Hiring in Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) means taking on a structured set of statutory obligations covering paid leave, sick pay, maternity protection, and social security contributions. Understanding what the law requires, and where market practice goes further, helps you budget accurately and stay compliant from day one. This guide covers everything employers need to know about benefits and leave entitlements in Ivory Coast.
Annual leave
Ivory Coast’s Labour Code gives employees a relatively generous annual leave entitlement that grows with length of service. Leave accrues at a rate of 2.2 working days per month of service, giving a base entitlement of 26.4 working days per year. The leave cycle runs for 12 consecutive months, starting either from the employee’s hire date or from the end of the previous cycle.
Seniority-based additions
Employees gain additional leave days as their tenure increases:
| Years of service | Additional days |
|---|---|
| After 5 years | +1 day |
| After 10 years | +2 days |
| After 15 years | +3 days |
| After 20 years | +5 days |
| After 25 years | +7 days |
| After 30 years | +8 days |
Other leave additions
Beyond seniority, two other factors can increase an employee’s annual leave entitlement. Employees receive an additional 2 working days per dependent child under the age of 21. Employees who have been awarded the medal of honour for work receive one additional day.
Scheduling leave
The timing of annual leave is agreed between employer and employee. You’ll need to balance your operational requirements against your employees’ preferences, but the law doesn’t give either party unilateral control over scheduling.
Public holidays
Ivory Coast observes 14 mandatory national public holidays each year. Four of them fall on dates that vary each year according to the Islamic lunar calendar.
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year’s Day |
| Date varies | Easter Monday |
| 1 May | Labour Day |
| Date varies (40 days after Easter) | Ascension Day |
| Date varies (Monday after Pentecost) | Whit Monday |
| 7 August | Independence Day |
| 15 August | Assumption Day |
| 1 November | All Saints’ Day |
| 15 November | National Peace Day |
| 25 December | Christmas Day |
| 12 Rabi’ al-awwal (date varies) | Day after the Prophet’s Birthday (Maouloud) |
| 27 Ramadan (date varies) | Day after Lailatou-Kadr |
| 1 Shawwal (date varies) | Korité (Eid al-Fitr) |
| 10 Dhu al-Hijjah (date varies) | Tabaski (Eid al-Adha) |
When planning your payroll calendar, track the Islamic holidays separately each year, as their Gregorian dates shift annually.
Sick leave
Ivory Coast’s Labour Code suspends the employment contract during an employee’s illness rather than terminating it, provided the illness is confirmed by an authorised medical practitioner. The suspension can last up to 6 months, extendable to 12 months for long-term illness. The employer is responsible for continuing to pay the employee throughout this period, subject to the entitlements described below.
Notification requirements
Employees must notify you within 48 hours if the illness is recorded by the company’s own medical service, or within 72 hours in all other cases. Notification must be supported by a certified medical certificate.
Sick pay entitlements by category
Entitlements vary depending on the employee’s job category and their length of service with your organisation.
Workers and employees:
| Length of service | Sick pay entitlement |
|---|---|
| Up to 12 months | 1 month at full salary + ½ month at half salary |
| 12 months to 5 years | 1 month at full salary + 3 months at half salary |
| 5 to 10 years | 2 months at full salary + 4 months at half salary |
| Beyond 10 years | 2 months at full salary + 5 months at half salary |
Supervisors, technicians, managers, and engineers:
| Length of service | Sick pay entitlement |
|---|---|
| Up to 12 months | Full salary for the notice period + 3 months at half salary |
| 12 months to 5 years | Full salary for twice the notice period + 4 months at half salary |
| Beyond 5 years | Full salary for twice the notice period + 4 months at half salary + ¼ salary per 2 additional years beyond 5 years |
Maternity leave
Employees are entitled to 14 consecutive weeks of maternity leave in total: 6 weeks before the expected delivery date and 8 weeks after. If delivery occurs later than expected, the pre-natal leave period extends automatically and this doesn’t reduce the post-natal leave entitlement.
Maternity pay
Maternity pay is split between you and the national social security body, the Caisse Nationale de Prévoyance Sociale (CNPS). You pay 50% of the employee’s salary during maternity leave. The CNPS pays the remaining 50%, but the employee must file a beneficiary application directly with the CNPS. This isn’t something you handle on their behalf.
Job protection
You can’t dismiss an employee because of pregnancy. The dismissal prohibition applies for the duration of the pregnancy and the maternity leave period.
Miscarriage protection
As of 1 June 2025, employees who experience a miscarriage from the 13th week of pregnancy are entitled to maternity protection. The entitlement scales with gestational age:
| Gestational age at time of miscarriage | Protection period |
|---|---|
| From week 13 | Up to 2 weeks |
| From week 17 | Up to 6 weeks |
| From week 20 | Up to 8 weeks |
A medical certificate is required. During the protection period, the employee can’t be required to work unless they expressly agree to do so.
Paternity leave
Employees are entitled to 2 days of paid leave following the birth of a child. This entitlement applies to all employees regardless of length of service.
Exceptional and family event leave
Employees who have completed at least 6 months of service are entitled to short periods of paid leave for specific personal and family events. These days aren’t deducted from the employee’s annual leave balance and don’t reduce salary. The total entitlement is capped at 10 working days per year across all events.
| Event | Days granted |
|---|---|
| Marriage of the employee | 4 days |
| Marriage of a child | 2 days |
| Death of a spouse | 5 days |
| Death of a child, parent, or step-parent | 5 days |
| Death of a brother or sister | 2 days |
| Death of a father-in-law or mother-in-law | 2 days |
| Birth of a child | 2 days |
| Baptism of a child | 1 day |
| First communion | 1 day |
| Moving residence | 1 day |
Mandatory 13th-month salary
Ivory Coast law requires employers to pay a 13th-month salary. The amount can’t be less than three-quarters of the employee’s minimum monthly salary, setting a floor of XOF 56,250. In practice, the 13th-month payment is typically made at year-end, though the timing can vary by employer or collective agreement.
Cnps social security contributions
Both employers and employees contribute to the CNPS, which funds retirement pensions, family allowances, and workplace accident compensation.
| Contribution type | Rate | Ceiling |
|---|---|---|
| Pension (employer) | 7.70% | XOF 3,375,000/month |
| Pension (employee) | 6.30% | XOF 3,375,000/month |
| Family allowances (employer only) | 5.75% | XOF 70,000/month |
| Work injury insurance (employer only) | 2%–5% (risk-dependent) | No ceiling specified |
The work injury rate varies depending on the risk classification of your industry. You’ll need to confirm your applicable rate with the CNPS based on your sector.
Market-standard supplementary benefits
Beyond what the law requires, professional employers in Ivory Coast commonly offer additional benefits to attract and retain talent. These aren’t statutory obligations, but they’re widely expected at senior and mid-level roles.
- Private health and medical insurance: commonly provided by employers, particularly for roles where the statutory CNPS coverage is considered insufficient
- Life insurance: offered as a standard benefit by many professional employers
- Transport allowances: a frequent component of the total compensation package, especially in urban areas
- Housing allowances: more common for senior or expatriate roles
- Performance bonuses: these are enforceable only if they’re contractually agreed; discretionary bonuses carry different legal weight than those written into the employment contract
If you’re using an Employer of Record (EOR) to hire in Ivory Coast, the EOR will typically manage statutory contributions and mandatory benefits on your behalf, while you retain control over any supplementary benefits you choose to offer.
Managing ivory coast’s benefit and leave obligations
Ivory Coast’s leave and benefits framework involves multiple moving parts: accruing leave that increases with seniority and dependants, tracking the Islamic holiday calendar year to year, calculating tiered sick pay by job category and service length, splitting maternity pay with the CNPS, and ensuring the 13th-month salary is paid correctly. Employers who get these calculations wrong face both legal exposure and reputational risk with their workforce.
RemotePass helps employers manage Ivory Coast’s leave entitlements and benefit requirements accurately, from annual leave accruals to CNPS contributions and the mandatory 13th-month payment. Visit https://remotepass.com/demo to see how the platform keeps your Ivorian workforce compliant.
