Employer of Record in Burkina Faso

Hiring independent contractors has boomed in popularity because of the cost savings and flexibility they offer. It can be a great option if you require niche skills or short-term project support. Contractors allow businesses to access specialized skills quickly, without the time and cost of setting up a local entity.

However, it’s important to know the limits of this model: contractors are not a substitute for full-time employees. Relying on them for ongoing, long-term roles can create serious compliance risks, including employee misclassification, which can lead to fines, back taxes, and reputational damage.

Playroll’s contractor management solutions make it simple to compliantly engage, onboard, and pay contractors around the world. We provide clear visibility into agreements, streamline payments, and reduce compliance risks – so you can focus on getting the work done. And when you’re ready to take the next step, we can help seamlessly convert contractors into full-time employees through our global Employer of Record service.

Businesses can only operate smoothly in Burkina Faso if they comply with local labor laws including drafting compliant employment contract agreements and meeting taxation and payroll obligations. Learn more about the employment laws and regulations in Burkina Faso below, to avoid any compliance issues.

Onboarding Process

We can help you get a new employee started in Burkina Faso quickly, with a minimum onboarding time of just 1-2 working days. The timeline starts once the employee submits all required information onto the Playroll platform and completes any necessary local authority registrations. For non-nationals, the Right to Work assessment (if applicable) may add up to three extra days. Additional time may be needed for follow-ups on this assessment.

In Burkina Faso, you should manage overtime carefully because premium rates escalate depending on timing and day type. In 2026, inspections are expected to continue focusing on correct categorization of night, Sunday, and holiday work.

• Standard Working Hours: 40 hours per week, commonly Monday to Friday.
• Overtime Thresholds: Overtime generally starts after 40 hours per week.
• Overtime Pay Rates: Tiered premiums apply, rising from +15% to +120% depending on timing.
• Daily And Weekly Rest Requirements: Weekly rest must be preserved and reflected in rosters.
• Night Work Restrictions: Night hours attract higher premiums and require careful scheduling.
• Penalties For Non-Compliance: Exposure includes fines and wage underpayment claims.

Global expansion shouldn't mean losing time to paperwork or dealing with complicated, country-specific HR systems. An Employer of Record helps you keep your focus on talent by handling the operational side of employment in Burkina Faso. That includes onboarding, contract management, payroll processing, and statutory compliance, all aligned with local laws and best practices. The EOR guarantees that employees are legally employed and properly supported from day one.

This streamlined setup allows you to prioritize recruiting the best people and integrating them into your company culture. Your team stays lean, and you avoid getting caught up in the details of local processes or shifting regulations. For founders, global hiring managers, or HR teams working across borders, an EOR multiplies your impact, reducing admin time, preventing errors, and helping ensure that new hires have a smooth experience from the get-go.

In Burkina Faso, employers must withhold income tax (IUTS) using progressive rates up to 25%, contribute 16% to social security (covering pension, family allowances, and accident insurance), and pay a 3% employer-apprenticeship tax (TPA). Compliance requires correct registrations, precise payroll calculations, timely monthly submissions, and detailed payslips.

Using payroll software like Playroll helps to automate deductions, simplify filings, and maintain compliance, reducing risk and administrative burden.

Hiring in Burkina Faso means taking on local payroll obligations, which often include unique tax rates, contribution rules, and strict documentation. If you're not familiar with the system, or don't have a local entity, it’s easy to make mistakes. That’s where an Employer of Record ccomes in. The EOR manages payroll for your team on your behalf, ensuring every process is accurate, timely, and legally compliant.

Key Ways an EOR Supports Payroll in Burkina Faso:

• Full Legal Compliance: Ensures all payments, deductions, and filings meet country-specific requirements.
• Payroll Setup & Processing: Handles salary calculations, tax withholdings, and local reporting obligations.
• Statutory Benefit Contributions: Pays into required social programs and manages country-mandated benefits.
• Employee Documentation: Generates compliant contracts and manages hiring and termination paperwork.
• Local Currency Payouts: Delivers salaries in local currency, avoiding delays or exchange rate issues for employees.

In Burkina Faso, foreign nationals who wish to work typically need both the correct entry visa (such as a long-stay visa or visa de long séjour) and an authorization to work, often referred to as a work permit or autorisation de travail. In practice, this usually takes the form of a residence permit with work authorization (carte de séjour avec autorisation de travail) issued after approval by the Ministry of Public Service, Labor and Social Protection and registration with the National Social Security Fund (CNSS).

Employers are expected to justify the need for hiring a foreign worker, demonstrate compliance with local labor standards, and submit supporting documentation before the foreign employee can begin work. Short-term business activities may be carried out on a business visa (visa d’affaires) without a full work authorization, but longer-term or productive work almost always requires a residence/work permit and ongoing compliance with immigration and labor rules.

Mandatory Leave Entitlement in Burkina Faso

The annual leave entitlement in Burkina Faso is 30 days for a full time worker, and recognizes an additional 16 public holidays.

An Employer of Record (EOR) helps businesses manage annual leave, paid time off (PTO), and local holidays across the globe, including in Burkina Faso. By partnering with an EOR, companies ensure full compliance with local labor laws in Burkina Faso when it comes to annual leave and time-off management. EOR providers like Playroll offer platforms that simplify tracking and managing employee time off in Burkina Faso. By outsourcing this responsibility to Playroll, you can streamline leave management, ensure compliance, and free up time to focus on other business priorities.

Designing an effective benefits package in Burkina Faso starts with understanding the mandatory elements: affiliation to the social security system, statutory paid leave, and minimum protections around health and family life. Once you have those foundations in place, you can layer on supplemental benefits that reflect your company culture and compensation philosophy.

Because Burkina Faso’s framework is influenced by OHADA business law and the WAEMU region, but its labor and social security rules are national, you should always localize your policies rather than copy benefits from neighboring countries. Partnering with a local HR or payroll expert, or using an Employer of Record, will help your company stay compliant while offering a compelling package to your team.

• Top mandatory benefits include: registration with the Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale (CNSS) for pensions and employment injury coverage, statutory paid annual leave, paid public holidays, maternity leave, and sick leave with medical certification.
• Other core statutory protections include: overtime pay rules, occupational health and safety obligations, and protections for minors and vulnerable workers, which indirectly affect how you structure work and time-off.
• Top supplemental benefits to consider include: private medical insurance, meal or transport allowances, and performance-based bonuses or 13th-month pay.
• Key legal and tax points include: mandatory CNSS contributions on covered earnings, payroll tax and withholding on taxable benefits, written employment contracts that clearly describe benefits, and proper documentation (payslips, leave records, invoices) to support audits and tax filings in Burkina Faso.

When hiring across multiple countries, maintaining consistency in how you deliver employee benefits quickly gets tricky. Each country, including Burkina Faso, has its own legal rules, cultural norms, and contribution systems. An Employer of Record helps you strike the right balance between global structure and local compliance. They take over the complexity of delivering benefits that are aligned with Burkina Faso’s legal requirements and competitive with local market expectations.

From ensuring statutory benefits are in place to managing local onboarding timelines and enrollment systems, the EOR provides a seamless experience for both employer and employee. This makes it easier to grow your team across borders without reinventing your benefits process in each new location. You stay in control of your overall benefits strategy, while the EOR takes care of executing it in a way that works legally and culturally in Burkina Faso. It’s a smarter way to scale benefits globally without losing local relevance.