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Our verdict
Horizons is an EOR and Global PEO, able to hire and pay employees in +185 countries. Horizons stands apart from competitors through genuine local expertise in its countries of operation.
Pros
- Hire and pay in 185+ countries
- 360° global workforce solution, including visa support and recruitment
Cons
- Payroll-only solution not currently available
Visit Horizons
How is this calculated?
We calculate the Overall Rating by combining the ratings of several testing categories.
Learn more by reading our testing and review methodology.
185+
$299+ per employee
ACH or SWIFT/Wire Transfer
Horizons is the Best Global Employer of Record in 2024 — they enable client companies to hire and pay employees in +185 countries at any time. As there is no need to set up a local legal entity, Horizons estimates that it saves companies around 85% of the cost of hiring overseas. Read our Horizons EOR 2024 review covering their key features, pros and cons, pricing, and unique offerings.
Horizons Overview
Horizons EOR (also known as ‘New Horizons Global Partners,’ ‘New Horizons,’ or ‘Join Horizons’) is an international EOR provider that offers a turnkey employment platform. From recruitment and work visas to hiring and onboarding and through any HR issues that arise, Horizons takes care of it all.
Key elements of the Horizons EOR platform include:
- Global Employer of Record solutions in 185+ countries: Horizons EOR hires international employees under compliant local labor contracts and handles employment compliance. The employees remain under the direct supervision and control of the client company.
- Payroll processing in multiple currencies: Local currency payments no matter where the employee is based.
- Recruitment support: Expert recruitment team for companies that need help acquiring top talent in overseas markets.
- A market-leading SaaS platform: Industry-leading technology making it easy to pay invoices, reimburse employee expenses, and have an overview of all EOR payments.
- Contractor payments: Horizons EOR also provides independent contractor setups for any country, in complete compliance with local regulations.
- Global mobility and immigration support: Specialist consulting to ensure that employees are hired or transferred on the correct work visas.
Below, we look at the Horizons EOR and global hiring solution in depth, drawing out its key features, pros and cons, and the unique aspects of their solution that make Horizons the leading global EOR company in this space.
Key Features
Horizons EOR
Horizons EOR enables global employees to be hired through an international Employer of Record Solution. This means that Horizons becomes the legal employer of a client company’s workforce in whichever country they seek to hire in.
As the legal employer, Horizons becomes responsible for:
Payroll Administration: Horizons manages all aspects of payroll for their clients’ employees, ensuring accurate and timely payment according to local laws and regulations. This includes calculating wages, withholding taxes, and issuing paychecks.
Tax Withholding and Reporting: Horizons is responsible for deducting the correct amount of taxes from employees’ paychecks and reporting this to the appropriate local tax authorities. They ensure compliance with local tax laws and regulations, avoiding penalties for non-compliance.
Employment Law Compliance: Horizons ensures that employment practices comply with local laws in each country where employees are based. This covers various aspects such as working hours, leave entitlements, and termination procedures.
Employee Benefits Administration: They administer and manage benefits for employees, such as health insurance, retirement plans, and other perks, in line with local norms and regulations. Horizons often negotiates these benefits with local providers on behalf of their clients.
Immigration and Work Visas: In cases of international employment, Horizons assists with obtaining the necessary work permits and visas. They navigate the complex immigration laws and procedures to ensure legal compliance.
Worker’s Compensation: Horizons manages worker’s compensation, providing coverage for employees in case of work-related injuries or illnesses. They handle claims and ensure adherence to local regulations regarding workplace safety and compensation.
Risk Management and Compliance: Horizons undertakes risk assessment and management related to employment, helping to mitigate legal and financial risks associated with non-compliance. This includes keeping up-to-date with changing employment laws and regulations.
Onboarding and Offboarding: They facilitate the onboarding and offboarding process for employees, ensuring a smooth transition for both the employer and the employee. This includes preparing employment contracts, conducting background checks, and managing exit procedures.
Employee Relations and Support: Horizons EOR services also extend to providing support to employees on various matters, acting as a point of contact for issues like workplace disputes or grievances. They work to maintain a positive work environment and address employee concerns in compliance with local labor laws.
Record Keeping and Data Management: They maintain comprehensive records of employment, including contracts, payroll records, and compliance documents. Horizons ensures that all necessary employment-related information is accurately documented and readily accessible.
By handling these responsibilities, Horizons EOR allows businesses to focus on their core operations while ensuring that their employment practices are compliant, efficient, and tailored to local requirements.
Payroll
The Horizon’s all-in-one, cloud-based payroll software simplifies payments to employees worldwide. Horizons ensures that all necessary social contributions are deducted and taxes are remitted to the relevant authorities.
The platform provides the flexibility to easily manage expense reimbursements and one-off payments wherever an employee is. All employee data is held in compliance with data protection rules, including the GDPR.
Human Resources
Horizons works with client companies to handle HR compliance issues throughout employment, including performance and disciplinary matters. In addition, the Horizons EOR SaaS platform means client companies can easily handle:
- Leave management, directly on the platform.
- Employee benefits, including health insurance. Horizons EOR services offers comprehensive global health insurance packages, providing a high level of coverage to international employees in 180+ countries.
Compliance
Horizons handles all aspects of employment compliance, with local labor law experts ensuring that hiring and HR are consistent with applicable rules and regulations.
Draft employment contracts are vetted by in-house legal talent, and any issues of compliance that arise throughout employment become Horizons’ responsibility.
The Horizons platform incorporates enterprise-level security features and enforces cyber-security good practices, including 2-factor authentication and strict access privileges.
Horizons SaaS Platform
Horizons takes care of all HR and payroll matters through the Horizons EOR cloud platform. Key elements include:
- Employee onboarding — approve employee hire at the click of a button
- Employee data management — client businesses can maintain an overview of employee data at all times
- Simple payroll — pay employees in every location monthly, with just one click.
All information is easily accessible from the intuitive client dashboard.
Plans & Pricing
EOR pricing begins at $299 per employee per month, depending on the country of hire. This makes it one of the most cost-effective global EORs on the market.
User Reviews
We assessed Horizon’s reviews on Trustpilot and G2. The average scores (as of the time of writing) were:
- Horizons Trustpilot = 4.5/5 (33 reviews)
- Horizons G2 = 4.9/5 (51 reviews)
It should be observed that the reviews were largely positive, with a significant number of reviews.
Pros and Cons
Horizons Pros
Benefits of the Horizons suite of global employment solutions include:
- International coverage: Horizons can hire and pay employees in 185+ countries. Few other EORs provide the same level of coverage.
- Market Leading SaaS platform: Horizons’ software makes it easy for client companies to manage employee payments internationally, review employee information, and process HR and payroll reports.
- In-house talent acquisition: Horizons has an expert in-house recruitment team for talent acquisition, whereas most EORs outsource all recruiting to third parties.
- Visa support: Horizons’ global mobility, relocation, and concierge services streamline work permit and immigration processes.
- Easy contractor payments:For companies wanting to hire independent contracts alongside employees, Horizons provides al the setup and compliance services required.
- Truly local expertise: With specialist local teams throughout every region, Horizons’ experts in employment law and HR subjects are always on hand to help with any issues specific to your country of hire.
Horizons Cons
Horizons does not offer a payroll-only (payroll outsourcing) solution for companies wishing to retain their overseas subsidiary. However, Horizons has confirmed that a payroll-only solution is being developed and will be released shortly.
Unique Selling Point (USP)
The Horizons USP is genuine local expertise. Most other global PEOs/international EORs provide a one-size-fits-all solution across countries and do not have in-house legal and local market experts.
The benefits of genuine local expertise include:
- EORs with local experts ensure compliance with specific legal and regulatory requirements, reducing non-compliance risks.
- Local experts provide cultural insights, improving interactions with local employees and authorities.
- They stay updated on changing regulations, ensuring ongoing compliance.
- Relying on local expertise minimizes international employment risks.
- Local experts solve problems efficiently due to their familiarity with the local legal system and business environment.
Horizons can advise on any matters of local employment law and tap into its local recruitment networks to provide you companies with the best available talent. This is one of the key reasons Horizons was rated the best global EOR and is considered a top 10 EOR provider.
RemotePad Score for Horizons
9.6/10 Our expert score for Horizons
Our team came to this score by considering the following components in the following weightings:
| Employer of Record features | 25% |
| Payroll features | 10% |
| HR features | 10% |
| Compliance features | 10% |
| Platform features | 10% |
| Pricing | 20% |
| User reviews | 15% |
For each component, Horizons received the following score:
| Employer of Record features | 23/25 |
| Payroll features | 9/10 |
| HR features | 10/10 |
| Compliance features | 10/10 |
| Platform features | 10/10 |
| Pricing | 20/20 |
| User reviews | 14/15 |
Horizons— Our Take
Three features of Horizons make it stand out amongst competitors in the field:
- End-to-end employment solutions: Few global employment companies are equipped to help you with the full employee lifecycle from recruitment through hiring, onboarding and any other HR issues that arise.
- Genuine expertise: No other global PEO has local experts available in every region with substantial expertise based in locations like Shanghai, Berlin, Mumbai, and Toronto.
- Cost-effectiveness: With monthly per-employee fees that beats most competitors, Horizons is one of the most cost-effective global EOR companies available.
While Horizons may not be the most prominent global PEO/EOR regarding headcount and marketing budget, it offers an HR tech solution that beats its competitors on nearly every metric.
Businesses of all sizes and from any industry can benefit from the support of Horizons when hiring overseas.
FAQ
Horizons is an international remote/hybrid company with regional headquarters in the United States, Germany and China, as well as offices in dozens of other countries.
Both. Horizons is an Employer of Record (EOR), which means that it takes care of labor compliance, including employment tax and income tax withholding all over the world. It is also a global Professional Employer Organization (global PEO), which means it takes care of a range of other employment and HR matters, alongside its EOR services (which is why you may have seen the company referred to in the past as New Horizons PEO - its former name - as well as an EOR).
Antoine Boquen currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Horizons, a role of pivotal significance within the organization. In his capacity as CEO, Antoine steers Horizons' strategic trajectory and formulates critical high-level decisions, a responsibility that resonates with the input of the broader leadership team.
At Horizons, Antoine holds an integral position in the leadership team, playing a key role in shaping and executing various facets of the company's operations. His role extends beyond conventional boundaries as he designs and executes intricate business functions, lays the groundwork for policies that foster a vibrant company culture in alignment with the overarching vision, and orchestrates the seamless orchestration of company operations while providing guidance to our executive team.
