Hiring in Kazakhstan? Start with the model, not the Tax Code.

Kazakhstan is Central Asia’s largest and most resource-rich economy, but getting your employment model wrong still carries real cost in time, money, and compliance. We help you choose the right way to hire, place you with the right partner, and stay alongside you for the life of the relationship.

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

Central Asia’s largest economy. A brand-new tax code underneath.

Kazakhstan is Central Asia’s largest economy by output, built on oil, gas, uranium, and metals, with a fast-growing finance and logistics sector around the Astana International Financial Centre, but a new Tax Code that took effect on 1 January 2026 rewrote income tax, VAT, and social tax rates in one pass, and layered on a mandatory employer pension contribution that is still rising every year through 2028.

01

Largest economy in Central Asia, still resource-led

Oil, gas, uranium, and metals anchor the economy, with Almaty and Astana driving finance, logistics, and a fast-growing tech and services sector, but Kazakhstan runs its own managed-float tenge (KZT) rather than pegging tightly to a single trading partner’s currency, so exchange-rate movement is a real, ongoing part of your cost planning.

02

A Tax Code rewritten on 1 January 2026

A single national Labour Code, four distinct payroll deductions (income tax, mandatory pension, a newer employer-only pension top-up, and social health insurance) split across three different government bodies, most of which changed rate on 1 January 2026 under a brand-new Tax Code, and dismissal that is only lawful on the fixed statutory grounds the Labour Code sets out, mean your employment structure has to be chosen with care.

03

Independent expert advice

Not sure whether you need EOR, payroll, or your own LLP? We map your headcount, timeline, and risk profile and give you a clear recommendation, not a product pitch.

Four ways to hire in Kazakhstan. Pick once, pick right.

Most businesses arrive having already decided, and often decided too quickly. Here is the honest version of each route. When one fits, the detailed guide is one click away.

Employer of Record

An EOR partner becomes the legal employer of your Kazakhstani staff, handling the contract, payroll, and the statutory deductions across mandatory pension, social health insurance, and social tax, while you direct the work. Operational in days, no LLP needed. Best for testing the market or hiring a small team.

Learn more

Global Payroll

For when you already have a Kazakhstani LLP, or want to consolidate payroll across several countries. You stay the legal employer; a specialist partner runs the monthly calculations across pension, social health insurance, and social tax correctly, including the 2026 Tax Code’s new rates.

Learn more

Entity Formation (LLP)

Your own Kazakhstani company, almost always a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP, товарищество с ограниченной ответственностью, TOO), formed with a charter and registered through the State Revenue Committee, typically within a working day online for a single-founder company. Full control and no per-employee EOR fees, but you carry the registration, the growing employer pension contribution, and ongoing filings. Right when the headcount and permanence justify it.

Learn more

PEO Services

A co-employment model alongside your own Kazakhstani LLP. True PEO co-employment is far less established in Kazakhstan than in the US, so for most companies EOR or managed payroll is the better fit. We will tell you honestly which one your situation calls for.

Learn more

Kazakhstan at a glance

Currency

Kazakhstani tenge (KZT). Salaries are set and paid in KZT; if your budget lives in EUR or USD, exchange movement quietly changes your real cost.

Minimum wage (2026)

KZT 85,000 per month for 2026, held at the same level as 2024 and 2025 after a planned increase was scrapped late in 2025. One national rate, no regional variation to track.

Employer costs

Employers pay a mandatory pension contribution that is still phasing in (3.5% of gross salary for 2026, rising a further percentage point most years to reach 5% by 2028), a 6% social tax under the new 2026 Tax Code, and 3% mandatory social health insurance, a combined employer burden of roughly 12.5% of gross salary for 2026 before any employee deductions.

Leave & Notice

Kazakhstan is not at-will: dismissal is only lawful on the grounds the Labour Code sets out, with at least one month’s notice for redundancy or liquidation and one to two months’ average wage in compensation depending on the ground. Annual leave starts at 24 calendar days, with 6 more for hazardous work, on top of 12 official public holidays in 2026.

Hiring in Kazakhstan: quick answers

The questions we are asked most about hiring in Kazakhstan.

What is the fastest way to hire someone in Kazakhstan?

An Employer of Record. Your hire can start in days, with a compliant Kazakhstani employment contract from day one and no LLP to set up. It is the lowest-risk way to test the market or place a small team.

Do I need a Kazakhstani entity to hire?

No. With an EOR you can employ people in Kazakhstan without your own company. You only need to incorporate an LLP when you are committing to a permanent, larger presence, and we will tell you honestly when that point arrives.

A brand-new Tax Code that changed income tax, social tax, and VAT rates on 1 January 2026, a mandatory employer pension contribution that is still rising every year through 2028, and dismissal that is only lawful on fixed statutory grounds. None of it is a problem when a partner who already knows the rules is running it for you.

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.

Let’s map your Kazakhstan hire.

Tell us who you want to hire and where you are headed in Kazakhstan. One conversation maps your options, flags the risks, and usually gets you to a better answer, and better pricing, than going direct. No pitch.

Tax and labour data verified July 2026 (Kazakhstan Tax Code, Labour Code, Unified Accumulative Pension Fund, Social Health Insurance Fund, eGov.kz). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your hire.