Hire Remote Staff in Bulgaria

Why hire in Bulgaria

Bulgaria is an EU member state that joined the euro area on 1 January 2026, which means salaries, contracts and payroll for a new hire are now expressed in euros rather than leva. It also has a sizeable software industry and a high level of English by international comparison: 18th of 123 countries in the EF English Proficiency Index 2025, in the index’s “high proficiency” band. For a small business that wants EU data-protection rules, a written-contract employment system and a working day that overlaps with Europe and the US East Coast morning, it is a practical nearshore option.

The industry body BASSCOM, the Bulgarian Association of Software Companies, publishes Software Industry Facts and Figures for 2024 on its home page: sales revenue of EUR 5.14 billion, export revenue of more than 87 percent, revenue growth of 11.5 percent, a 4.9 percent share of GDP and more than 60,000 employees. These are association-reported figures, not an independent census, but they indicate a mature sector in which you will compete with established employers for experienced engineers.

Where the talent is

Sofia is the capital and the base of the national bodies cited on this page, including BASSCOM, the National Statistical Institute and the data protection authority. To find candidates in a particular region, filter job-board results by location and ask candidates where they work from.

Pay data gives a sense of where the market sits. The National Statistical Institute reports that in the second quarter of 2026 the highest-paid sector was “Information and communication” at EUR 3,079 a month on average gross, against an all-sector average of EUR 1,444. Wages across the economy rose 9.8 percent over the year.

Best roles to hire in Bulgaria

Software development is the best-documented hiring category. The salary table on this page prices junior, mid and senior developers in two of the higher-paid categories (Java and Python) from a job-listing analysis of more than 1,700 advertised salaries (see Sources), plus QA, customer support, accounting and design roles. For service roles, the Customer Support Agent and QA Engineer guides explain how to define the role and test skills. As in any market, a short practical task tells you more than a CV.

Working hours and language

Bulgaria uses Eastern European Time, UTC+2 in winter and UTC+3 in summer. In 2026 the clocks went forward on 29 March and back on 25 October, in line with the EU rule that summer time runs from the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October (European Commission summertime page). Against US Eastern time that is seven hours ahead for most of the year, so a Bulgarian working day overlaps with the US East Coast morning and has little natural overlap with the West Coast. The gap shifts for a few weeks when the two regions change clocks on different dates; check yours with the time-zone overlap tool.

English is widely used in technology and business. The EF index score for Bulgaria is 594, and its reading score (613) is higher than its speaking score (501), a reminder that the national averages describe online test-takers, not your candidate. Ask for a written task and a short call to judge spoken English for the role.

How to hire: three routes

Through an employer of record

An employer of record employs the person under a Bulgarian employment contract, handles payroll, contributions and the register filings, and charges a fee, while you direct the daily work. This is the usual route for a first hire without a Bulgarian company, because the Labour Code requires a written contract and an entry in the employment register before the person starts. Read the employer of record definition to see what the provider carries.

As a self-employed contractor

Some Bulgarian professionals work as self-employed contractors and invoice clients. That suits defined projects and genuinely independent work. If you set hours, direct methods and integrate the person into your team for a long period, the relationship can be treated as employment, so read contractor vs employee and misclassification before you use it for a core role.

Through your own Bulgarian company

A Bulgarian company gives full control and makes sense when you expect a team large enough to justify incorporation, local accounting and payroll. For one or two hires the fixed costs are rarely justified. Use the employer of record versus contractor comparison to decide.

Cost

The salary table on this page shows typical monthly ranges by role from named Bulgarian sources, converted to US dollars with the rate stated in each row. The developer rows are net salaries advertised on a job board, so they understate what an employer pays. Employer contributions come on top of gross pay and are set in the Social Insurance Code and the annual budget laws; the 2026 rates are in the statutory changes section below. Use the Remote Hiring Cost Calculator to add contributions and any provider fee, and the salary benchmark explorer to review ranges.

Bulgaria compared with its neighbours

• Romania: also an EU member with an established IT sector. In the EF English Proficiency Index 2025 Romania ranks 11th and Bulgaria 18th of 123.
• Poland: another EU market; read the Poland guide for its own rules and contributions.
• Ukraine: engineering talent outside the EU, with risks every buyer must assess for themselves.
• For how nearer and farther options compare, read offshoring vs nearshoring and the nearshoring definition.

Employment law basics for your first hire

Employment is governed by the Labour Code. The contract must be in writing (Article 62), the employer must enter the contract data in the employment register within three days of concluding it, and the employee must receive a copy of the contract and of the register entry certified by the National Revenue Agency before starting work (Articles 62 and 63). The normal working week is five days and up to 40 hours, with up to eight hours a day (Article 136). Paid annual leave is at least 20 working days (Article 155). A trial period can be up to six months (Article 70). When an employee resigns from an open-ended contract, notice is 30 days unless the parties agree a longer period of up to three months (Article 326). The compliance notes give the article references, and an employer of record will manage the registration.

Hiring and retention

The market for experienced engineers is active, so a slow process loses candidates. Keep interviews short and practical, give a clear decision date and state the salary range early, in euros. For retention, agree growth paths, review pay at least once a year against current salary sources and give remote hires a named point of contact.

Practical tips

• Give the contract and the certified register entry before the first working day; Bulgarian law expects both.
• Use the trial period deliberately: it can be up to six months, may be agreed in the benefit of one or both parties, and the party it favours can end the contract during it without notice (Articles 70 and 71).
• Quote salaries in euros and say whether a figure is gross or net; Bulgarian job adverts often show net amounts.
• Expect 20 working days of annual leave as a minimum, plus the public holidays listed in Article 154 of the Labour Code.
• Use GDPR-compliant tools and agreements from the start; your Bulgarian hire is subject to the same data rules as any EU employee.

A typical hiring process

• Define the role and set a short, paid practical task so skills and written English are visible before interviews.
• Interview in English for the role, then agree the salary range in euros and the start date.
• Issue the offer and sign the written employment contract (Labour Code, Article 62).
• Have the contract entered in the employment register and obtain the certified copy before work starts; an employer of record does this for you (Articles 62 and 63).
• Set the trial period in the contract if you want one (up to six months, Article 70) and agree notice terms within the Code’s limits (Article 326).

2026 statutory changes

These are the 2026 changes that matter to a small business hiring in Bulgaria.

The euro

The European Central Bank states that Bulgaria joined the euro area on 1 January 2026 and publishes the irrevocable conversion rate of BGN 1.95583 = EUR 1. The Bulgarian National Bank now publishes foreign-currency rates against the euro, as quoted by the ECB. In practice, new contracts and payroll are in euros; if a candidate quotes leva, convert at 1.95583.

Minimum wage

The minimum monthly wage from 1 January 2026 is EUR 620.20 (BGN 1,213), a 12.6 percent increase on the previous BGN 1,077, set by a decree of the Council of Ministers. The minimum hourly wage is EUR 3.74 (BGN 7.31), according to the news agency report of the government decision. The figure is a floor for full-time work, not a market rate for skilled roles.

Contributions

The Social Insurance Code, in the consolidated text published by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, sets the pension fund contribution for people born after 31 December 1959 at 14.8 percent in total (8.22 percent employer, 6.58 percent employee), the sickness and maternity fund at 3.5 percent and the unemployment fund at 1 percent, both split 60:40 between employer and employee, and the universal pension fund at 5 percent (2.8 percent employer, 2.2 percent employee). The workplace accident fund is 0.4 to 1.1 percent depending on the activity, set by the annual budget law. A consultancy tax summary adds health insurance of 8 percent (4.8 percent employer, 3.2 percent employee) and gives a combined employer rate of 18.92 to 19.62 percent and an employee rate of 13.78 percent. Contributions apply up to a monthly ceiling set each year, so ask your provider for the current schedule or use the Remote Hiring Cost Calculator.

Income tax

The same tax summary, last reviewed on 2 August 2026, states that a flat tax rate of 10 percent applies to personal income, with some exceptions. Employers withhold it through payroll. Ask an accountant how it applies to a contractor who invoices you from Bulgaria.

Annual leave

Article 155 of the Labour Code sets basic paid annual leave at not less than 20 working days, with extended leave for categories of work set by the Council of Ministers. A first-time employee can use leave after four months of service.

Sources

• EF English Proficiency Index 2025.
• Bulgarian Labour Code, English text as published (Ministry of Labour and Social Policy).
• Social Insurance Code, consolidated text August 2026 (Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, in Bulgarian).
• European Central Bank, Bulgaria and the euro; Bulgarian National Bank, exchange rates.
• BTA, minimum wage EUR 620.20 from 1 January 2026.
• National Statistical Institute, employees and average wages, second quarter 2026.
• BASSCOM, Software Industry Facts and Figures 2024.
• DEV.BG, IT salaries in 2025; Payscale Bulgaria salary pages.
• PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, Bulgaria individual taxes and other taxes (consultancy summaries).
• Commission for Personal Data Protection (CPDP).
• timeanddate.com, clock changes in Sofia 2026; European Commission, summertime.

References checked on 31 October 2026. Rates and thresholds change; confirm current figures with the National Revenue Agency, your provider or Bulgarian counsel. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice.