Georgia Employment Offer and Payroll Checklist

A salary number is not an employment offer. You need the legal employer, job, start date, work location, working time, leave, overtime method, termination process, gross pay, deductions, payment date and—if you are a foreign worker—the current authorization and immigration path.

Review those layers before comparing take-home pay. This guide is practical general information, not legal, immigration or tax advice.

Ask for the complete document set

Request the proposed employment agreement and every policy it incorporates by reference. If a handbook, bonus plan, remote-work policy, confidentiality policy or internal regulation affects the offer, read the version that will apply on the start date.

Georgia's Labour Code says a written employment agreement must be in a language understandable to the parties. A multilingual agreement should specify which language prevails if versions differ.

Do not rely on a verbal translation of the clauses that determine money, termination or intellectual property. If you do not understand the agreement, pause and obtain an independent translation or advice.

Identify the employer and relationship

Write down:

• the employer's full legal name and registration number;
• the contract signer and authority;
• whether the named employer matches the entity paying payroll;
• whether the document says employment, contractor, service provider or another relationship;
• the primary work location and any remote or cross-border arrangement;
• whether another group company controls the day-to-day work;
• the intended start date and any condition that must happen first.

If the document calls you a contractor but the arrangement operates like employment, the label alone does not settle classification. Ask a Georgian employment/tax professional to review the facts.

Check every essential working term

The Labour Code's list of essential terms includes the parties, commencement and duration, work/rest time, workplace, role and work description, remuneration and payment procedure, overtime compensation, leave, termination process and relevant collective-agreement provisions.

Turn that list into questions:

A sentence such as “according to company policy” is not useless, but it makes the referenced policy part of your review.

Gross, net and employer cost are three numbers

Confirm whether the headline amount is gross salary, net salary or total employer budget. Then ask payroll for a sample breakdown under your expected pension-participation position.

The salary calculator shows:

• gross salary;
• employee pension contribution where the participant model applies;
• income-tax base and income tax;
• net pay;
• employer pension contribution and total employer cash cost.

For a pension participant, the calculator uses the verified formula in which the employee's mandatory 2% pension contribution is deducted before 20% income tax: (gross − 2%) × 80% = 78.4% of gross. For a non-participant, the modeled net share is 80%.

Do not change participation merely to make an online result match a promised net number. Ask the employer to state the assumption and confirm your actual treatment.

Reconcile cash compensation and everything around it

Separate guaranteed cash from contingent or non-cash items:

• base gross salary;
• fixed allowance;
• bonus target and the conditions for earning/payment;
• commission definition, attribution and clawback;
• equity or phantom-equity terms;
• private insurance and coverage start date;
• equipment ownership and return obligations;
• phone, internet, travel or meal reimbursement;
• relocation support and repayment clauses;
• currency and account into which payment is made.

If pay is described in a foreign currency but payroll is settled in GEL, ask which rate, date and source control the conversion. A neutral NBG reference conversion helps you ask the question, but the contract should identify the actual mechanism.

Foreign workers need a separate authorization check

Do not treat an employment agreement as automatic permission to work or reside. Under the current labour-migration framework, covered foreign employees and self-employed foreigners must address the right-to-work system and an appropriate lawful-stay or residence basis.

Ask the employer:

1. Who owns the work-authorization application?
2. What information or document do you need to provide?
3. What is the application/decision reference?
4. May work begin before the relevant decision under your exact case?
5. Which visa, lawful-stay or residence action follows, and who owns it?
6. What happens if the role, employer or employment ends?

Use the current Law on Labour Migration and the Public Service Development Agency's residence permit page as authority starting points. The status-separation guide maps the dependencies.

Model the first three pay cycles

Create a tiny payroll acceptance test:

If the first payment covers a partial month, ask how the daily or hourly proration works before payday.

Preserve an employment evidence pack

Keep securely:

• signed agreement and incorporated policies;
• job description and later amendments;
• work-authorization and residence records relevant to the job;
• payroll onboarding form and bank instruction;
• each payslip and matching bank receipt;
• pension statements where applicable;
• approved leave, overtime and bonus records;
• performance or disciplinary correspondence that affects rights;
• equipment handover and return evidence;
• termination notice, handover and final settlement.

The Labour Code provides that, on request, an employer issues an employment certificate containing details of the work, remuneration and duration. Ask for it before system access disappears.

Red flags to resolve before signing

• the employer named in the agreement is not the organization directing or paying you;
• only a net number is promised, with no gross or deduction assumption;
• the agreement uses a language you cannot verify;
• overtime, location or working time is left entirely undefined;
• a bonus is presented as salary but remains fully discretionary;
• a relocation payment has an unclear repayment trigger;
• the employer says “the visa is automatic” without identifying the process;
• foreign-currency salary has no conversion rule;
• key policies will be provided only after signature;
• changes are promised in chat but not added to the agreement.

Final pre-sign checklist

• I can identify the legal employer and contract signer.
• I understand the controlling language and every incorporated policy.
• Work, hours, location, leave, overtime and termination are clear.
• The offer states gross pay and the payment procedure.
• Payroll has stated the pension and deduction assumption.
• Any foreign-currency conversion method is written down.
• Bonus, benefits, equipment and repayment terms are separate from salary.
• Work authorization, lawful stay and residence responsibilities have owners and dates.
• I know how to receive payslips and preserve records after departure.

Official starting points

• Labour Code of Georgia
• Law on Labour Migration
• Public Service Development Agency: migration and residence permits
• Tax Code of Georgia
• Law on Funded Pension

Recheck the official texts and your facts when the employer, work arrangement, residence basis or compensation changes.

KEEP MOVING

Turn this guide into the next decision

How do I work, get paid and keep an auditable trail? You are currently in the set up money & work stage.

01 · TOOLGeorgia salary calculator

What does this salary mean for employee and employer?

78.4%02 · TOOLPrivate IE invoice generator

Can I produce a consistent invoice and keep the evidence?

PDF03 · GUIDEA Monthly Close Routine for Contractors in Georgia

Can every declared number be traced back to work, invoice, payment and rate evidence?

↗04 · GUIDEFive Georgia Status Questions That Must Stay Separate

Which permission, registration or tax conclusion am I actually trying to establish?

↗05 · GUIDECash, Cards, Transfers, and Exchange in Georgia: Choose the Rail First

Which payment rail delivers the right amount with a recovery path?

↗

Explore work & business →Apply your own facts →