Caja regulations

If what you pay your worker is 10% or less of his total income you would be exempt from paying most, if not all, charges to the CAJA. Pretty difficult to verify if you ask me, but if it’s more than 1/2 day per week you probably have to pay them. Even if there no charges to be paid, you may have to file anyway (like filing US taxes even when you owe nothing).

You pay:

-23% of gross salary, plus 9% deducted from the employee, to the CAJA monthly.

-9 mandatory holidays annually (if half time, half pay)

-2 weeks vacation for every 50 weeks worked (proportionally if part-time)

-“Aguinaldo” basically double pay for the month of December

-3 months (I think) paid vacation for pregnancy/birth

-“Sesantía” 1 month salary per year worked (I think) upon removal

If you want to know more:

http://www.ministrabajo.go.cr/Informacion/leyes.htm
http://www.info.ccss.sa.cr/

namvet: If you need a gardener, you’re not living in a condo. If you’re not living in a condo, you’ll need a guard, unless you never leave your house unattended. What many people do, Ticos & Gringos alike, is build a small house on your lot for a married couple to live in. They help you with gardening, maid service, security, and even messenger service (saving you years of waiting in traffic and standing in lines – get him a Vespa). Use an attorney to help you put together the labor contract. This will protect both parties, and prevent the possibility of squatting as well. File with the CAJA. Once you get used to it, it’s not that bad. Be VERY careful who you hire. Check out references, and even consider hiring a private investigator to do a background check and find out where family members live.

I know, Gringos tend to think this is all paranoia, but in fact paranoia is the proper state of mind in order to avoid becoming a victim. As a Gringo, you are considered easy prey. Costa Rica CAN be paradise on earth IF you take the proper precautions. If not, your dream can easily turn into a nightmare.