PEO Services in Colombia

A co-employment model for companies that want to share the employer relationship in Colombia rather than hand it over entirely. Worth knowing up front: true PEO co-employment is far less established in Colombia than in the US, so we will tell you honestly whether PEO or an EOR genuinely fits, and place you with the right vetted partner.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • Honest positioning

What a PEO does in Colombia

A Professional Employer Organisation works on a co-employment model. You and the PEO partner share the legal employer responsibilities for your Colombian staff: you keep direction and day-to-day control, while the partner administers payroll, income tax, pension, health, ARL, and HR compliance under a shared arrangement.

01

Shared employer role

You and the PEO partner share the legal employer responsibilities. You keep direction and control; they handle payroll, income tax, pension, health, ARL, and HR administration.

02

More direct control

PEO suits companies that want to retain more direct control of the employment relationship than a full EOR arrangement allows. In Colombia, true co-employment is uncommon, so EOR is usually the better fit.

03

Honest recommendation

For most companies hiring in Colombia, EOR is simpler. We will tell you honestly whether PEO genuinely fits your structure, or whether EOR serves you better.

How PEO works in Colombia, step by step

From assessing the fit to a compliant co-employment arrangement.

01 – Assess the fit

We map your structure, headcount, and how much control you want to keep, and tell you honestly whether PEO or EOR serves you better. No product push.

02 – Set up co-employment

If PEO fits, we place you with a vetted Colombian partner and structure the shared employer arrangement correctly.

03 – Onboard your people

Compliant Colombian employment terms under the Código Sustantivo del Trabajo, with the administrative employer functions handled by the partner.

04 – Payroll & compliance

Income tax, pension, health, and ARL handled monthly, while you keep day-to-day direction.

What PEO in Colombia costs

As with EOR, two parts: the statutory cost of employment (structured across Colombia’s four contribution lines) and the partner service fee.

Employer pension, health & ARL

12% pension, 8.5% health, and ARL by risk class, plus the SENA/ICBF/Caja parafiscales, administered under the shared employer arrangement, with the health/SENA/ICBF exemptions tracked for you where your headcount and structure qualify.

Minimum wage (2026)

COP 1,750,905 per month (the SMMLV) for 2026, one national rate, with the litigation over its calculation method still working through the Consejo de Estado.

Income tax (employee)

Withheld monthly against DIAN’s UVT-based bands as part of the shared payroll administration, rather than added to your invoice.

PEO partner fee

A service fee for the co-employment administration. Under a shared employer arrangement, Colombia’s four-line contribution stack still has to be administered correctly by someone. We benchmark across our vetted network, typically 15 to 25% below going direct.

Why arrange it through Bradford Jacobs

Why companies arrange Colombian PEO through us rather than going direct to a single provider.

We tell you if PEO fits your needs

We are independent: we assess what you actually need, place you with the right vetted partner, secure pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side to escalate or renegotiate. You get advice, not a product pitch.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners only
  • On your side at renewal

Pricing you can’t get direct

Colombia’s four-line employer-cost stack, pension, health, ARL, and parafiscales, makes a co-employment fee easy to misquote if the partner does not track the exemption thresholds. We benchmark across our vetted network for rates typically 15 to 25% below going direct, and renegotiate for you at renewal.

  • 15-25% below direct
  • Network benchmarking
  • Renegotiated for you

Straight to the top when it matters

When something needs resolving, and in global employment it sometimes does, you come to us. We escalate directly, past the helpdesk, to people who can actually move it.

  • Direct escalation
  • No support queues
  • Named account contact

Two decades of placements

Two decades placing and managing employment arrangements across global markets, with the local knowledge that prevents costly Colombian compliance mistakes.

  • Co-employment expertise
  • Honest fit advice
  • Right structure

We flex as your structure changes

PEO, EOR, and your own entity sit on a spectrum, and the right point shifts as you grow. We advise on the path and manage the moves, EOR to PEO, or either to your own Colombian S.A.S., as your Colombian presence develops.

  • EOR, PEO or entity
  • Transitions managed
  • Right fit as you grow

The employer duties a Colombian PEO shoulders

Whichever model you use, the underlying Colombian rules are the same. Under a PEO arrangement, the administrative employer functions are handled for you.

Working time, leave & contracts

Compliant Colombian employment contracts and working-time rules (42-hour standard week from 15 July 2026, graduated Sunday/holiday surcharges, minimum 15 working days’ annual leave). Income tax, pension, health, and ARL withheld and filed correctly. Statutory benefits and severance applied properly.

Statutory protections & exits

Statutory just-cause protections and the indemnización due on unjustified dismissal that Colombian employees carry under the Código Sustantivo del Trabajo, all handled under the shared arrangement. The value is the same as with EOR: the compliance is handled by people who do it daily. The difference is simply how much of the employer role you keep.

What a PEO arrangement covers

The co-employment administration covers all of this, under one transparent fee.

Compliant contract

A compliant Colombian employment contract under the Código Sustantivo del Trabajo, issued and maintained for you.

Payroll & filings

Monthly payroll run, with income tax, pension, health, and ARL calculated, withheld, and filed each month.

Statutory benefits

All statutory benefits administered: annual leave, the prima de servicios, cesantías, and maternity/paternity leave.

Compliance & support

Ongoing HR compliance and a single point of contact, for the life of the engagement.

Your questions answered

Straight answers on how PEO co-employment works in Colombia.

What is the difference between PEO and EOR in Colombia?

With an EOR, the partner is the sole legal employer of your Colombian staff. With a PEO, you and the partner share the employer relationship, you keep more direct control, they handle the administration. In Colombia, true co-employment is uncommon, so EOR is the usual route; PEO suits specific structures.

For most companies, EOR is simpler and faster, especially with no Colombian entity. PEO fits when you want to share rather than outsource the employer role, or have a structure that calls for it. We assess your situation and recommend honestly.

It depends on the structure. Some co-employment arrangements assume or work alongside your own Colombian entity. If you have no entity and want none, EOR is usually the cleaner route. We will confirm which applies to you.

The administrative employer functions, payroll, income tax, pension, health, ARL, statutory benefits, and statutory filings, are handled by the partner. We make sure the arrangement is structured so responsibilities are clear and Colombian law is met.

The statutory employer cost (pension, health, ARL, and parafiscales, roughly 30%+ of salary before exemptions) plus a partner service fee for the co-employment administration. We benchmark across our network for pricing typically 15 to 25% below going direct.

Yes. These models sit on a spectrum and the right one changes as you grow. We advise on the path and manage transitions, EOR to PEO, or either to your own Colombian S.A.S., as your Colombian presence develops.

Not sure whether PEO or EOR is right for Colombia?

Tell us your structure and headcount and we will give you an honest recommendation, usually within a day, plus pricing you will not get direct. No product push, just the right fit.

Tax and labour data verified July 2026 (DIAN, UGPP, Ministerio del Trabajo). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your hire.