versatileclub
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The real cost of hiring in India breaks into four numbers.

Gross salary, plus employer PF at 12%, ESI at 3.25%, gratuity accrual at 4.81%, plus our $149 flat fee per employee monthly. No hidden charges. The calculator below runs your salary band and shows the complete monthly amount.

Gross salary plus employer costs, then our fee. Twelve percent PF, 3.25% ESI, 4.81% gratuity, plus $149. Run your numbers in the calculator and see the full monthly total.

Speak to sales EOR vs entity, in detail

G2 4.8 / 5 on G2, from companies employing teams in India through us.

Teams building in India. First hire to full team.

Cost arithmetic: EOR versus building an entity.

Four costs separate the paths. Our route: one per-employee fee covering employment and filings. Your entity: upfront incorporation, then ongoing overhead every month.

Own entity route

EOR route (us)

Before anyone starts
Incorporation filing fees, director approvals, name and trademark checks, registration costs
An agreement signature
First hire timeline
Six months of registration plus configuration
Five business days
Monthly employment cost
Accountant fees, payroll software subscription, tax consultant retainers
$149 per employee
Statutory liability exposure
Your company bears PF interest (12% yearly) and damages (up to 25%)
Versatile bears this liability
Compliance labor
Your team or external consultants track and file PF, ESI, TDS, professional tax
Our team handles all filings
Getting out
Formal deregistration, final settlements, compliance clearances, months of process
Written notice. No fee, no lag

Own entity route
Before anyone starts Incorporation filing fees, director approvals, name and trademark checks, registration costs
First hire timeline Six months of registration plus configuration
Monthly employment cost Accountant fees, payroll software subscription, tax consultant retainers
Statutory liability exposure Your company bears PF interest (12% yearly) and damages (up to 25%)
Compliance labor Your team or external consultants track and file PF, ESI, TDS, professional tax
Getting out Formal deregistration, final settlements, compliance clearances, months of process

EOR route (us)
Before anyone starts An agreement signature
First hire timeline Five business days
Monthly employment cost $149 per employee
Statutory liability exposure Versatile bears this liability
Compliance labor Our team handles all filings
Getting out Written notice. No fee, no lag
Month 1
Approvals and name reservation
Month 2
MCA incorporation filing
Month 3
Tax registrations and codes
Month 4
Payroll system setup
Month 5
Bank account and integrations
Month 6
Hiring begins

Missed statutory deadlines compound into penalties fast.

PF challan missed by even a few days costs 12% interest yearly, with damages potentially adding another 25%.

On our registration, we hold the liability. Your company faces no enforcement or notice.

Speak to sales
One unpaid PF challan, compounding Interest and damages grow daily
₹6,200 Day 1
₹41,500 Day 30
₹1,84,000 Day 90
₹3,12,000 Day 180
Calculated for one challan at a baseline payroll. Amounts scale with wage levels and delay duration.
Notice and liability routing
Your entity's filing You pay
Filing on our entity Versatile pays

At certain team sizes, your own entity math shifts. The last FAQ question marks that threshold. Use the EOR versus entity calculator to find your breakeven size.

What gets included in your monthly fee.

Employment, compliance, payroll and support all roll into one number. Salary and statutory are separate pass-throughs at cost. No hidden charges, no surprise additions.

You run

  • What people build and their delivery timeline
  • Performance reviews and career decisions
  • Compensation changes and promotions

We handle

  • Employment agreement under our name
  • Payroll processing on the 30th
  • PF, ESI, professional tax, TDS filings
  • Leave accounting, exits and settlements

You run
  • Define what the team builds
  • Run performance and feedback cycles
  • Approve raises and advancement
  • Lead the team normally

We handle
  • Employment paperwork and contracts
  • Full payroll administration monthly
  • All statutory filing and proof
  • India-side HR and records
  • Gratuity, leave, final settlements
  • Employee support on payroll topics

When something happens in India, it is ours.
A PF demand letter We respond
A salary discrepancy We investigate and correct
Tax rules change We implement the changes

A named compliance manager owns your account. Not a queue, not a chatbot, one person who already knows your headcount and your last filing.

Account managerMedian first reply 4 to 6 hours
Recruitment coordinatorBrief to shortlist 9 days
Finance associateFilings on time 8 / 8

Candidates come pre-vetted for fit.

Communication, timezone alignment and cultural fit get screened. You see a ready-to-interview shortlist within nine days.

Cost control and retention monitoring.

We track compensation trends and engagement signals. Fixes happen before attrition happens.

Payroll questions route to us.

Employees ask us about leave, taxes and benefits, not you. You stay the manager, not the benefits coordinator.

Transition to ownership is built in.

Moving the team to your entity later keeps tenure, gratuity, PF history and every employment date unchanged.

Candidates come pre-vetted for fit.

Communication, timezone alignment and cultural fit get screened. You see a ready-to-interview shortlist within nine days.

Most EORs do not screen before sending resumes.

Cost control and retention monitoring.

We track compensation trends and engagement signals. Fixes happen before attrition happens.

Preventing a resignation costs far less than replacing someone.

Payroll questions route to us.

Employees ask us about leave, taxes and benefits, not you. You stay the manager, not the benefits coordinator.

Your overhead drops, satisfaction rises.

Moving someone across

Move your India team without resetting their records.

If staff already work in India, shifting them to our registration costs zero employment continuity. Service dates, gratuity clock and PF UAN all travel intact.

Tenure Kept
Gratuity clock Kept
PF and UAN Continuous
Payroll gap 0 days

We have moved 200 people in a single payroll cycle without a break in service.

Supporting evidence

The entity details, verified in advance.

Your team sits on Foo Falcon Technologies Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru, established in 2022.

  • Incorporation
  • GST
  • EPFO code
  • ESIC
  • Shops and Establishments
  • PAN and TAN
  • Udyam MSME
What we verify
  • Incorporation Ministry of Corporate Affairs
  • GST Goods and Services Tax
  • EPFO code Employees Provident Fund Organisation
  • ESIC Ministry of Labour and Employment
  • Shops and Establishments Government of Karnataka
  • PAN and TAN Income Tax Department
  • Udyam MSME Government of India

Registration certificates sent as PDFs. No additional outreach follows.

200

people onboarded to our entity in one cycle, with zero PF continuity breaks

33

monthly invoice cycles on a single account, no payment delays or disputes

5 days

from offer acceptance to first payroll execution

G2 4.8 / 5 on G2, from companies employing teams in India through us.

G2 4.8 / 5 on G2, from companies employing through us.

Transparent pricing in practice.

How customers experience cost clarity and compliance when hiring through an already-incorporated entity.

Video
Bharath Rasoi KS Rajeshwari Founder, Bharath Rasoi
Video
Open Theatre Anand Raj Founder, Open Theatre
Abid Hassan Verified client
Sensibull
“They moved fast and took the whole compliance side off my plate. For a founder making an early India hire, that is exactly what you want.”
Abid Hassan Founder and CEO, Sensibull
Via G2
Moonshot
“Every option was either 'set up your own entity' or a platform that quotes a great price then hits you with add-ons. Versatile was the one that actually made it simple. First payroll ran on time. No scramble.”
Angad S. Co-Founder, Moonshot
Via G2
Digital Marketing Agency
“Contracts, PF, ESI, TDS and payroll all in one place. Invoicing in USD meant zero exchange rate surprises. The compliance rigour is genuinely reassuring.”
Vedant T. Founder, Digital Marketing Agency
Via G2
Design Studio
“Setting up in a new country can get messy fast, but their India EOR made onboarding feel easy. The team is responsive, clear, and great to work with.”
Setu C. Studio Owner, Design Studio
Via G2
US Startup
“We used Versatile to hire our first employee in India after months of putting it off because the compliance side seemed like a mess. They walked us through it and now we don't think about it.”
Verified US Founder First-time Founder, US Startup
Via G2
Mid-Market Tech Co.
“Versatile consistently delivered work that was both strategically sharp and execution-ready. Their turnaround times are impressive, and they think about problems the way an in-house team would.”
Shivani K. Senior Manager, Tech TA
Via G2
Growth-stage Startup
“Their team was highly responsive, professional, and easy to work with. They made a complex process feel simple.”
Mukul S. Core Team, Growth-stage Startup

Case studies.

Largest food delivery app in India, decacorn View case study The world's largest professional network, part of Microsoft View case study Legacy US software company, publishing platforms View case study

Simple, flat pricing with no surprises.

One $149 per-employee monthly fee, or $129 after twenty. Salary, taxes and statutory pass through at actual cost. No setup fees, no exit charges, no minimum contract length.

Employer of Record

The base service
$149 /employee/mo

Scale to twenty-one employees and the rate becomes $129 for the whole team. Monthly billing in your currency. Withdraw anytime.

Start calculating
  • Employment under our entity
  • All statutory processing monthly
  • Invoice in your home currency
  • Day-five onboarding SLA
  • Dedicated compliance point person
  • Payroll operations specialist assigned
  • Employee portal and monthly payslips
  • Offboard to your entity whenever
  • Employment under our entity
  • All statutory processing monthly
  • Invoice in your home currency
  • Day-five onboarding SLA
Four more included benefits
  • Dedicated compliance point person
  • Payroll operations specialist assigned
  • Employee portal and monthly payslips
  • Offboard to your entity whenever

Planning more than twenty hires? Speak to sales.

Recruitment

Candidate sourcing
12% of annual CTC

Junior to mid-senior at 12%. Senior roles 15%, leadership negotiated individually. Your own candidate referrals are free.

Submit a role
  • Interview-ready shortlist in nine days
  • Local salary data and benchmarks
  • Interview coordination across zones
  • Billed at day ninety only
  • Senior positions at 15%
  • Director level scoped per role
  • No fee for your referrals
  • Staff onboard to our entity or yours
  • Interview-ready shortlist in nine days
  • Local salary data and benchmarks
  • Interview coordination across zones
  • Billed at day ninety only
Four more details
  • Senior positions at 15%
  • Director level scoped per role
  • No fee for your referrals
  • Staff onboard to our entity or yours

Hiring multiple roles or leadership? Speak to sales.

Pricing shifts at twenty-one

$149 $129 /employee/mo

The discount applies to the entire team automatically. No renegotiation, no minimum term imposed.

Your monthly fee covers

  • Employment contract signed by our entity
  • Payroll run and itemized payslips monthly
  • PF, ESI, professional tax and TDS filing
  • Gratuity expense accrued monthly
  • Group health insurance
  • Single invoice in your currency
  • Annual tax form and onboarding support
  • Offboarding and final dues calculation

Employee twenty-one triggers the discount for everyone

$149 $129 /employee/mo

All seats reprice to $129 that month. Same entity, same support, no contract adjustment.

Your monthly fee covers

  • Employment contract signed by our entity
  • Payroll run and itemized payslips monthly
  • PF, ESI, professional tax and TDS filing
  • Gratuity expense accrued monthly
  • Group health insurance
  • Single invoice in your currency
  • Annual tax form and onboarding support
  • Offboarding and final dues calculation

Recruitment charges 12% of annual CTC, billed at day ninety for junior and mid-level roles. Salaries, employer statutory contributions and other direct payroll amounts flow through at cost, with no markup. Equipment, workspace and insurance are partner-billed as consumed. The EOR versus entity calculator runs your scenario quickly.

Questions on hiring costs in India.

What costs break down, how they compare to entity ownership, and when your own company becomes the better math.

What is the total monthly cost to hire someone in India?

Gross salary plus employer statutory costs (PF 12%, ESI 3.25%, gratuity 4.81%), plus $149 flat per employee. A $3,000 monthly salary becomes roughly $3,639 including all employer costs and our fee.

How does the $149 fee break down?

One all-in number covering employment paperwork, statutory filings (PF, ESI, professional tax, TDS), payroll processing, portal access, an assigned compliance manager and a payroll specialist.

Do you charge setup fees or exit costs?

No. Zero upfront charges. When you leave, no penalties apply. You cover salary and statutory for the notice period and that is it.

How much does India hiring cost versus the US?

30-40% of the all-in US cost for equivalent talent. A $120,000 US all-in hire (salary plus benefits and overhead) runs roughly $36,000 in India, end-to-end.

What are the employer statutory costs in India really?

Provident fund (12% of salary), ESI (3.25% up to a wage cap), gratuity accrual (4.81% over two years of service), and TDS (withheld from salary based on tax brackets). These are pass-through, not our profit.

Is the $129 discount real when I hit twenty employees?

Yes. At employee twenty-one, your entire team reprices from $149 to $129. It happens automatically in that month's billing, no renegotiation needed.

Can I move to my own entity and take the cost savings?

Yes. If your team grows enough, incorporating becomes cheaper long-term. We transition people with service history, gratuity and PF status fully intact in one payroll cycle.

At what company size should I incorporate instead?

Roughly forty to fifty full-time employees, depending on your salary bands, your location, and your growth rate. The calculator models your exact scenario. Below that, EOR costs less, hands down.

Longer reading: EOR India 2026 · EOR India playbook · Pay employees in India

Tell us where you are on the decision.

A role you want to hire, a team you want moved, or just the two routes to compare. A named person replies in 4 to 6 hours.

A named person replies in 4 to 6 hours, not an autoresponder.

We use these details to respond to your enquiry.

A named person replies in 4 to 6 hours, not an autoresponder. We use these details to respond to your enquiry.

What the first call covers

30 minutes

A cost comparison for your headcount, on your numbers, both routes.

  • A written cost breakdown
  • Entity documents before the call
  • PF, ESI, TDS, termination law
  • No follow-up sequence
Book a call →

You pick the time, we send a Meet link. Any timezone.

See pricing Speak to sales