Social Insurance & Payroll Cost
Calculate Cyprus Social Insurance, GHS and employer fund contributions, plus the total cost of employment.
Total cost to employ this person
- Gross salary86.7%
- Social Insurance7.6%
- GHS (GeSY)2.5%
- Redundancy1.0%
- Training (HRDA)0.4%
- Social Cohesion1.7%
Employer contributions
Employee contributions
From employer cost to take-home
Includes €462.00 of employer on-costs
After employee contributions and income tax
Capped contributions use maximum insurable earnings of €68,904 for 2026 (the 8.8% rate is fixed for 2024–2028). The Social Cohesion Fund (2%) has no ceiling. GHS is capped at €180,000 of income. The self-employed instead pay Social Insurance at 16.6% on notional income set by occupation, plus GHS at 4%.
Disclaimer: These calculators provide general estimates based on the 2026 Cyprus tax framework and standard assumptions. They do not account for every personal circumstance, allowance or exemption and are not tax advice. Speak to us before acting on any figure.
How Cyprus Social Insurance and GHS are calculated
Every employed person in Cyprus generates three sets of contributions: the deductions taken from the employee’s gross pay, the larger bundle the employer pays on top, and — for the self-employed — a single combined liability. The calculator above applies the standard 2026 rates to each side so you can see both the take-home impact on staff and the true cost of an employee to the business. Contributions are worked out on gross earnings up to the maximum insurable ceiling, then deducted before income tax is computed.
2026 contribution rates
The table sets out who pays what. Note that the Social Cohesion Fund has no earnings cap, while Social Insurance, the Redundancy Fund and HRDA stop at the €68,904 ceiling.
| Contribution | Employee | Employer | Self-employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Insurance | 8.8% | 8.8% | 16.6% |
| GHS (GeSY) | 2.65% | 2.9% | 4.0% |
| Redundancy Fund | — | 1.2% | — |
| HRDA (training) | — | 0.5% | — |
| Social Cohesion Fund | — | 2.0% | — |
| Total | 11.45% | ~15.4% | 20.6% |
Worked example: a €30,000 salary
Take an employee on a gross annual salary of €30,000, well below the €68,904 ceiling.
- Employee deductions: €30,000 × 11.45% = €3,435 withheld (Social Insurance €2,640 + GHS €795).
- Employer contributions: €30,000 × 15.4% ≈ €4,620 on top of the salary.
- True cost of the hire: €30,000 + €4,620 ≈ €34,620 before any income tax on the employee.
That employer load is a fixed feature of Cyprus payroll, so budget for roughly 15% above headline salary when planning a hire. For the full mechanics, read our Social Insurance & GHS guide or let us run it through our payroll service.
Related guides & services
Frequently asked questions
On 2026 rates an employer pays Social Insurance 8.8%, the Redundancy Fund 1.2%, HRDA 0.5%, the Social Cohesion Fund 2.0% and GHS 2.9% — roughly 15.4% of gross salary on top of the wage itself. The Social Cohesion Fund has no earnings ceiling.
An employee contributes Social Insurance at 8.8% and GHS (GeSY) at 2.65% of gross earnings, a combined 11.45% withheld at source. Both are deducted before income tax is applied, so they also reduce the salary that the income tax bands work on.
Self-employed individuals pay Social Insurance at 16.6% and GHS at 4.0% on their notional or actual income, a combined 20.6%. The Social Insurance element is assessed on minimum insurable amounts set by occupation unless your declared income is higher.
Yes. Maximum insurable earnings for 2026 are €68,904 a year. Social Insurance, the Redundancy Fund and HRDA stop accruing above that ceiling. GHS and the Social Cohesion Fund are not capped by it, so they continue on the full salary.
Employee Social Insurance and GHS contributions are deductible against your taxable income, which is why our income tax calculators ask for income after these deductions. Employer contributions are a deductible business expense for the company.
No. The 2026 reform reshaped the personal income tax bands but left the Social Insurance and GHS contribution rates unchanged. The figures used here are the standard 2026 rates that continue to apply to employers, employees and the self-employed.
Other calculators
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Net Salary Calculator
Gross-to-net pay including tax, Social Insurance and GHS.
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