Buying guide
Global payroll
or employer of record?
Start by identifying who will legally employ the worker in each country. That determines the service you need.
Payroll processes pay for your employees
When your business has the employing entity, a payroll service helps calculate pay and administer the agreed payroll processes. Deel Payroll, Rippling Global Payroll and Remote Global Payroll all describe this own-entity route. Ask which calculations, filings, remittances and approvals the provider handles and what remains your responsibility.
An EOR provides the employment arrangement
An employer of record employs the worker through the relevant local arrangement while your business manages the person's day-to-day work. The EOR service can include the employment contract, payroll, taxes and benefits. Confirm the named employer, country and role eligibility, contractual responsibilities and exit terms.
| Question | Own-entity payroll | Employer of record |
|---|---|---|
| Who employs the worker? | Your employing entity. | The employer named in the EOR arrangement. |
| What are you buying? | Payroll processing and related services defined in the contract. | An employment service that includes payroll and agreed local employment administration. |
| What must the quote show? | Payroll scope, local obligations, funding process and implementation. | Service fee, employment costs, benefits, deposits and termination obligations. |
Contractor management is a separate route
Standard contractor tools help administer agreements, invoices and payments. They do not establish that a working relationship is legally independent contracting. An Agent of Record or Contractor of Record arrangement may change who engages the contractor; ask exactly what responsibility transfers. Review classification for the actual country and working relationship.
Use a country-by-country buying brief
- Name the country, worker type, employing entity and intended start date.
- List compensation, benefits and the payroll or employment services required.
- Ask for platform fees, employer costs, deposits, payment/FX charges and implementation costs separately.
- Identify approvals, data migration, integrations, support and payroll cutoffs.
- Confirm termination, worker transition and data-export responsibilities.
Our calculator values a change in administration time using your inputs. It does not calculate statutory employment costs or predict savings from a particular vendor.
Estimate administration time valueSources & verification
Public vendor information checked 28 October 2026. We have not performed hands-on product testing or verified your eligibility. These are ordinary source links; no affiliate tracking is active.