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Undoubtedly, payroll is a critical process for any organization. The pay cycle in Armenia refers to the period for which an organization pays its employees, and this can vary depending on the pay frequency that the organization chooses to adopt.

The payroll cycle in Armenia is generally a monthly cycle, with wages paid on the 15th day of the following month.

There is no mandatory or customary 13th salary payment in Armenia.

The minimum wage in Armenia for 2023 is AMD 75,000 per month.

Employees earn 150% of their normal hourly rate for each hour of overtime work. Employees earn 130% of their normal hourly rate for each hour of night work.

Armenia has a law on keeping personal employee records for income tax and what information should be kept, but no specific time frame for how long records should be kept is noted. Armenia's compensation and benefit recordkeeping laws could not be confirmed.

Labour legislation legally guarantees equality of parties of labor relations irrespective of their gender, race, nationality, language, origin, citizenship, social status, religion, marital and family status, age, philosophy, political party, trade union or public organization membership, or other factors unrelated to the employee’s professional qualities.

The following documents are required during onboarding:

• Candidate Full Name
• Address
• Contact Number
• Email Id
• Copy of Identification card
• Work Visa/Permit
• Educational Certificates

Armenian law allows for a maximum six-month probationary period. Both the employer and the employee have the right to end the employment contract with a three-day written notice during the probationary period.

National Holidays

Below are the official holidays in Armenia:

• January 1: New Year's Day
• January 2: New Year's Day (Day 2) 
• January 6: Christmas Day
• January 28: Army Day
• March 8: International Women's Day
• April 24: Genocide Remembrance Day 
• May 1: Labour Day/May Day
• May 9: Victory and Peace Day 
• May 28: Republic Day National holiday
• July 5: Constitution Day
• September 21: Independence Day
• December 31: New Year's Eve

Annual paid leave in Armenia is minimum, extended, and additional. 

The minimum annual paid leave in Armenia is 28 days. Extended and additional paid annual leave of up to 35 days (or up to 48 days in some exceptional cases) are granted to employees performing work in hazardous conditions, or in conditions of intellectual or emotional stress.

Employees provide paid sick leave to their employees from the 2nd to the 5th day. After the 6^th, employees are covered by social insurance.

Pregnant employees receive 140 days (70 days of pregnancy, 70 days of childbirth), 155 days (70 days of pregnancy, 85 days of childbirth) – of complicated childbirth, 180 days (70 days of pregnancy, 110 days) in case of having more than one child at a time. In case of premature birth, unused days of maternity leave are added to the days of maternity leave. The daily benefit is 100% of the insured’s average monthly earnings (regardless of the number of years of covered employment) divided by 30.4 (average number of days in a month)

Fathers can take five days of paid leave within the first 30 days after the child is born.

Voting leave: Employees are entitled to a paid leave of absence in the following cases:

• when summoned as a witness, victim, expert, specialist, and interpreter, by preliminary investigation bodies, the prosecutor’s office, and the court;
• when participating in court hearings as an employee’s representative.

Bereavement Leave: Employees are entitled to an unpaid leave of at least three days to attend the funeral of a family member.

Marriage Leave: Employers must provide employees with three days of unpaid leave in the event of their marriage.

Employers must have a valid reason to terminate an employee and must provide notice before doing so. The notice period is generally linked to the length of employment with the company.

The notice periods are as follows:

• Less than one year: 14 days’ notice
• Between 1 and five years of employment service: 35 days’ notice
• After 5 to 10 years of employment service: 42 days’ notice
• More than ten years of employment service: 60 days’ notice

Severance pay is determined based on the grounds of termination, liquidation of the organization/reduction in the number of employees/recoveries of the employee in the previous job.

Employee average monthly salary for non-compliance with the position held/Long-term disability of the employee/The employee is entitled to an old-age pension/Significant working conditions to change/employee to be called up for compulsory military service.

• up to 1 year – 10 times the employee's average daily salary
• 1-5 years – twenty-five times the employees' daily average wage
• 5-10 years – 30 times the employee's average daily salary
• 10-15 years – 35 times the employee's average daily salary
• 15 or more years – 44 times the employee's average daily salary

• Foreign employees are generally subject to the same workplace and tax rules as Armenian nationals. They also have the same legal rights. For up to 180 days, people from countries in the Schengen Area can enter Armenia without a visa. For entry into and travel to Armenia, those from outside the Schengen Area must have a visitor visa. Currently, a visa waiver program allows entry for citizens of Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. If they have an invitation letter, citizens of Serbia and Montenegro may also enter under the visa waiver program. Some people, such as those entering Armenia on a contractual basis, foreign students, journalists, and researchers, among others, may be eligible for temporary residence in Armenia.
• The duration of temporary residence is one year, with a one-year maximum extension. Individuals entering Armenia for business must obtain a work permit sponsored by their employer to work in Armenia legally.
• Generally, a holder of an Armenian visa is not entitled to work in Armenia unless they also hold a work permit. However, some highly skilled foreign specialists, business owners, executives, and other workers are exempt from the work permit requirement. Unless a foreign individual is exempt from the work permit requirement, the employer must first obtain a work permit by applying to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MLSA) before the employee starts their employment.
• The MLSA tests the Armenian market to ensure that there are no qualified and available Armenian workers to fill the position internally. When a work permit is granted, the foreign national can start working in Armenia, but it does have a fixed term and is renewable on request.
• After obtaining the work permit, the foreign national must file an application for a temporary residence permit at the Passport and Visa Department of the Police in Yerevan. The application must be accompanied by the requested supporting documentation, including medical test results. The temporary residence card is issued within approximately 30-45 days of the application date if accepted.
• Specific individuals may qualify for temporary residence in Armenia, including those entering on a contractual basis, international students, journalists, and researchers. Temporary residence is granted for one year and can be extended for a maximum of one additional year.

• In accordance with the general requirements of the Law on Personal Data Protection, persons with access to personal data shall not disseminate or disclose such data to third parties without the consent of the subject of the personal data (in this case, the candidate), unless otherwise provided under the law.
• Additionally, the processing of a candidate’s personal data assumes his or her written consent if the processing of the data relates to a decision about nominating or declining a potential employee. The agreement may be confirmed in a separate document signed by the applicant. Candidates’ personal data are not considered confidential if the candidate puts his or her CV on the internet or otherwise makes it available to the public.
• If an employer wishes to keep the candidate’s personal data or report his or her data to other employers, it must obtain written consent from the candidate.