Definitive Guide to Hiring in Tanzania

Hiring in Tanzania

Hiring employees compliantly in Tanzania means doing it yourself or using an Employer of Record like Global Expansion. You should be careful using independent contractor agreements in Tanzania so that you don’t run afoul of employment laws. To hire an employee compliantly and offer them mandatory benefits and compliant agreements, you can:

(a) Establish your own new legal entity, banking, accounting and payroll service in Tanzania; or

(b) use an Employer of Record like Global Expansion who can handle all of the details for you.

Labor Laws in Tanzania

Employee Probation Period

• There is no explicit provision in the Employment and Labor Relations Act 2004 about probation period.
• However, this act implicitly requires a probationary period of 6 months by saying that a worker with less than 6 months of employment may not bring an unfair termination claim against the employer.

Annual Leave in Tanzania

• A worker is entitled to 28 days paid annual leave, inclusive of any public holidays that may fall during the period of leave.

Holidays in Tanzania

Maternity Leave Tanzania

• Female workers are entitled to at least twelve weeks (84 days) of fully paid maternity leave or 100 consecutive days (in case of multiple births) within a leave cycle of 36 months
• A worker is entitled to 84 days paid maternity leave within a leave cycle if the newborn dies within a year of birth.

Paternity Leave Tanzania

• Employment and Labor Relations Act 2004 provides for paid paternity leave of at least 3 days (in a leave cycle of 12 months) for a new father if this leave is taken within the 7 days of the birth of a child.
• The employer may require reasonable proof of birth of child prior to paying for paternity leave.

Sick Leave in Tanzania

• In accordance with Employment and Labor Relation Act 2004, every worker certified by a medical practitioner is entitled to paid sick leave (sickness benefit) for a period of 126 days in a leave cycle of 36 months.

Working Hours in Tanzania

• According to the law, your normal working hours per day are 8 hours and these should not be more than 45 hours per week.
• By including the lunch and prayer time in hours of work, working hours should not be greater than 9 hours a day.

Overtime in Tanzania

• Overtime is compensated at 150% of the salary for anything over 48 hours or 200% for working on a designated holiday or rest day.

Termination of Employment in Tanzania

Termination of employment can be initiated by any of the parties to a contract of employment. Lawful termination of employment under common law includes:

• Termination of employment by agreement:
  • When the employer and employee agree to bring a contract of employment to an end in accordance with an agreement.
  • For example, if there is a contract for a period of one year and the agreed period expires then the contract will obviously come to an end.
• Automatic Termination:
  • A contract of employment may be terminated automatically in circumstances such as death or loss of business of the employer.
• Termination of employment by the employee/Resignation:
  • This happens when an employee due to material breach of the contract by the employer decides to resign from her employment.
• Termination of employment by an employer:
  • An employer may also terminate the employment of an employee but there is a need to comply with the provisions of the law and contract relating to termination.

• Notice period lasts one week if it is served in one month of employment.
• After first month an employee working on daily basis should be served notice four days before termination and if an employee works on monthly basis, the notice period should be 28 days.
• Worker is entitled to the severance pay if he/she has completed at least a year of a service with the employer.
• Severance pay in Tanzania is equal to at least 7 days’ basic wage for each completed year of employment up to a maximum of ten years.

Notice Period in Tanzania

• Notice period lasts one week if it is served in one month of employment.
• After first month an employee working on daily basis should be served notice four days before termination and if an employee works on monthly basis, the notice period should be 28 days.

Severance in Tanzania

• Worker is entitled to the severance pay if he/she has completed at least a year of a service with the employer.
• Severance pay in Tanzania is equal to at least 7 days’ basic wage for each completed year of employment up to a maximum of ten years.

Tanzania Salary and Wages

13th / 14th Month Salary in Tanzania

• No
• There is no statutory requirement to pay the 13th or the 14th month salary.
• Employees receive a generous leave of 28 days.
• There is no evidence that it is customary to give bonuses.

• There is a state social security scheme known as the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), which every employer in the private sector must contribute to.
• The employer’s contribution is 20% of the employee’s cash remuneration; however, the employer is entitled to recover up to half of this from the employee.
• Similar contribution rates apply to the Public Service Social Security Fund (PSSSF) scheme, which is a special fund for the employer and employees in the public sector.
• In the PSSSF scheme, the contribution by employer and employee is 15% and 5%, respectively.

Immigration Tanzania

• Foreign nationals wishing to be employed in Tanzania must obtain both a work permit and a residence permit.
• Work permits enable foreign nationals to work in Tanzania.
• The residence permits allow foreign nationals to live in Tanzania for specific purposes, including employment.
• The permits are issued initially for a period of up to two years and are renewable after two years up to a maximum period of 60 months.
• In exceptional cases, an extension can be granted beyond this period if the company proves it has an investment of great value to Tanzania.
• The foreign assignee must apply for the work permit and residence permit separately before entering Tanzania, with the application for work permit being the basis for the residence permit.
• Work permit and residence permit applications must be accompanied by a succession plan for training a local to fill the position of the foreign national once the foreign national ceases to be employed in Tanzania.
• Class A work permits accompanied by residence permits are available to foreign investors.
• Applicants for Class A work permits must be foreign nationals intending to enter or remain in Tanzania to engage and invest in any of the following:
  • A trade, business or profession
  • Agriculture or animal husbandry
  • Mineral prospecting
  • Manufacturing
• The applicant’s investment in Tanzania must be at least USD500,000.
• The applicant must have a strong financial background.
• Class B work permits accompanied by a residence permit are available to foreign nationals engaged in prescribed professions, which include medical and health care professionals, experts in oil and gas, and university lecturers in science and mathematics.
• Class C work permits accompanied by a residence permits are available to foreign nationals with specific offers of employment in Tanzania.
• The applicant must be a member of a profession recognized by Tanzania, and the government must be satisfied that the applicant possesses the necessary qualifications and skills and that his or her employment will benefit the country.

Residence Permit

• To obtain a residence permit, after obtaining a work permit from the Ministry of Labor, a foreign national must file for review and approval a completed application pack with the Commissioner-General of Immigration.
• After the application is approved and payment of the government fee is made, the immigration office issues a residence permit.
• Applications are completed online and, once approved, an applicant is notified regarding the collection of the permit.
• The Immigration Department has issued a public notice providing that, effective from 31 July 2019, it will stop accepting manual applications.
• A company that has its business registered with the Tanzania Investment Centre is granted a Certificate of Incentives, which entitles it to an automatic immigrant quota of up to five persons during the company’s startup period.

Value Added Tax (VAT) in Tanzania

• The standard rate of VAT is 18%, but the export of goods and certain services is eligible for zero rating.

Mandatory Benefits in Tanzania

• These are mandatory benefits as postulated by law
• These include probationary period, annual leave, public holidays, sick leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, overtime pay, notice period, and severance pay
• Statutory benefits also include social security benefits

Payments And Invoicing

• The statutory tax year for individuals is the calendar year.
• Tax is withheld from employees under the Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) system within seven days after the end of each calendar month.
• Employers must file biannual returns within 30 days of the end of each six-month period.
• Individuals who do not have employment income from a resident employer (that is, not under the PAYE system) but have income or profit earned either from employment or business (consultancy) are required to pay and file provisional tax every last working day of March, June, September and December.
• In addition, a final return is due six months after the end of the respective financial year.

Payroll Accrual in Tanzania

Country Accruals Additional Information

Payroll Accruals Additional Information

Accrued Benefits in Tanzania

Why use Global Expansion to hire in Tanzania

Establishing a branch office or subsidiary in Tanzania can be time-consuming, expensive and complex. With such a robust labor market in place, one must pay great attention to detail when structuring employment because Tanzania labor laws are complex.

The company also has a responsibility to comply with specific employment practices dictated by Tanzania law to maintain its good standing as an equal opportunity employer.

Global Expansion makes it easy for you to expand into Tanzania. We'll help you hire your candidate of choice, handle HR matters and payroll, and ensure that you comply with local laws without the burden of setting up a foreign branch office or subsidiary. In addition, you'll have complete control and direction over your employees.

We enable you to stay in control of everything. Our Tanzania Global Professional Employer Organization (PEO) and Employer of Record (EOR) solution provides you with peace of mind to focus on running your company and the security to enter new markets.