Hiring Staff in Suriname

Register as an employer

A business that pays wages to employees must withhold wage tax. Register in the online portal of the Belastingdienst; an employer has one tax number (FIN) for all its employees.

What you pay and withhold every month

Deadlines

Wage tax and AOV: the law allows until the 7th working day after the end of the month, but the Belastingdienst portal accepts the return only from the 26th up to and including the 10th of the next month. File by the earlier date. The APF premium is due on the 15th. Once a year you also file the annual wage summary (verzamelloonstaat), which can be done online.

Minimum wage

From 2026-07-01 the minimum wage is SRD 61.25 gross per hour, for all sectors.

Working hours and overtime

An employee works at most 8.5 hours per day or 48 hours per week. Overtime needs a permit from the Labour Inspectorate, usually up to 64 hours per week; the Minister of Labour can allow up to 72 hours in special cases.

Overtime is paid at 150% of the wage on a normal day and 200% on a Sunday or rest day; 300% on public holidays when the collective agreement says so.

Holidays

After a full year of service an employee has 12 working days of holiday, rising by 2 days each following year up to 18. For each holiday day taken, the employee also receives a holiday allowance of half a day's wage. Unused days are paid out when employment ends.

Holiday allowance and a bonus (gratificatie) are each tax-free up to one month's wage, with a maximum of SRD 19,500 per year.

Contracts and dismissal

Probation, notice and dismissal are regulated by law. Get advice from the Ministry of Labour or a lawyer before you end an employment contract. All labour laws can be downloaded from the government website.