Yes, you can fully customize a benefits package for employees hired through an Employer of Record in India. While statutory benefits like Provident Fund, ESI, gratuity, and paid leave follow the law and cannot be reduced, employers can absolutely enhance the total package with richer health insurance, family coverage, wellness programs, allowances, and additional perks.
From our experience supporting 500+ global teams, companies often customize benefits to stand out in India’s talent market while relying on the EOR to keep everything compliant and properly administered.
Customizable benefits you can offer through an EOR
Here’s a direct breakdown of the customizable benefits availed through an Employer of Record:
- Health and wellness upgrades: You can expand benefits beyond statutory minimums by offering private health insurance, higher medical coverage, mental-health support, or wellness reimbursements. Many companies enhance family coverage to attract senior talent.
- Enhanced leave policies: You can increase annual leave, add paternity leave, or introduce wellness days. Companies frequently expand leave entitlements to align with their global policies or improve employer branding.
- Flexible allowances and perks: Employers often provide meal allowances, transport support, work-from-home stipends, home-office setup budgets, laptop allowances, or learning and development reimbursement. These perks can be structured to match your internal culture and remote-work expectations.
- Additional retirement or savings options: Beyond mandatory PF contributions, you may choose to offer National Pension Scheme (NPS) contributions, private retirement plans, or employer-sponsored superannuation funds.
- Other customizable additions: Performance bonuses, ESOPs, top-up insurance plans, accident coverage, travel insurance, and role-specific allowances can all be integrated through the EOR’s benefits administration system.
Mandatory benefits the EOR must follow by law
These benefits cannot be customized below the statutory minimums, but administration is handled entirely by the EOR.
- Provident Fund (PF): A mandatory retirement savings scheme requiring employer and employee contributions.
- Employees’ State Insurance (ESI): Applicable to eligible employees earning below the wage threshold, covering medical and cash benefits.
- Gratuity: A statutory payout after five years of service.
- Statutory paid leave: Earned leave, sick leave, casual leave, and paid public holidays determined by state laws.
- Maternity leave: Fully paid maternity leave as per the Maternity Benefit Act.
The EOR ensures timely enrollment, correct calculations, compliant documentation, and proper tax treatment for all statutory benefits.
How benefit customization works with an EOR?
Before customizing benefits, the EOR helps you understand local regulations, market norms, and cost implications.
Here’s the typical workflow:
- Consultation and design: The EOR’s local experts walk you through best practices, mandatory rules, and competitive benefit structures to help design a package that balances compliance with your global culture.
- Administration and enrollment: The EOR manages all back-office work, employee enrollment, insurer coordination, payroll deductions, and regulatory filings.
- Ongoing compliance: The EOR keeps benefits aligned with Indian labor laws, adjusts policies if regulations change, and ensures accurate monthly contributions and documentation.
- Consistency requirements: For tax and compliance purposes, certain benefits (especially insurance) must follow uniform rules across eligible employees, a process managed by the EOR.
Why companies trust Wisemonk for global expansion?
Wisemonk is an India-specialist Employer of Record that helps global teams hire, pay, and support employees across India without setting up a local entity. We manage statutory benefits, administer customized perks, handle payroll deductions, and ensure full compliance with state and federal laws. Our clients rely on us for transparent pricing, fast onboarding, and high-quality employee support.
Client Review:
“Working with the Wisemonk team in India has been a genuinely positive experience from day one… They’ve offered clear guidance to help us enhance the benefits we provide.”
- Lisa Jones, Chief People Officer at Couch Health
Need help with your global expansion in India? Contact our team to learn how we can support your global operations.