Zambia

• New Year's Day
• New Year Holiday
• Women's Day
• Youth Day
• Youth Day Holiday
• Good Friday
• Holy Saturday
• Easter Monday
• Kenneth Kaunda's Birthday
• Labour Day
• African Freedom Day
• Heroes Day
• Unity Day
• Farmers Day
• National Prayer Day
• Independence Day
• Christmas Day

Working Hours

Employees can work up to eight hours a day, or 48 hours per week.

Minimum Wage

Three minimum wages apply in Zambia:

• Domestic workers: ZK 522,400 per month
• General workers: ZK 1,132,400 - 2,101,039 per month
• Shop workers: ZK 1,132,400 per month

Employee Tax

Annual income	Tax rate
Up to ZMW 54,000	0%
ZMW 54,001 - 57,600	25%
ZMW 57,601 - 82,800	30%
More than ZMW 82,800	37.5%
Pension contribution	5%
Health insurance contribution	1%

Bonuses

There are no statutory bonus schemes in Zambia.

Employment contracts in Zambia can be written or oral. However, even if a contract is concluded orally, employers must issue a written record of service within one month of the employee’s start date.

The record of service must include:

• Employee name, sex, and nationality
• Employer name, address, and occupation
• Start date
• Job title
• Whether the contract is written or oral
• Workplace
• Salary

Annual Leave

Minimum of 24 days' paid holiday per year after six months of service.

Sick Leave

Employees in Zambia can take up to 26 days of paid sick leave. A medical certificate must be provided.

Parental Leave

• Maternity leave: at least 120 days' paid leave, provided the employee has at least two years of service.
• Paternity leave: none.

Termination Process

Employment contracts cannot be terminated without a valid reason connected to the worker’s capacity or conduct, or changes in operational requirements.

Severance Pay

Employees are entitled to at least two months' wages for each year of service.

Under a Mauve Group Employer of Record (EOR) solution, clients and their international workers benefit from Mauve’s Global Master Insurance Programme—a market-leading, unified corporate insurance system that links all Mauve entities to two preferred providers. As part of our global Employer of Record services, this programme ensures that companies expanding globally through our EOR service have access to reliable and compliant insurance coverage for overseas employees.

The insurance provides comprehensive coverage in international locations via a combination of the master policy and jurisdiction-specific local policies where required by law. This ensures full compliance and protection in line with local employment regulations—key to any international Employer of Record solution.

The policies include:

• Employer’s Liability and Public Liability – £10,000,000 combined limit
• Professional Indemnity – £5,000,000 limit
• Worker’s Compensation – Limit varies depending on the country of employment

For detailed information about statutory and recommended EOR insurance coverage in your chosen country, get in touch with Mauve’s global compliance team.