35 calendar days by length of service, usually between 1 October and 30 April, with written notice |
| Sick leave | Full pay for up to 3 or 6 months per illness by length of service, doubled with dependants |
| Maternity leave | 90 days, paid as an allowance by ANSES rather than by the employer |
| Public holidays | National holidays set by law, plus bridge days announced each year |
Step 8: If the employee works remotely
Remote employees remain subject to Argentine employment law. The Telework Law (Law 27,555) currently covers equipment, connectivity costs and the right to disconnect. Article 199 of Law 27,802 repeals it from 1 January 2027. Document the arrangement and review the rules and collective agreement applicable when the employee starts; repeal does not automatically remove contractual obligations.
Argentina is on UTC−3 all year. That gives a good overlap with the Americas and a few shared hours with Europe.
Step 9: Ending the employment
After probation, employer notice is generally one month for service of up to five years and two months for longer service, or pay in lieu. For dismissal without cause, LCT article 245 provides one month of the legally defined salary base per year of service, counting a remaining fraction exceeding three months as another year, subject to the statutory cap and minimum. Non-monthly items such as aguinaldo are excluded from that base. Accrued entitlements and, where applicable, wages for the remainder of the dismissal month are additional. Check any special protection before serving written notice.
The final settlement, including unused vacation and the proportional aguinaldo, is paid within four working days, and the employer issues the work certificate required by the LCT.
Hiring checklist for Argentina
- Decide who the employer is: your own entity or an EOR
- Confirm the candidate’s DNI and CUIL, or the right residence for a foreign national
- Identify the collective agreement and category; check the minimum wage
- Agree the pay currency, bonus terms and review policy
- Budget contributions, ART, life insurance and the aguinaldo
- Sign a written indefinite-term contract with a 6-month probation
- Register the employment with ARCA before day one
- Set up ART, health fund, salary account and payroll
- Agree remote-work terms, equipment and IP assignment in writing
Questions about hiring in Argentina
Can a foreign company hire employees in Argentina without a local entity?
Not as a direct employer. Without an Argentine entity, an employer of record can employ the person for you while you direct the work. See how NNRoad’s Argentina EOR works.
How long does it take to hire someone in Argentina?
With an EOR, a local hire can usually start within a few weeks of accepting the offer, once documents are ready and registration is done. Setting up your own company first usually takes months.
What is the probation period in Argentina?
The general period is six months for an indefinite contract. A collective agreement may extend it to eight months for employers with 6–100 workers or one year for employers with up to five. During valid probation, ordinary seniority severance does not apply and the employer need not give notice under LCT article 231(b). Accrued employment entitlements remain payable.
Do I have to pay a 13th salary?
Yes. The aguinaldo equals half of the highest monthly salary in each half-year, paid by 30 June and 18 December.
Can I hire an Argentine employee as a contractor?
Only if the work is genuinely independent: a defined project, the person’s own business and tools, and no direction like an employee. Otherwise a court can treat it as employment.
Can I pay an Argentine employee in US dollars?
Since Law 27,802, the salary can be agreed in pesos or foreign currency and paid into the employee’s salary account. Contributions and tax are still calculated in pesos.
Hiring your first employee in Argentina?
If you do not have an Argentine company yet, NNRoad can employ your hire through our Argentine employing partner.