Bulgarian Labor Rights
Plain-language explanations of the Labor Code (Кодекс на труда), the Social Insurance Code (КСО) and the Personal Income Tax Act (ЗДДФЛ), written for foreign employees, expats, HR teams abroad and freelancers working with Bulgarian companies.
Dismissal rights
Lawful grounds for termination, the protection of Art. 333 LC, and the 2-month window to challenge a dismissal in court.
Compensation under the Labor Code
A full overview of Art. 220–225 LC — what you are owed at termination and how it is calculated.
Sick leave
How the two-tier payment works (employer + NSSI), required insurance length, and your protection while ill.
Maternity
410 days of paid leave at 90% of insurance income, transfer options, and protection against dismissal.
Paternity
15-day paid leave at the birth of a child, and how to take over the maternity leave after the 6th month.
Annual leave
A minimum of 20 working days, when it accrues, when it lapses, and the compensation owed at termination.
Unpaid leave
Conditions under Art. 160 LC, the 30-day threshold, and the impact on your insurance record and future benefits.
Overtime
Mandatory premiums of 50% / 75% / 100%, annual limits, and the categories of workers for whom overtime is banned.
Notice period
How to give notice properly, calculate your last working day, and the cases in which you can resign without notice.
Self-insured persons
Who is a self-insured person, monthly contributions, quarterly advance tax, and the annual declaration.
Ltd vs Freelancer
Comparison of the tax burden and the practical break-even point between the two regimes.
Why these texts? Bulgarian labor and tax legislation is dense and often hard to parse for someone without a Bulgarian law background. Each article on this site is based on the primary source (the LC, SIC or PITA), uses worked examples with 2026 figures, and links to the relevant calculator so you can run the numbers for your specific case.