On payroll within days, not months
Tell us the role, the pay and the start date. We issue the compliant contract, enrol them in the MPF, arrange employees' compensation insurance and set up payroll, with no company to register first.
OCTIS HK • Employer of Record
You found the right person, no company needed to start them
OCTIS is their legal employer on paper and carries the contract, payroll, MPF, employees' compensation insurance and Employment Ordinance side. They work for you and report to you.
- No Hong Kong company needed to put them on payroll
- Nothing held as a deposit before your hire starts
- When you incorporate, the team moves across with contracts, payroll history and leave balances intact
Why OCTIS
They still work for you
OCTIS is the employer for compliance and payroll only. You set the work, the deliverables and the performance. Nothing changes in how your day runs.
Nothing held before day one
Global platforms commonly hold a deposit for each hire before anyone starts. We hold none. You pay for the month you use.
People who know your team, not a helpdesk
You get direct access to HR professionals for everyday questions, and to licensed Hong Kong solicitors on our panel when a case needs legal advice. When someone leaves, we run the notice period, the final pay and the paperwork.
One engagement instead of five vendors
An HR firm, a payroll accountant, a tax advisor, a company secretary and access to panel solicitors, all behind one monthly engagement with OCTIS.
Made for hires that cannot wait for a company
Foreign companies hiring in Hong Kong
You have no Hong Kong entity yet. We employ your person here legally while you build the business, and they work for you as normal.
Companies whose own Hong Kong entity is not ready
Your own company is still being set up, and the hire cannot wait. They start now, and the team moves across when your entity is ready.
Founders testing the market
Most companies start with an Employer of Record to hire fast and test the market. When the headcount grows, you move to your own entity without changing vendor.
Everything that comes with the hire
From the day you brief us, we take on:
- OCTIS as the legal employer in Hong Kong, so you need no company of your own
- A compliant Hong Kong employment contract under the Employment Ordinance, from offer to termination
- MPF enrolment and the monthly contributions, within the statutory limits
- Monthly payroll with employees' compensation insurance arranged, salaries paid out on time
- Inland Revenue Department employer returns for your Hong Kong headcount (IR56E on hiring, IR56F or IR56G on leaving), handled by our tax advisors
- Leave, benefits and statutory entitlements, kept right under the Employment Ordinance
- Onboarding, and offboarding with notice periods and final settlement
- The employer entity's company secretarial and Companies Registry obligations, kept up through a TCSP-licensed partner
- Direct access to HR professionals for everyday questions, and to licensed Hong Kong solicitors on our panel for legal advice
- A clean monthly summary, with nothing to chase
- A move into your own company when you incorporate, with contracts, payroll history and leave balances intact
HOW IT WORKS
From your brief to a hire on payroll, in four steps
01
Send us the role, the pay and the start date
Our HR team prepares the compliant employment contract and handles the registrations with the authorities.
02
We onboard your hire
We issue the contract, enrol them in the MPF, arrange employees' compensation insurance, set up payroll and brief the employee on their entitlements. People do it, not a form.
03
You manage the work, we manage the rest
Direct the daily output as you always do. Our HR, accounting and tax team runs the compliance layer in the background every month.
04
Every month, one clean summary
We pay out the salaries and file the contributions, and our tax advisors handle the employer returns to the Inland Revenue Department. You receive a monthly summary with nothing to chase.
Not sure whether this fits your hire?
Send us the role, the salary and the start date. We tell you how it would run, what stays with you, and when it makes sense to move to your own company.
Your own company later? The team moves with you
When you incorporate, your team transfers across with its contracts, payroll history and leave balances intact. We can incorporate your Hong Kong company and arrange your company secretary through our TCSP-licensed partner, then keep running the same payroll under your own entity.
Switch now
When you are ready for your own company
The same team that employs your people can set up the company, keep its records and run the payroll under it.
EMPLOYING IN HONG KONG
What employing in Hong Kong asks of you, and what we do about it
1Somebody has to be the legal employer
Without a Hong Kong entity of your own, there is nobody to sign the contract, run the payroll or take out the insurance. OCTIS is the employer on paper, so your hire does not wait for a company.
2The Employment Ordinance applies
Contracts, wages, leave and termination all have to follow it, and an employee on a continuous contract (at least 4 weeks, at least 18 hours a week) gets the full statutory entitlements. We prepare the contract and run the offboarding, with licensed Hong Kong solicitors on our panel when you need legal advice.
3The contributions go to the MPF trustee, not to us
MPF contributions are set by law, 5% from the employer and 5% from the employee within the statutory income limits, and are the same whoever the employer is. Employees' compensation insurance is compulsory under Cap. 282. Our payroll accountants calculate the contributions every month, and our tax advisors handle the Inland Revenue Department returns.
4Foreign nationals need permission to work
It comes from the Immigration Department, and approval is not automatic. Plan the start date around it, not around a promise nobody can make.
FAQ
Do my people still report to me day to day?
Yes. OCTIS is the employer for compliance and payroll only. You direct the work, set the deliverables and manage performance as you do today. The contract, payroll, MPF, employees' compensation insurance and Employment Ordinance side sits with us.
What happens to the team when I set up my own company?
They transfer across with their contracts, payroll history and leave balances intact. We can also incorporate your Hong Kong company and arrange your company secretary through our TCSP-licensed partner, then keep running the same payroll under your own entity.
Can I hire a foreign national through you?
Yes, once the person has permission to work from the Immigration Department. Approval is not automatic, so plan the start date around it.
Do you hold a deposit before my hire starts?
No. Global platforms commonly hold a deposit for each employee before day one, plus an exchange-rate spread when it is converted back. We hold nothing before anyone starts.
What does the service cost?
The MPF contributions are fixed by law and are the same whoever the employer is. Our own fee is scoped to your hire and quoted to you before you sign. Send the role and the salary you have in mind and we quote it.
What if I need to let someone go?
Our HR team runs the offboarding: notice periods, final pay, the separation paperwork, the notice to the Inland Revenue Department and the obligations under the Employment Ordinance. When a case needs legal advice, licensed Hong Kong solicitors on our panel give it. You brief us and we handle the process.
How is this different from a standard Employer of Record?
A standard one gives you a legal employer and basic payroll. Behind OCTIS are HR specialists, payroll accountants, tax advisors and a TCSP-licensed company secretary partner working on your account, with licensed solicitors on our panel for legal advice, so you get the whole back office and not only a compliance layer.