Updated on: October 1, 2025
Currency
Colombian Peso (COP)
Employer Taxes
Employer contributions are around 30% of gross salaries, including pension and health insurance.
Payroll Frequency
Monthly
Employee Taxes
N/A
Language
Spanish
Date Format
DD/MM/YYYY
Colombia by the Numbers
Population
52 million
GDP
COP 1.1 quadrillion
Weekly Working Hours
Maximum 46 hours per week (Monday-Saturday). Personnel in managerial or supervisory positions are not subject to the statutory limits on working hours.
National Holidays
6
Hiring Difficulty Score
N/A
Weekly Working Hours
National Holidays
Leave
Holiday, Sick, Maternity, Paternity, Parental, Death.
Employment Contracts
Yes
Types of Employment
Employees, temporary agency workers, independent contractors
Employment Costs
IC Class Factors
A number of factors are used to determine an IC status: Degree of control, subordination, exclusivity, economic risk of individual, integration into the organisation, subcontracting of work.
Labor Leasing
Yes, only if the end client has local presence in Colombia.
Minimum Wage Requirements
The government sets the general minimum wage requirements normally once per year. Those are also set by Collective Bargaining Agreements.
Medical Benefits
Sick pay due to non-work-related illness or injury shall be paid by the Employer for the first 2 days of any period of absence and invoiced to the Client. From the 3rd day onward, the Employer shall pay 2/3 of the Personnel’s salary for up to 180 days. The sick leave allowance (either non-work-related cases and work-related cases) will be paid by the Social Security entities which will reimburse this amount to the employer. As per People2.0 policy, the Personnel is entitled to receive 100% of the salary in either case which should be agreed as an extralegal non salary nature benefit.
Sick pay due to work-related illness or injury shall be paid by the Employer on a rate of 100% of the Personnel’s salary while the Employer requests compensation of the amounts to Social Security. Private EPS medical insurance is a common benefit for companies in Colombia.
Probationary Periods
Probation for fixed-term contracts not exceeding 1-year cannot be higher than 1/5 of the initial term agreed.
Probation for all Personnel under an indefinite-term contract is for up to 2-months.
Termination Notice
There is no notice to terminate a Personnel under an indefinite-term contract required by law.
For fixed-term contracts, Personnel must be provided with a 30-day notice to inform the Personnel whether the contract will be extended or not.
Severance
Severance is due in case of termination of an indefinite-term contract without just cause or early termination of fixed-term contracts by the Employer and is equivalent to the below:
Personnel earning up to 10 minimum salaries per month: 30 days from day 1 of employment up to the 1st year plus 20 days for the subsequent years of employment.
Personnel earning 10 minimum salaries or more per month: 20 days from day 1 of employment up to 1 year; and 15 days for the subsequent years of employment.
For fixed-term contracts, if terminated prematurely, additional severance equivalent to the salaries for the remaining term is due, and in no case can be shorter than 15 days of salary.
Pre-hire Checks
Immigration checks are generally required for expatriates.
Personal information of Personnel, according to Data Protection Law, requires applicant’s consent.
Specific consent required for sensitive information such as a Personnel’s health information for health insurance benefit application process.
Criminal records and drug tests possible only for specific job positions, according to the law. Drug tests are prohibited without prior consent of the Personnel.
Pregnancy tests and credit checks prohibited by law, in any case.
Medical exams or health-related tests are mandatory before the start date and are covered by the Employer, the Personnel are obliged to attend.
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The information provided on this website is for general informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice. The content on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional legal advice, diagnosis, or treatment. While we strive to keep the information up to date and accurate, People 2.0 makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
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