Hire in Argentina
Argentine Republic — 46 million population, $13,650 GDP per capita. Everything you need to know about employment law, tax, compliance and hiring in Argentina.
Capital
Buenos Aires
Currency
Argentine Peso (ARS)
Languages
Spanish
Time zones
UTC-3 (ART)
Hiring overview
- Typical time to hire
- 2-3 weeks for contractor, 4-6 weeks for full-time
- Entity requirement
- Argentine entity (SA or SRL) required for direct employment.
- EOR available
- Yes — from $399/employee/month through a Corpshore entity
- Contractor of record
- Yes — from $39/worker/month
Employment law
- Standard workweek
- 48 hours (8 hours/day, 6 days) or 45 hours in practice
- Maximum weekly hours
- 48 hours
- Minimum annual leave
- 14 days (up to 5 years tenure), rising to 35 days (20+ years)
- Public holidays
- 15 per year
- Maternity leave
- 90 days (45 before, 45 after), fully paid through social security
- Paternity leave
- 2 days (statutory); collective agreements often extend to 10-15 days
- Notice period
- 15 days during probation, 1 month (under 5 years), 2 months (5+ years)
- Severance
- 1 month salary per year of service (or fraction over 3 months). Double severance periodically mandated by emergency decree.
- Probation
- 3 months (extendable to 6 months by collective agreement)
- Overtime rules
- 50% premium on weekdays, 100% on Saturdays after 1pm, Sundays and holidays
Tax overview
- Income tax range
- 5% to 35%
- Corporate tax
- 25% (net income up to ARS 50M) to 35%
- Social contributions
- Employer: ~24% (jubilacion, obra social, asignaciones). Employee: ~17%.
- VAT / GST
- 21% (standard); 10.5% reduced; 27% on utilities
- Tax year
- Calendar year (Jan-Dec)
- Treaty network
- ~20 tax treaties; limited compared to peers
Compliance landscape
- Worker classification
- Strong employment presumption under Ley de Contrato de Trabajo (LCT). Monotributo regime exists for genuine independent contractors but is scrutinised. Penalties for fraud include criminal liability.
- Data protection
- Ley 25.326 (Personal Data Protection Act, 2000). Argentina is one of the few Latin American countries with EU adequacy status for data transfers.
- Right to work
- DNI (national identity document) required. Foreign workers need a residence permit (temporary or permanent) with work authorisation.
- Non-compete
- Not specifically regulated. Courts assess enforceability based on reasonableness, duration, geographic scope, and whether compensation is offered.
- Collective bargaining
- Mandatory sector-level collective agreements (CCT) cover most formal workers. Union density is high (~40%). The CGT is the dominant labour confederation.
Payment rails
Currency controls (cepo cambiario) make international transfers complex. The official vs. parallel exchange rate gap has historically been significant. Wise operates but rates reflect the official channel.
Key considerations for hiring
- Aguinaldo (13th salary) paid in two installments (June and December)
- Currency controls create complexity for USD-denominated compensation
- Double severance has been periodically imposed by emergency decree since 2019
- Strong tech talent pool, especially in Buenos Aires, at competitive rates relative to skills
Business and cultural context: Argentina
Business culture
Intellectual, debate-oriented, European-influenced. Personal relationships matter deeply. Business lunches are long and substantive. Portenios (Buenos Aires residents) are known for directness.
Key industries
Talent pool strengths
Historical context
Argentina's tech sector has grown despite economic volatility. The country produces more software engineers per capita than any other in Latin America. Mercado Libre, Latin America's largest e-commerce platform, was founded in Buenos Aires in 1999.
Ready to hire in Argentina?
Use our EOR service from $399/month and we handle employment law, payroll, tax and compliance in Argentina for you.