Currency: Yuan (CNY)

Capital: Beijing

Official language: Chinese

Payroll Cycle: Monthly

Paid Time Off

In China, employees are entitled to paid holidays based on the length of the labor relationship:

• Less than 1 year of service - The employee isn't entitled to any paid leave
• Between 1-10 years of service - The employee is entitled to 5 days’ of paid leave
• Between 10-20 years of service - The employee is entitled to 10 days of paid leave
• 20+ years of service - The employee is entitled to 15 days of paid leave

Public Holidays

Public Holidays in China highly varies depending on the region. Usually there are 11 Holidays among which you will find:

• Chinese new year Holidays
• National Holidays
• Labor Holidays
• Golden Holidays

Individual Income Tax

The individual income tax depends on many variables, such as marital status, level of income, etc. The average ranges from 3% to 45%.

Employer Tax

34.26% of employee salary

Employment Contract Details

It is mandatory to have the employment contract in writing. The contract must be in Chinese, and it is common to have an English translation.

Probation Period

The maximum probation period is 6 months.

Minimum Wage Requirements

Minimum wage highly depends on the region due to varying standards of living. There is no one minimum wage for the entire country. Beijing's hourly minimum wage is CNY 24 per hour while Shanghai's is CNY 22 per hour.

Maximum working hours and overtime

Maximum working time is generally 40 hours per week and 8 hours a day. However, there are local variations in different cities. An employee can only work a total of 3 overtime hours per workday and no more than 36 hours of overtime per month. The overtime payment rules are as follows:

• Overtime on a weekday: 150% of the hourly rate
• Overtime on a weekend or days off: 200% of the hourly rate
• Overtime on a public holiday: 300% of the hourly rate

Parental Leave

• Maternity leave: Expecting employees are entitled to 128 days of maternity leave (depending on location). Additional days could be granted subject to the medical condition of the employee. Maternity leave is borne by the Social Security Bureau where the employee is enrolled and is compensated depending on the average level of income  of the year prior to childbirth. It cannot exceed 3 times the minimum wage
• Paternity Leave: employees requesting paternity leave are most often entitled to 15 days, though there are specific requirements that vary by location.

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Termination is easily possible when a contract expires or by mutual agreement. Employers need to pay severance, and it's calculated according to the length of the labor relationship:

• Less than 6 months of employment - Half a month's salary
• 6 months to 1 year of employment - 1 month's salary

Notice Period

In China, the minimum required notice period is 1 month written notice to the employee and part ways with mutual consent. The employer may pay 1 month's salary in addition to the severance pay in case the employer does not want to serve one month advance notice period.