Employer of Record · Shanghai
Shanghai Employer of Record (EOR)
Hire in Shanghai without setting up a company. A registered employer holds the contract, NNRoad runs payroll, social insurance and housing fund on Shanghai's rules, and you direct the work.
At a glance
Employing in Shanghai: key facts for 2026
The city's own figures, on top of China's national employment rules.
2,740RMB
minimum monthly wage for full-time work, since 1 July 2025
37,731RMB
monthly ceiling on the social insurance base from 1 July 2026 (floor RMB 7,546)
158days
maternity leave: 98 national days plus 60 in Shanghai
10days
paid paternity leave, plus 5 days' childcare leave a year per parent
Shanghai rules · Reviewed October 2026
All Shanghai rules ↓How it works
How EOR works in Shanghai
The same arrangement as our China EOR service, run on Shanghai's base, rates and leave rules.
Cost
What an EOR hire in Shanghai costs
Shanghai's 2026 employer rates and NNRoad's service fee. Your proposal puts figures on every line.
from30.7%
employer contributions on top of the salary baseEmployment cost
Contribution rates apply to the salary base, between RMB 7,546 and 37,731 a month from 1 July 2026. Work injury depends on the industry.
Know the salary already?Choose Shanghai to see salary, contributions and tax.
Open the cost calculator →Your quote
NNRoad service fee · starting at
$150
per employee
per month
Your exact fee depends on full-time or part-time work, shared or full liability, and any add-on services.
Your proposal also lists
- Benefits you chooseAs agreed
- One-off itemsListed upfront
Sent within 3 business days of receiving the role, salary and start date.
Payroll calendar
A year of employing in Shanghai
The dates we work to, so you know when pay and contributions can change.
Every month · by the 15th
IIT filed and paidTax withheld from the previous month's pay is filed and paid. Wages are paid at least monthly, on the agreed payday.
1 March – 30 June
Annual IIT reconciliationWhere needed, employees settle the previous year's income tax. We prepare the payroll records they use.
1 July
Contribution bases resetSocial insurance and housing fund bases move to the new year's figures, so employer cost can change from July payroll.
By 30 September 2026
Base difference settledContributions owed on the higher 2026 base from July are paid by the end of September, without late fees.
Sources: SAT withholding measures · Individual Income Tax Law · Shanghai HRSS, 2026 base notice · Shanghai Housing Provident Fund Measures, Art. 34 · Shanghai Wage Payment Measures, Art. 6
Local team
Our Shanghai office
Shanghai 200070, ChinaPart of our China team, running EOR and payroll since 2005.
Employment reference
Shanghai employment rules your EOR applies
What Shanghai adds to the national rules. Open any topic for the detail and its official source.
01Pay and minimum wage
| Minimum wage, from 1 July 2025 | RMB |
|---|---|
| Monthly, full-time | 2,740 |
| Hourly, part-time | 25 |
- The monthly minimum excludes the employee's own social insurance and housing fund contributions.
- Wages are paid at least monthly on an agreed payday. If it falls on a holiday, bank payments can't be delayed.
- Overtime is calculated on the contract monthly wage, excluding bonuses and allowances, and never below the minimum wage.
- Each payment comes with a wage statement for the employee.
Sources: Shanghai HRSS, minimum wage notice (2025) · Shanghai Enterprise Wage Payment Measures (2026), Arts. 5, 6, 9
02Social insurance
| Contribution | Employer | Employee |
|---|---|---|
| Pension | 16% | 8% |
| Medical, incl. maternity | 9% | 2% |
| Unemployment | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Work injury | 0.2–1.9% | None |
- Rates apply to the contribution base, which sits between RMB 7,546 and 37,731 a month from 1 July 2026.
- The employer medical rate includes 0.5% local supplementary medical insurance, at this level until February 2027.
- The work-injury rate depends on the employer's industry class.
Sources: Shanghai HRSS, employer rates · employee rates · Shanghai Medical Security Bureau (2026) · unemployment and work injury notice · 2026 base notice
03Housing fund
- The base is the employee's average monthly wage in the previous year.
- It can't go below Shanghai's minimum wage, RMB 2,740, or above three times the city's average wage, RMB 37,731 for 2026.
- Employer and employee each contribute at least 5%. Shanghai publishes the rates each year, and the base resets every July.
Sources: Shanghai Housing Provident Fund Measures, Arts. 16, 17, 33, 34 · Regulations on Housing Provident Fund · 2025 Shanghai average wage
04Leave in Shanghai
| Leave | Entitlement |
|---|---|
| Annual leave, by total years of work | 5, 10 or 15 days |
| Maternity, 98 national + 60 Shanghai | 158 days |
| Paternity, during the partner's maternity leave | 10 days |
| Childcare, each parent, until the child turns 3 | 5 days a year |
| Marriage, on top of the national days | +7 days |
- Paternity and childcare leave are paid at the employee's normal wage.
- The extra 60 maternity days are normally taken straight after national maternity leave, on the same terms.
- The maternity allowance covers all 158 days; the employer pays any shortfall against her pre-leave wage.
- The medical treatment period for sick leave counts service with the current employer only. Shanghai's service-based sick pay percentages expired on 15 August 2026; existing contract and policy terms still apply, and sick pay can't fall below 80% of the minimum wage.
Sources: Shanghai Government, Hu Fu Gui [2022] 18 · Shanghai HRSS, annual leave · Special Provisions on Female Employees, Art. 7 · Shanghai Medical Security Bureau, maternity allowance (2026) · Shanghai medical period standard · Shanghai HRSS, sick pay circular expiry
05Ending employment
- Severance is one month's wage per year of service; six months or more counts as a year, and under six months as half a month.
- For high earners, the monthly figure is capped at three times Shanghai's average monthly wage (RMB 12,577 for 2025), for at most 12 years.
- When the employer ends the contract, all wages owed are paid in one sum as the exit formalities complete.
Sources: Labor Contract Law, Art. 47 · Shanghai HRSS, 2025 average wage · Shanghai Enterprise Wage Payment Measures, Art. 7
06National rules
- Contracts and probation, working hours and overtime, income tax and employee data follow national law, the same across mainland China.
FAQs
Shanghai EOR: common questions
Can a foreign company hire in Shanghai without its own entity?
Yes. Your hire signs a labor contract with a registered employer in China, and we run Shanghai payroll, social insurance and housing fund. You don't need a WFOE or representative office to make the hire.
What does social insurance cost an employer in Shanghai?
16% pension, 9% medical including maternity, 0.5% unemployment and 0.2% to 1.9% work injury, all on the contribution base, plus at least 5% housing fund: from 30.7% in total. NNRoad's service fee starts at $150 per employee per month. See the cost breakdown.
Is the contribution base the same as the salary?
Usually, as long as the salary sits between RMB 7,546 and 37,731 a month (from 1 July 2026). Below the floor, contributions use the floor; above the ceiling, they use the ceiling. The China cost calculator applies both when you choose Shanghai.
Do you have an office in Shanghai?
Yes. Our Shanghai office is at 436 Hengfeng Road, Suite 1804, Shanghai 200070, as part of our China team.
How soon can my Shanghai employee start?
Once the offer is accepted, we sign the contract and register Shanghai social insurance and housing fund before day one. Timing depends on documents and the payroll cut-off.
Can I hire a foreign national in Shanghai?
Yes, once the work and residence permits are in place. Use Expat Employment in China, which plans both together.
We're also hiring outside Shanghai. Can you help?
Yes. Our China EOR service employs in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other mainland cities, with the same single point of contact.
We already have a Shanghai entity. Should we use payroll?
If your company stays the employer, yes: see China payroll outsourcing. If you'd rather not employ directly, ask us whether EOR fits.