EOR Fee Comparison — Worked Examples: 1 Employee in Germany vs 5 Employees in India

The EOR Fee Comparison tool takes a headcount, a target country, and a provider shortlist, then returns a ranked fee table sorted by annual cost. Below are two worked examples showing how the output changes as headcount scales.

What Does One Software Engineer Hired via EOR in Germany Cost?

Inputs used: 1 employee, Germany, all providers with published pricing, monthly EOR fee model. The tool sorts by annual fee ascending.

Provider Monthly EOR fee Annual EOR fee Annual premium vs cheapest Pricing model
Remofirst $199 $2,388 Per-employee flat fee
RemotePeople $299 $3,588 +$1,200 Per-employee flat fee
Playroll $399 $4,788 +$2,400 Per-employee flat fee
Multiplier $459 $5,508 +$3,120 Per-employee flat fee
Deel $599 $7,188 +$4,800 Per-employee, no setup fee
Oyster HR $699 $8,388 +$6,000 Per-employee (Business tier, annual billing)

What this shows: For a single hire, the choice of EOR provider creates a $6,000 spread in annual fee cost. At this headcount, the fee difference is likely secondary to compliance depth and local entity model. Germany has a complex payroll tax regime (wage tax Klasse I–VI, social insurance splits, Elterngeld) that rewards providers with an owned German GmbH over those relying on a third-party employer.

What Do Five Marketing Hires via EOR in India Cost?

Inputs used: 5 employees, India, providers with per-employee pricing. The tool multiplies the monthly fee by headcount and annualises.

Provider Monthly per employee Monthly total (5 EE) Annual total Annual premium vs cheapest
Remofirst $199 $995 $11,940
RemotePeople $299 $1,495 $17,940 +$6,000
Multiplier $459 $2,295 $27,540 +$15,600
Deel $599 $2,995 $35,940 +$24,000
Oyster HR $699 $3,495 $41,940 +$30,000

What this shows: The $24,000 annual spread between Remofirst and Deel at five employees exceeds the cost of a junior HR hire in India, at this scale, EOR fee becomes a material budget line. The tool also flags that India-specific compliance (PF, ESI, gratuity accrual, TDS filing) varies significantly across providers; fee alone should not determine the shortlist.

How Do You Read the Tool Output?

Three decisions the tool cannot make for you:

Entity model: Whether a provider operates through an owned Indian subsidiary or a third-party employer affects your employees’ payslip and your audit exposure. The comparison tool shows fees; the Coverage Lookup tool shows entity model.

Volume discounts: Several providers (including Deel and Multiplier) offer negotiated rates above 10 employees. The tool uses published list prices. Actual contract pricing will differ.

FX cost: The tool shows USD fees. If your budget is in GBP or EUR, the effective cost changes with exchange rate. Remote charges 0% FX markup (confirmed); most other providers do not disclose their FX spread publicly.