A framework in transition. A currency reborn. Syria payroll, navigated.
Syria payroll in 2026 is a moving target. The Assad government fell in December 2024, and a transitional administration is rebuilding the tax and social-insurance framework as this is written – a draft 2025 tax reform is pending, the pound was redenominated in January 2026, and US/EU sanctions are only partially eased. The figures below reflect the pre-transition GOSSI and wage-tax regime and may change without notice. Running Syria payroll now demands live regulatory monitoring, sanctions screening, and people who read the decrees in Arabic the day they issue – not last year’s configuration.
native payroll
vs nearest peer
since inception
- Employee GOSSI
- 7% of wage
- Employer GOSSI
- 14% + ~3% work injury
- Wage Income Tax
- 5–22% progressive
- 2025 Tax Reform
- Pending · 6%/8% flat
- Corporate Tax
- 10–28% by sector
- Currency
- SYP · redenominated Jan 2026
- Minimum Wage
- ∼SYP 7,500 new · ∼$75
- Working Week
- Up to 48 hours
- Annual Leave
- 14 working days (min)
- Notice Period
- 2 months (indefinite)
- End of Service
- 1 month/yr (uninsured)
- Overtime
- +25% day · +50% night
- Government
- Transitional · post-Dec 2024
- Sanctions
- US/EU easing 2025–26
- Non-Resident
- Wage tax applies; GOSSI n/a
- Retirement Age
- 60 male / 55 female
Payroll compliance: the details that can’t be missed
Syria in 2026 is not a stable compliance environment – it is a reconstruction. The transitional administration that replaced the Assad government in December 2024 is rewriting the tax code, the social-insurance framework, and the currency itself simultaneously. Sanctions are easing but not gone. Figures that are correct this quarter can be superseded by a presidential decree the next. These are not theoretical risks – they are the operating reality of running Syrian payroll today.
Legal framework in active transition
Since the December 2024 change of government, tax and social-insurance rules are being rewritten. A draft 2025 tax reform is pending and the figures in this guide reflect the pre-transition GOSSI and wage-tax regime – they may be superseded by decree at short notice.
Sanctions and banking channel exposure
US and EU sanctions on Syria are being partially eased through 2025–26 but still constrain banking, payments, and counterparties. Payroll funding, contribution remittance, and vendor screening all require live sanctions and OFAC review before any transaction.
GOSSI under-remittance on full wage
Social-insurance contributions are due on the full wage including allowances, not basic salary alone. Under-reporting the contribution base is recoverable retroactively with penalties on audit – a common error where allowance structures are large.
Currency redenomination and hyperinflation
The pound was redenominated on 1 January 2026 (100 old = 1 new SYP) and wages have been re-decreed repeatedly. Payslips, thresholds, and contribution bases must be restated in new pounds correctly – mixing old and new figures produces 100× errors.
The three types of providers who struggle with Syria
Global Aggregator Platforms
Most global aggregators do not operate in Syria at all – and those that claim coverage do so through a distant partner, with no owned entity, no direct GOSSI relationship, and no live read on a framework that is being rewritten by decree. Sanctions screening and Arabic-language decree monitoring sit outside their model entirely.
- ×No owned Syria entity – coverage is partner-dependent or absent
- ×No live monitoring of the post-2024 transitional decrees
- ×Sanctions and OFAC screening not built into the workflow
- ×Currency redenomination handled manually, if at all
Large Global Payroll Incumbents
Large incumbents treat Syria as a fringe market – covered in name through regional back-offices that were never built for a jurisdiction in transition. Rate tables lag the decrees, the 2025 reform is not modelled, and redenomination restatement is a manual project rather than a native capability.
- ×Rate tables lag behind transitional-government decrees
- ×2025 tax reform and its exemptions not yet modelled
- ×Redenomination restatement handled as a manual exercise
- ×Long lead times – Syria is not a core market
Local Syrian Firms
Local Syrian firms know the ground truth – but they can’t scale or certify. No payroll technology platform, no HCM integration, no multi-country consolidation, and no data-security or sanctions-compliance certifications that multinationals require before operating in a high-risk jurisdiction.
- ×No proprietary payroll technology – manual, spreadsheet-based
- ×No HCM connector – Workday, SAP, Oracle feeds are custom work
- ×No data-security certifications (SOC 1/2, ISO 27701, BCR)
- ×No sanctions-compliance framework multinationals can rely on
The only provider that closes every gap
Mercans is one of very few payroll providers willing and able to operate in Syria through the transition – combining a proprietary payroll technology stack, MENA in-region compliance teams, live decree monitoring, sanctions screening, and enterprise-grade data security on one contract, with no intermediaries.
An engine built to absorb a framework in transition
G2N Nova™ is the world’s only API-first gross-to-net payroll engine. For Syria it models GOSSI employer and employee contributions as distinct calculation layers, holds both the pre-transition progressive wage tax and the pending 2025 reform ready to switch on, and restates every figure cleanly into the redenominated new pound. This isn’t configuration. It’s engineering for a moving target.
MENA team reading the decrees the day they issue
Mercans runs full-time payroll and compliance professionals across the MENA region who track Syria’s transitional government directly. They read the presidential decrees, the Finance Ministry circulars, and the GOSSI notices in Arabic, as they issue – not translated summaries weeks later. In a jurisdiction changing this fast, that lead time is the difference between compliant and exposed.
Data security and sanctions screening a high-risk market demands
Operating in Syria means every counterparty, payment, and payroll file must clear sanctions review, and employee data must be protected to multinational standard. Mercans holds BCR approval, ISO 27701, SOC 1 & 2, and ISO 27017/27018, and runs sanctions and OFAC screening as standard scope. Zero security breaches since inception.
Where Mercans wins on every Syria-specific capability
Each row is a Syria-specific capability. Each cell shows native coverage as a fill bar – full = native in-platform, half = partial / manual workaround, empty = gap.
Syria Capability Coverage · 10 dimensions
post-Dec 2024 framework
Jan 2026 new pound
Every rate. Every cap. Every obligation.
Syria payroll runs on figures that are currently being rewritten. Mercans builds each one below into G2N Nova™ and monitors the transitional government’s decrees proactively – so a rate change reaches your payroll before it reaches a penalty notice. Treat every figure as provisional pending the 2025 reform.
Syria · Rate & Compliance Dashboard
Live 2025–26Every Figure Is Provisional Under the Transition
The December 2024 change of government put the tax and social-insurance framework into active reconstruction. The rates here reflect the pre-transition regime and are the working baseline – but the 2025 reform, wage decrees, and redenomination all move the numbers. Mercans re-validates each against the latest decree rather than hardcoding a year’s values.
→ Live decree monitoring in G2N Nova™GOSSI Base Is Broader Than Basic Salary
Employee 7% and employer 14% (plus roughly 3% work-injury) apply to the full wage including allowances. Contributing on basic salary alone is systematic under-remittance, recoverable retroactively with penalties on audit. The contribution base mapping matters as much as the rate.
→ Full allowance base mapping · HR Blizz™The 2025 Reform Changes the Tax Shape
The draft reform replaces the war-era brackets with a high personal exemption (around SYP 60 million/year) and flatter bands near 6% and 8%, alongside 10%/15% corporate rates and a new sales tax. Expected in early 2026 but not confirmed in force – payroll must be able to switch regimes cleanly.
→ Both regimes held switchable in G2N Nova™Redenomination and Sanctions Are Payroll Controls
The 1 January 2026 redenomination (100:1) means every stored figure must be restated in new pounds, and easing-but-active US/EU sanctions mean every disbursement must clear screening. Both are operational payroll controls in Syria, not back-office afterthoughts.
→ Redenomination restatement · sanctions screeningRun a Syria payroll. Right here, right now.
Switch worker type. Move the slider. The numbers use the pre-transition GOSSI and progressive wage-tax regime, restated in new pounds – illustrative only, and subject to the pending 2025 reform. Figures should be re-checked against the latest decree before use.
Syria Social Contribution Calculator · Live
G2N Nova™ engineEight things only Syria experts know to handle
These are the details that don’t appear in standard payroll setup guides – and matter more in Syria than almost anywhere, because the framework itself is being rebuilt in real time under a transitional government.
The Legal Framework Is Being Rewritten Right Now
The government changed in December 2024 and the tax code, social-insurance rules, and wage decrees are all in flux. Any Syria payroll figure must be treated as provisional and re-checked against the latest decree – not carried forward from a prior year’s configuration.
GOSSI Contributions Are Due on the Full Wage
The social-insurance base includes the wage plus allowances, not basic salary alone. Employee 7% and employer 14% (plus roughly 3% work-injury on the employer) apply to the broader base. Contributing on basic salary only is systematic under-remittance, recoverable with penalties.
A 2025 Tax Reform Is Pending – Model Both Regimes
A draft reform circulated in 2025 replaces the fragmented war-era code with high exemptions and flat-ish rates – a personal exemption around SYP 60 million/year, then roughly 6% and 8% bands. Expected in early 2026 but not confirmed in force. Payroll must hold both regimes ready.
The Pound Was Redenominated on 1 January 2026
The Central Bank removed two zeros: 100 old pounds became 1 new pound, with new 10–500 notes and a 90-day transition. Every threshold, contribution base, and payslip figure must be restated in new pounds – mixing scales produces 100× errors.
Sanctions Screening Is a Payroll Prerequisite
US and EU sanctions are easing through 2025–26 but still restrict banking channels, counterparties, and payments. Every payroll disbursement, vendor, and beneficiary must clear sanctions and OFAC screening before funds move – a control most payroll systems don’t include.
End-of-Service Depends on Insured Status
Under Labour Law 17/2010, workers not covered by social insurance receive an end-of-service gratuity of one month’s wage per year of service. Unjustified dismissal entitles a worker to two months’ wage per year, capped at 150× the minimum wage. Status drives the calculation.
Foreign Workers Sit Outside GOSSI
Syrian social insurance is built around Syrian workers; foreign employees are generally outside GOSSI and rely on contract-based end-of-service instead. Wage income tax still applies to Syria-source employment income. Work-permit and residency rules apply separately.
Wages Have Been Re-Decreed Repeatedly
A July 2025 decree raised salaries by around 200% (minimum wage to roughly SYP 750,000 old), followed by further public-sector increases in 2026. These decrees move fast and interact with redenomination – minimum-wage-linked entitlements must track each one.
One workforce. Two entirely different compliance tracks.
Syrian nationals inside the GOSSI social-insurance system versus foreign workers outside it are two different compliance frameworks – two contribution treatments, two end-of-service regimes, and two documentation trails. In a jurisdiction rewriting its rules, both must be run correctly on every cycle.
Parallel Compliance Engines
GOSSI applies from Day 1. Employee 7% and employer 14% (plus roughly 3% work-injury) on the full wage including allowances. Registration and monthly remittance are mandatory.
The contribution base is broader than basic salary. Allowances count toward the GOSSI base. Contributing on basic salary alone under-remits and is recoverable with penalties on audit.
Insured status shapes end-of-service. Insured workers rely on the pension system; entitlements interact with Labour Law 17/2010 separation rules and minimum-wage-linked caps.
Wage income tax withheld by the employer. Progressive 5–22% under the pre-transition regime, pending the 2025 reform’s exemption-and-flat-band structure.
Generally outside the GOSSI system. Syrian social insurance is built around Syrian workers; foreign employees typically rely on contract-based end-of-service instead of pension accrual.
Wage income tax still applies. Syria-source employment income is taxable under the wage-tax regime; non-residents do not receive the personal exemptions available to residents.
Work permits and residency run separately. Permit and residency rules apply on their own track and are themselves in flux under the transitional administration.
Sanctions screening applies to every payment. Foreign-worker payments, like all Syria disbursements, must clear sanctions and OFAC screening before funds move.
Every obligation. Every authority. Mercans owns the calendar.
Syria compliance runs across the Finance Ministry, GOSSI, and the Ministry of Labour on monthly, annual, and event-triggered cadences – against a framework being rewritten by the transitional government. Mercans’ managed payroll absorbs each filing and tracks each decree as standard scope.
Wage Income Tax Withholding
Employer withholds progressive wage income tax (5–22% under the pre-transition regime) from each employee and remits to the Finance Ministry. The 2025 reform, if enacted, changes the bands and exemption – requiring re-configuration mid-cycle.
GOSSI Contribution Remittance
Employee 7% and employer 14% (plus roughly 3% work-injury) remitted to GOSSI on the full wage including allowances. Under-remittance on a narrowed base is recoverable retroactively with penalties on audit.
Transitional Decree Monitoring
The post-2024 government is rewriting tax, social-insurance, and wage rules by decree. Each Finance Ministry circular, GOSSI notice, and presidential decree must be read as it issues and reflected in payroll – a continuous obligation unique to a jurisdiction in transition.
Sanctions & OFAC Screening
US and EU sanctions are easing through 2025–26 but still constrain banking and counterparties. Every payroll disbursement, vendor, and beneficiary must clear sanctions and OFAC screening before funds move.
Annual Income Tax Return
Annual reconciliation of wage income tax withheld against amounts due for the year, filed with the Finance Ministry. Discrepancies against monthly withholding trigger assessment – complicated in 2026 by the redenomination and pending reform.
GOSSI Registration & Changes
Registration on hire, de-registration on exit, and updates on salary or allowance changes filed with GOSSI. The declared base must reflect the full wage, not basic salary only, to avoid retroactive shortfall claims.
End-of-Service Settlement
Final settlement under Labour Law 17/2010 – one month’s wage per year for uninsured workers, two months’ wage per year for unjustified dismissal (capped at 150× the minimum wage). Insured status and separation type drive the figure.
New-Pound Restatement
Following the 1 January 2026 redenomination (100:1), stored figures, thresholds, and payslip history must be restated in new pounds during the transition window. Mixing old and new scales produces 100× payroll errors.
Syria is one market. Mercans covers the wider MENA region.
For companies running payroll across the Levant and MENA, complexity multiplies – not adds. Each country runs its own tax authority, social-insurance body, and filing mandate, and Syria adds a live transition on top. Mercans covers the major markets on a single platform with country-specific compliance engines running in parallel.
covered
1 contract
consolidation
MENA
Every filing. Every format. Submission-ready.
Mercans generates the exact file types the Finance Ministry, GOSSI, and the Ministry of Labour expect to receive – not formatted summaries that need reworking before you can submit them, and each restated cleanly in new pounds.
