Resident Tax Information
ll resident individuals are taxed on their worldwide income, including employment, business, or investment income. Resident individuals are also taxed on their foreign sourced income. However, non-residents are taxed on their income in Ghana.
Income tax rates for residents include —
Non-resident individuals pay a flat rate of 25%.
Social Security
Contribution toward social security in Ghana is mandatory. Therefore, employers must ensure that employee contributions are deducted as a part of the payroll process. The social security contributions are below –
Statutory Benefits
The Ghanaian labor laws provide for a number of mandatory leaves that employers must offer their employees. The statutory benefits in Ghana include —
1. mandatory social security contributions by both employers and employees ensure that all individuals in Ghana receive pension benefits at the time of their retirement.
2. Employees are entitled to paid statutory leaves, which include –
- Annual leaves
- Public holidays
- Maternity leaves
- Childcare leaves
- Adoption leaves
3. The Ghanaian government has set the standard working hours at forty per week with a five day workweek (employees can Pan maximum of eight). However, there are some exceptions to this rule including cases where an employee's request for more time off is granted or if they're employed by larger companies who have offices outside of Accra.
Overtime pay in such cases is 150% of an employee’s regular pay.
Fringe Benefits
Employers commonly provide fringe benefits that do not form a part of an employee’s compensation. Fringe benefits are provided to an employee in addition to their regular salary.
Commonly offered fringe benefits include –
- Meal vouchers
- Flexible working hours
- Commuting expenses
- Company equipment such as mobile phones and laptops/desktops
- 13th-month pay or holiday bonus
Exempt Benefits
There are certain benefits that an employee working in Ghana can claim —
- Social security contributions
- Insurance premiums
- Donations amounts
- Personal allowances up to GHS 3,828
Long-term Incentives
The best way for an employer to show their appreciation of hard work and dedication is through long-term benefits. Employees will often be rewarded with company specific goals, such as stock options or other forms of equity ownership that provide incentives over time horizons greater than one year when they achieve certain performance milestones within the business unit/organization where employed.
Commonly offered long-term incentives in Ghana include —
- Private health insurance covers and additional dental cover
- Employer-sponsored pension plans
- performance-linked bonuses
- Employee stock options for key employees