Employees Off-Role Services — also known as staffing, third-party payroll, or Employer of Record (EOR) services — allow companies to engage workers for specific functions, projects, or locations without carrying them on their own payroll. Under this model, the worker is legally employed by a licensed staffing partner who handles the entire employment lifecycle — offer letter, onboarding, salary disbursal, PF, ESI, Professional Tax, TDS, insurance, and statutory compliance — while the worker reports day-to-day to the client company for actual work.
For Indian and global businesses, off-role staffing has become a strategic workforce lever. It helps companies scale teams quickly, enter new markets without setting up local entities, hire across multiple states without managing state-wise labour compliance, ring-fence headcount during growth phases, and convert fixed employee costs into variable, project-linked costs. It is widely used by start-ups scaling sales teams, BFSI and IT companies onboarding contract specialists, foreign companies employing Indian talent without a local entity, and large groups handling blue-collar, field, and frontline staff.
We offer end-to-end Employees Off-Role Services — from statutory employer of record, monthly payroll and statutory deductions, PF, ESI, PT, LWF, TDS, gratuity, insurance, Shops & Establishment, CLRA registration and compliance, to onboarding, background checks, and full-and-final settlements — so you get the people you need without the compliance load, with transparent billing, strong governance, and clean audit trails at every step.
EOR
Employer of Record & staffing
Pan-India
All states & union territories
100%
Statutory compliance covered
Variable
OPEX model — pay-per-headcount
Laws & Frameworks We Work Under
Contract Labour Act (CLRA), 1970
EPF & MP Act, 1952
ESI Act, 1948
Payment of Wages Act
Shops & Establishments Act
Professional Tax & LWF
Gratuity & Bonus Acts
Labour Codes (on notification)
FAQs on Employees Off-Role Services
What are Employees Off-Role Services and how do they work?
Employees Off-Role Services — also called third-party payroll, staff augmentation, or Employer of Record (EOR) services — involve engaging workers through a licensed staffing partner who is the legal employer of those workers. The staffing partner handles the entire employment lifecycle — offer letter, onboarding, payroll, PF, ESI, Professional Tax, TDS, insurance, and statutory compliance — while the workers perform day-to-day duties for the client company. The client pays a consolidated invoice covering salary and service charges, typically on a per-head or per-project basis.
What is the difference between on-roll and off-roll employees?
An on-roll employee is directly employed by the company, with the company as the legal employer for all purposes — payroll, compliance, benefits, and termination. An off-roll employee is on the payroll of a third-party staffing partner that acts as the legal employer; the client company only directs the work. On-roll roles are typically core, long-term, and strategic, while off-roll roles are often contractual, project-based, or used to scale quickly while keeping own-headcount lean and compliance outsourced.
Is an off-role employee entitled to PF, ESI, gratuity, and other statutory benefits?
Yes. Off-role employees are fully entitled to all applicable statutory benefits — EPF, ESI (where wages are within threshold), Professional Tax, LWF, gratuity after completing the prescribed continuous service, paid leaves, and insurance benefits if offered — based on applicable laws. These obligations are discharged by the staffing partner as the legal employer. A reputable partner should provide each employee with a formal appointment letter, monthly payslips, UAN, ESIC number, and compliant Form 16 at year-end.
What is an Employer of Record (EOR) and how is it different from staffing?
An Employer of Record is a specific form of off-role engagement typically used by foreign companies or groups that want to hire employees in India without setting up a local entity. The EOR is the full legal employer of record in India for those employees — handling employment contracts, payroll, statutory compliance, and termination — while the foreign company directs the work. Traditional staffing is often used by Indian companies with their own entity, focused on scaling specific functions like sales, operations, or IT, while EOR is specifically positioned for market entry without incorporation.
Is Off-Role Staffing legal in India?
Yes. Third-party staffing and contract employment are legally recognised in India and are governed primarily by the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970 (CLRA), along with EPF, ESI, Shops & Establishments, Professional Tax, and other labour laws. The principal employer (client) and the contractor (staffing partner) each have defined responsibilities. CLRA registration / licensing is required where the contract labour strength exceeds prescribed thresholds. The forthcoming Labour Codes, once fully notified, will further formalise and modernise this framework.
How is billing usually structured for off-role services?
Billing is generally structured on a per-head, per-month basis. The monthly invoice typically includes the employee’s gross salary plus employer contributions to PF, ESI, gratuity, LWF, Professional Tax, insurance premium, and a transparent service charge / management fee (charged as a flat amount per head or as a percentage of the salary), along with GST. Some engagements use a consolidated all-in rate per head, while others work on a cost-plus model. Clear rate cards, SLAs, and monthly MIS help keep billing predictable and auditable.
Can off-role employees be eventually converted into on-roll employees?
Yes. Many companies use off-role engagements as a structured hiring funnel — testing the employee’s performance for a defined period and then offering them on-roll employment on confirmation. The transition involves a formal release from the staffing partner, cessation of the existing contract, PF transfer (UAN-linked) to the new employer, fresh appointment letter from the client, and updated statutory enrolments. Well-managed conversion is seamless for the employee and creates a strong pipeline of tested talent for the client.
Can you handle employees across multiple states in India?
Yes. We handle off-role staffing across all Indian states and union territories, including state-specific compliance under Shops & Establishments, Professional Tax, Labour Welfare Fund, and state-level labour rules. Our centralised payroll and compliance platform, combined with state-wise registrations, ensures that employees are compliantly managed regardless of location. This is particularly valuable for sales, field, retail, and warehousing roles that are naturally distributed across geographies.