Hiring in the United States means taking on one of the most fragmented employment compliance landscapes in the world.
There is no single federal employment framework: each of the 50 states sets its own rules on payroll tax registration, at-will exceptions, paid leave mandates, and benefits requirements.
A company onboarding a remote engineer in California faces a materially different compliance burden than one hiring the same role in Texas. For foreign companies entering the US market, that state-by-state variation is the detail that most often gets underestimated.
We reviewed 10 EOR providers operating in the US and ranked the strongest options for compliant hiring across all 50 states. The providers below vary on price (from $199 to $700+ per employee per month), entity model, onboarding speed, and how deeply they handle state-level obligations beyond the federal baseline.
Why use an EOR to hire in the United States
The US has no single federal employment contract standard. Each state sets its own rules on termination, paid sick leave, pay transparency, and workers’ compensation, and a foreign company hiring remotely in California faces a materially different compliance burden than one hiring in Texas or Florida.
Getting state-level obligations wrong means back pay exposure, civil penalties, and in some states, personal liability for directors.
An EOR registers as the employer of record in each state where your hire lives, runs payroll through a US entity, and administers ACA-compliant benefits. You avoid the 4 to 8 week entity setup process and the $5,000 to $20,000 in legal and registration costs that come with it.
One caveat: once you cross 15 to 25 employees in a single US state, the annual EOR fee typically exceeds the cost of maintaining your own entity. At that point, a transition plan makes more sense than renewing.
Best EOR Solutions for Hiring in The US: Quick Comparison
We compared 10 EOR providers operating across all 50 US states on the factors that determine a compliant hire: whether the provider runs payroll through its own US entity, how fast they onboard, what state-level compliance they take on, and how they handle the multi-state registration burden that catches most foreign employers off guard.
A second sentence is warranted here: the US is one of the few markets where the provider’s entity model directly affects who bears liability for state tax registration errors, so we flagged that distinction for every provider in the list below.
Top 10 US EOR Solutions in Detail
The providers below are evaluated specifically for hiring in the United States. Each card covers what the provider actually does in this market: the entity model, federal and state payroll tax handling, ACA compliance, onboarding speed, and the multi-state registration obligations they take on.
Strengths and weaknesses are based on verified review data and our independent research, not vendor submissions.
Deel
★ Editor’s pickWhy Deel works in the United States
Deel operates through its own US entity and handles multi-state payroll tax registration, federal withholding, FICA contributions, and ACA reporting from a single platform. For a foreign company hiring its first US employee, that removes months of setup across state revenue agencies and removes the need for a separate US payroll provider.
The platform integrates with over 70 tools including QuickBooks, NetSuite, Workday, and BambooHR, which matters when US finance teams need payroll data feeding into existing systems from day one. Onboarding a US hire takes around 2 business days once offer details are confirmed.
The gap worth naming: Deel’s $599/mo EOR fee sits at the higher end of the market, and its US PEO option at $89/employee/mo is a separate product that does not include international coverage. Teams hiring only in the US and nowhere else will find cheaper options below.
Deel in the United States — at a glance
Rippling
Why Rippling works in the United States
Rippling is the only provider on this list built primarily for the US market and then extended outward. Its domestic payroll covers all 50 states with automatic tax account registration, and the platform connects HR, IT provisioning, and device management into one system. For a US company adding its first international EOR hire alongside an existing domestic team, that consolidation removes a significant amount of vendor overhead.
The EOR module runs on a modular pricing structure layered on top of the base $8/employee/month Unity platform. Third-party analyses consistently place the EOR add-on at $499 to $599 per employee per month, though Rippling does not publish this publicly. For teams already using Rippling for domestic HR, the incremental cost of adding global EOR is lower than switching to a dedicated EOR provider.
The limitation to name: Rippling’s EOR covers around 50 countries directly, compared to 150+ or 185+ for Deel or Remofirst. If your international hiring extends beyond Western Europe and major APAC markets, verify country availability before committing to the platform.
Rippling in the United States — at a glance
Multiplier
Why Multiplier works in the United States
At $400/mo flat, Multiplier is $199/mo cheaper than Deel and Remote for the same EOR service coverage. That gap compounds fast: a 10-person US team saves $23,880 per year compared to a $599/mo provider. The platform runs on a transparent flat-fee model with no setup fees, no termination charges, and no country surcharges, which makes US budget forecasting straightforward from month one.
Onboarding speed is a genuine differentiator. Multiplier is ranked G2’s most implementable EOR for multiple consecutive quarters, and employees in most markets go live within 24 to 48 hours of offer confirmation. That speed holds for US hires too.
The honest gap: Multiplier’s US compliance depth on state-level complexities like California WARN Act obligations, New York paid family leave, or multi-state remote work nexus rules is less developed than Deel’s or Rippling’s. It also lacks native integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, and NetSuite, which creates manual reconciliation work for US finance teams running those accounting systems.
Multiplier in the United States — at a glance
Remote
Why Remote works in the United States
Remote operates 100% owned entities in every country it covers, including the US, and does not use third-party partners at any point in the employment chain. That matters for US hiring because state-level payroll tax liability and workers’ compensation sit directly with Remote rather than with an unnamed in-country partner. For companies in regulated industries or those with legal teams that scrutinise EOR contracts, that single-employer chain is often a requirement rather than a preference.
Remote is also the only provider on this page with built-in equity management tools that let US companies issue stock options and RSUs to international employees from the same platform. At $699/mo it sits at the higher end of published pricing, though the owned-entity model and unlimited indemnity coverage are part of what that fee buys.
No upfront salary deposits by default, which separates Remote from most competitors including Deel and Multiplier, both of which require one month of gross salary as a deposit per employee. For companies hiring multiple US employees simultaneously, that deposit difference can free up meaningful working capital.
Remote in the United States — at a glance
Pebl
Why Pebl works in the United States
Pebl, formerly Velocity Global, has been operating in the US market since 2014 and has completed over 160 cross-border M&A workforce transitions. That track record matters for companies acquiring a US team or inheriting employees through a business purchase, a scenario where EOR providers with less transactional experience often struggle with contract novation and compliance handover.
Its immigration infrastructure, backed by a partnership with Vialto Partners (formerly PwC’s global mobility practice), covers work permit transfers, H-1B filings, and employer sponsorship obligations directly. For companies hiring non-US nationals in the US who need visa maintenance alongside employment, that integration removes the need for a separate immigration law firm in most standard cases.
The gap to flag: Pebl’s published rate is $599/mo standard, but the $399 promotional rate that appears in search results is temporary and not available to all buyers. The sales cycle is slower than Deel or Multiplier, with pricing typically disclosed only on a second call. Build extra time into your vendor evaluation if Pebl is on your shortlist.
Pebl in the United States — at a glance
Globalization Partners
Why Globalization Partners works in the United States
Globalization Partners (G-P) built the EOR model before most of the other providers on this page existed. Founded in 2012, it has spent 13 years building owned legal entities in 180+ countries and has been recognised in Everest Group’s EOR PEAK Matrix for five consecutive years. For an enterprise legal or finance team evaluating an EOR against strict vendor due diligence requirements, that institutional track record carries weight that newer providers cannot match on paper.
Its G-P Meridian platform integrates natively with Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, ADP, and UKG, which are the enterprise HRIS systems that make G-P relevant to larger organisations. The G-P Gia AI tool provides compliance guidance across 50 countries and 50 US states instantly, which reduces the time US HR teams spend looking up state-specific employment rules for each new hire location.
The cost is real. Independent analyses place G-P’s effective EOR rate at $705 to $1,000+ per employee per month, and one documented sales cycle reported a $2,820 setup fee on top of the monthly fee. Pricing is disclosed only after a second sales call and requires sharing employee salary details upfront. For teams under 50 employees, that premium is hard to justify against Deel or Remote at $599 to $699.
Globalization Partners in the United States — at a glance
Remofirst
Why Remofirst works in the United States
$199/mo is the published rate, flat, across all 185+ countries including the US. No setup fees, no termination fees, no country surcharges, no annual contract required. For a startup hiring its first US engineer at $80,000/year, the EOR fee represents roughly 3% overhead versus 8 to 9% on Deel or Remote. That difference funds a meaningful portion of another hire over a full year.
Every client gets a named account manager from day one, regardless of headcount. Remofirst also earned a Leader designation in NelsonHall’s NEAT Evaluation for Global EOR Services in September 2025, one of the few sub-$200 platforms to achieve that alongside providers charging three times the price.
The trade-off is real. Remofirst runs through exclusive in-country partners rather than owned entities, which means complex US employment situations involving multi-state nexus disputes, termination disagreements, or unusual benefit structures move at partner speed. The platform integration library is thin: BambooHR and ADP Workforce Now are available, but there is no native connection to QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, Workday, or Greenhouse. Finance and HR teams at companies running those systems will export CSVs manually each pay cycle.
Remofirst in the United States — at a glance
Omnipresent
Why Omnipresent works in the United States
Omnipresent’s published rate of £499/mo (approximately $630 USD at current rates) sits between Multiplier and Deel on price, but the differentiator is account management. Every client gets a dedicated contact from the first hire regardless of team size. Most competitors at this price point route small accounts through shared support queues or chatbots; Omnipresent does not.
Its strongest market position is Europe, where it has deep compliance infrastructure across the UK, Germany, France, and the Nordics. For US-headquartered teams simultaneously building out a European presence, using one vendor for both reduces the compliance coordination overhead that comes with managing two separate EOR relationships.
For US-only hiring, Omnipresent is not the obvious first call. Its onboarding timeline of one to two weeks is slower than Deel, Multiplier, or Remote. It also does not have a mobile app, which matters for employee self-service on time off and payslips. Teams hiring exclusively in the US and not planning European expansion will find better value elsewhere on this page.
Omnipresent in the United States — at a glance
Oyster HR
Why Oyster HR works in the United States
Oyster’s clearest advantage in the US market is its benefits tooling. Its Salary Insights and Benefits Advisor tools give hiring managers real-time data on competitive compensation and benefits benchmarks by role and state, which is particularly useful for foreign companies that do not have a feel for what US candidates expect beyond base salary. Offering the wrong benefits package is one of the most common reasons US offers get declined or candidates drop out during onboarding.
Reviews consistently cite responsive account management and an intuitive onboarding flow. For HR teams handling their first US hire without a dedicated international employment specialist, that guided experience reduces the risk of missing a state-specific compliance step. Oyster also handles mandatory upfront deposits differently from Remote: it does require them as standard, which is worth factoring into first-month cash flow planning.
At $699/mo, Oyster matches Remote on price but does not match it on entity ownership. Oyster uses a mix of owned entities and third-party vendors depending on the country, which means the legal chain for US employment is not as clean as Remote’s 100% owned model. For teams where that distinction matters, Remote is the more defensible choice at the same price.
Oyster HR in the United States — at a glance
Justworks
Why Justworks works in the United States
Justworks is the only provider on this page that started as a US PEO and added international EOR later, rather than the other way around. Its domestic product covers all 50 states with transparent flat-rate pricing: PEO Basic at $59/employee/month and PEO Plus at $109/employee/month, giving smaller US companies access to large-group health insurance rates they cannot access independently. For a US SMB that already runs payroll through Justworks and now needs to add one or two international hires, that one-platform approach removes a vendor switch.
The international EOR, built on infrastructure from its 2023 acquisition of Via, covers 25+ countries through owned entities. That is narrower than every other provider on this page, but the owned-entity model means the legal chain is clean in the countries it does cover. Review scores on G2 and Capterra sit at 4.6, well above Justworks’ ER editorial score of 4.2, which reflects strong domestic product ratings pulling the aggregate up.
The constraint is straightforward: if your international hiring goes beyond 25 countries, Justworks cannot serve it without a second EOR vendor. Companies planning multi-market expansion into APAC, Latin America, or Africa will outgrow Justworks’ international coverage quickly, and the per-employee EOR fee of $599/mo does not come with the platform depth or integration library that Deel or Rippling offer at the same price.
Justworks in the United States — at a glance
United States Hiring Guide
US employment law: what foreign employers need to know
The US runs on at-will employment by default. Either party can end the relationship at any time, for any reason, with no notice required. The exception is termination for a discriminatory or retaliatory reason, which is prohibited under federal law.
Title VII covers race, colour, religion, sex, and national origin. The ADEA protects employees aged 40 and over. The ADA requires reasonable accommodation for qualified employees with disabilities before any termination decision.
States add protections beyond the federal floor. California extends coverage to sexual orientation, gender identity, and veteran status. New York City adds criminal history protections under the Fair Chance Act.
A company hiring across multiple states needs documentation practices that hold up under the strictest applicable standard, not just the federal baseline.
Montana is the only state that departs from at-will employment. After a probation period, typically 6 months, Montana employees can only be dismissed for cause under the Montana Wrongful Discharge from Employment Act.
Employment contracts, IP assignment, and non-competes
Written contracts are common for senior and technical roles but not legally required in any US state. Most employees work under at-will offer letters, accompanied by a confidentiality agreement, an IP assignment agreement, and an arbitration agreement at onboarding.
Non-compete clauses are where US employment law gets most fragmented. California, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Oklahoma prohibit them. New York significantly restricted them from 2024. Texas and Florida enforce them but apply a reasonableness standard.
Using a single non-compete clause drafted for one state and applying it nationally creates enforceability risk wherever restrictions are stricter.
California Labor Code Section 2870 limits IP assignment to exclude inventions developed entirely on the employee’s own time without company resources. Any offer letter sent to California employees must reference this carve-out.
The Ending Forced Arbitration Act of 2022 prohibits mandatory arbitration for sexual harassment and assault claims. Several states have added further restrictions on employment arbitration; confirm applicability in the employee’s state before including mandatory arbitration language.
US payroll taxes and employer contributions
Federal employer payroll obligations under FICA are Social Security at 6.2% (capped at the $176,100 wage base for 2025) and Medicare at 1.45% with no cap. Federal unemployment tax (FUTA) applies at an effective rate of 0.6% on the first $7,000 of wages in most states after the federal credit.
At the state level, employers must register for income tax withholding in every state where an employee works, typically within 30 days of the first payroll.
State unemployment insurance (SUTA) rates vary: new employers in California start at 3.4% on the first $7,000. Workers’ compensation is mandatory employer-paid insurance in every state except Texas.
Multi-state payroll tax nexus is the compliance gap that catches most foreign employers. A remote employee working from their home state creates registration obligations in that state from day one, regardless of where the company is incorporated.
An EOR handles this automatically. A foreign company without a US entity must manage it state by state, with penalties and back-interest for missed deadlines.
True cost of hiring in the US: a worked example
A software engineer hired in California at $120,000 gross salary through an EOR at $599/month:
- Social Security (6.2%): $7,440
- Medicare (1.45%): $1,740
- FUTA (0.6% on first $7,000): $42
- California SUTA (3.4% on first $7,000): $238
- Workers’ compensation (est. 1.5%): $1,800
- EOR fee ($599 x 12): $7,188
Total above-salary cost: $18,448. Total all-in: $138,448.
This excludes health insurance. A mid-range employer-sponsored plan in California for a single employee adds approximately $7,000 to $9,000 per year in employer premiums. With benefits, total annual cost lands at approximately $145,000 to $147,000 for a $120,000 base salary role.
Working hours, overtime, and state break rules
The Fair Labor Standards Act requires 1.5x pay for non-exempt employees working beyond 40 hours in a workweek. Most professional and technical employees earning above the current DOL salary threshold of $684/week qualify as exempt and are not entitled to overtime regardless of hours worked.
California goes further. Daily overtime at 1.5x applies after 8 hours in a day. Work beyond 12 hours in a day triggers double time. These rules apply to California employees regardless of what the employment agreement says about standard hours.
Meal and rest breaks are not mandated federally but are required by most states. California requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break for shifts over 5 hours and a paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours worked. Missed breaks in California trigger one hour of premium pay per violation per employee per day.
Probation periods in the US
The US has no statutory probation period. Employment is at-will from day one, so dismissal during a 90-day introductory period carries the same legal risk as dismissal after two years. Documentation practices need to be consistent throughout employment, not just after an arbitrary date.
Where probation periods appear in US offer letters, avoid language suggesting the employee has additional job security after the period ends. This can inadvertently create an implied contract and modify the at-will relationship under state law.
Terminating US employees: notice, severance, and WARN Act
At-will termination requires no advance notice and no statutory severance. The only immediate legal obligation is to pay all earned wages, including accrued PTO in states that treat it as earned wages (California, Colorado, Illinois), by the state-mandated deadline. California requires final wages on the last day of employment for involuntary terminations.
The WARN Act requires 60 days’ written notice for mass layoffs of 50 or more workers at a single site, for employers with 100 or more employees. New York’s mini-WARN threshold is 25 workers at employers with 50 or more employees. Missing the WARN Act deadline triggers back pay liability for the full notice period.
Severance is contractual. Market standard is one to two weeks of base pay per year of service, paid in exchange for a signed release of claims.
Employees over 40 must receive at least 21 days to consider a severance agreement and a 7-day revocation period after signing under the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act. A release that skips these requirements does not waive age discrimination claims.
Statutory leave, paid family leave, and public holidays
The US has no federal mandate for paid annual leave, paid sick leave, or paid parental leave in the private sector. The federal baseline is FMLA: 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year for employees at companies with 50 or more employees, covering serious health conditions, new child care, and qualifying military family needs.
Fifteen states plus Washington D.C. mandate paid sick leave. California requires 40 hours minimum per year. New York City requires 56 hours for employers with 100 or more employees.
Paid family leave programmes funded through employee payroll deductions exist in California, New York, New Jersey, Washington, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Rhode Island. New York PFL pays 67% of the statewide average weekly wage for up to 12 weeks in 2025. An EOR hiring in these states must set up correct payroll deductions and provide required programme notices at onboarding.
Private sector employers are not required to provide paid days off for any federal holiday. Market standard is 10 to 11 paid holidays per year.
US employee benefits: health insurance, 401(k), and ACA compliance
Health insurance is the most consequential benefit in US hiring because access to affordable healthcare is largely tied to employer-sponsored plans. A competitive professional offer typically includes medical, dental, and vision coverage with the employer covering 70 to 80% of the employee premium.
The Affordable Care Act requires employers with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees to offer minimum essential health coverage or pay a penalty. Below that threshold, offering health insurance is voluntary but near-universal in professional hiring.
ERISA governs employer-sponsored retirement plans including 401(k). ERISA compliance requires plan documentation, annual Form 5500 filings, fiduciary duty obligations, and non-discrimination testing. Most EOR providers facilitate 401(k) access and ACA-compliant health plans, but depth of plan options varies between providers.
Hiring non-US nationals: I-9, E-Verify, and work visas
Every US employer must verify work authorisation for all employees through Form I-9 within three business days of the employee’s first day. The completed form must be retained for the duration of employment plus three years, or one year after termination, whichever is later. Civil fines for paperwork violations run from $281 to $2,789 per form as of 2024.
E-Verify is mandatory for federal contractors and for all employers in several states including Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, and Mississippi. Most EOR providers handle E-Verify as part of standard onboarding; confirm it is in scope before assuming it is covered.
Common visa routes for EOR-hired professionals: H-1B (specialty occupation, annual cap and lottery, 3 to 6 months processing); TN visa for Canadian and Mexican nationals under USMCA with no cap; L-1 for intracompany transferees requiring one year of prior employment with an affiliated foreign entity; O-1 for individuals with extraordinary ability in their field.
When an EOR files the H-1B petition, the visa is tied to the EOR entity. Transitioning the employee to the client company’s own US entity later requires a new petition, typically taking 3 to 6 months. Pebl (via Vialto Partners) and Globalization Partners handle US immigration in-house. Most other providers refer complex visa cases to external immigration counsel.
Permanent establishment and state tax nexus risk
In the US context, PE risk operates primarily at the state level rather than through federal treaty obligations. A foreign company with an employee working in a US state may create state corporate income tax nexus in that state, meaning state tax may be owed on income attributable to those activities.
California and New York are the most aggressive states in asserting nexus for remote workers. Using an EOR reduces but does not eliminate this risk: the client company still directs the employee’s work and derives economic benefit from their activities in the state.
The IRS guidance on when foreign corporations are considered engaged in a US trade or business applies at the federal level, but state nexus rules are separate and must be reviewed state by state. Review this with a US tax adviser before the first hire, not after.
EOR vs setting up your own US entity
For foreign companies hiring one to fifteen employees across multiple states, an EOR is faster and cheaper by a clear margin. Entity setup costs run $5,000 to $20,000, take four to eight weeks before a single payroll can run, and create ongoing multi-state registration obligations every time a new state is added.
The crossover point is typically 15 to 25 employees concentrated in a single state. At that point, the annual EOR fee usually exceeds the annual cost of maintaining a US entity and running payroll locally.
When an EOR is not the right structure for US hiring
Four scenarios where an EOR structure fails for US hiring:
Roles requiring professional licences where state licensing boards require the employer of record to hold the licence directly. This applies in healthcare, law, financial advisory, certain engineering disciplines, and childcare.
Companies needing their own US entity presence for commercial or regulatory reasons. An EOR employee’s W-2 shows the EOR as the named employer. Some enterprise procurement processes and government contracts require the contracting entity to be the direct employer.
Work that creates federal regulatory obligations that cannot be delegated to an EOR. Defence contractors with ITAR obligations are a common example where the EOR structure creates compliance complexity that legal teams will not accept.
Executive-level roles where equity administration, SEC reporting obligations, or benefit plan compliance make direct employment through a US entity the cleaner approach regardless of headcount.
Best EOR in the United States: FAQs
How much does it cost to hire an employee in the US through an EOR?
EOR fees for US hiring range from $199/month (Remofirst) to $699/month (Remote, Oyster HR), and every employer also pays federal FICA contributions of 7.65% of gross wages, state unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation on top. For a $120,000 salary role in California, total annual employer cost lands at approximately $138,000 before health benefits and $145,000 to $147,000 with a mid-range employer-sponsored health plan included.
Which EOR is cheapest for hiring in the United States?
Remofirst is the cheapest published option at $199/month per employee with no setup fees, no termination fees, and no country surcharges, followed by Multiplier at $400/month, though both use partner-based rather than owned US entities. If a directly owned US entity is a requirement, Deel and Pebl both start at $599/month with confirmed US owned entity infrastructure.
How long does it take to hire someone in the US through an EOR?
Most providers on this page onboard US employees in 2 to 5 business days from the point offer details are confirmed, with Deel and Multiplier completing most US hires in around 2 days and Omnipresent typically taking 1 to 2 weeks. California and New York can add one to two days due to additional state-specific payroll registration requirements.
Is using an EOR to hire in the US legal?
Yes, EOR is a fully legal employment structure across all 50 US states, with the EOR becoming the legal employer of record, registering for payroll taxes in each state where an employee works, administering ACA-compliant benefits, and managing all federal and state compliance obligations while the client company retains day-to-day direction of the work.
What are the notice and severance requirements for terminating a US employee?
The US is an at-will employment market with no federal notice requirement for individual terminations and no statutory severance obligation, though the WARN Act requires 60 days written notice for mass layoffs of 50 or more workers at employers with 100 or more employees, and market standard for involuntary terminations is one to two weeks of base pay per year of service paid in exchange for a signed release of claims.
Do I need a US entity to hire employees in the United States?
No, an EOR allows foreign companies to hire legally across all 50 US states without incorporating a US entity, with the EOR registering for federal and state payroll taxes, administering benefits, and handling all employment compliance, though setting up your own entity typically becomes more cost-effective once you reach 15 to 25 employees concentrated in a single state.
Can an EOR sponsor H-1B or other work visas for US employees?
Some providers can act as the H-1B petitioner and sponsor work visas for non-US nationals, with Pebl (via Vialto Partners) and Globalization Partners handling US immigration in-house, while most other providers refer complex visa cases to external immigration counsel. When the EOR files the petition, the visa is tied to the EOR entity, so transitioning the employee to a client-owned US entity later requires a new petition taking 3 to 6 months.
Does using an EOR in the US create permanent establishment or state tax nexus risk?
Using an EOR reduces but does not fully eliminate state income tax nexus risk, because the client company still directs the employee’s work and derives economic benefit from their activities in the state, and California and New York in particular are aggressive in asserting nexus for remote workers regardless of whether an EOR is the named employer. Any foreign company with this concern should review it with a US tax adviser before making the first hire.
