Hire Developers in Bulgaria: Pay, Talent Pool and How to Hire
Employees in information and communication in Bulgaria earned an average of €3,079 gross a month from April to June 2026, the highest of any activity and about 2.1 times the national average of €1,444. Bulgaria had 141,500 ICT specialists in work in 2025, 4.8% of all employment.
Thinking of hiring software developers in Bulgaria? This page is for founders and hiring managers who want the facts before they decide. It covers the size of the IT talent pool, what developers earn, what an employer pays on top, time zone overlap and the ways to hire, using official figures from NSI and Eurostat. Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026, so amounts are in euros.
ICT specialists in employment in Bulgaria, 2020 to 2025
Pay in information and communication and in the whole economy in Bulgaria
The talent pool in figures
Bulgaria had 141,500 ICT specialists in employment in 2025, according to Eurostat. That is 4.8% of everyone in work, close to the EU share of 5.0%. The number was 95,500 in 2020, so it grew 48.2% over 5 years and rose every year in between. Women made up 25.0% of Bulgaria's ICT specialists in 2025, above the EU share of 19.5%.
Bulgarian universities and colleges produced 2,281 graduates in information and communication technologies in 2024, 4.7% of all tertiary graduates and 9.5% more than in 2019. 33.8% of them were women.
What developers earn in Bulgaria
The National Statistical Institute (NSI) publishes average gross pay by economic activity every quarter. From April to June 2026, employees in information and communication earned an average of €3,079 gross a month, the highest of any activity. That is about 2.1 times the national average of €1,444. The sector employed 129,049 people at the end of June 2026. NSI does not publish pay for computer programming (division 62) in these releases, so this is sector pay, which also covers telecoms, publishing and broadcasting. For the full year 2025, the sector averaged €35,627 gross, about €2,969 a month.
The EU Structure of Earnings Survey gives a view by occupation. In October 2022, professionals working in information and communication earned a mean of BGN 4,439 gross a month, which is €2,270 at the fixed rate of 1.95583 lev per euro. That was about 2.6 times the mean for all employees in industry and services. Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026, so we convert lev figures only at that fixed rate. The survey groups software developers with other professionals, so treat it as a guide to the level, not a salary for a given role. Individual pay depends on seniority and skills, and sits above or below these averages.
What it costs an employer on top of pay
Bulgarian employers pay 18.52% social and health contributions on top of gross pay, plus a work accident contribution set by economic activity. Contributions stop at the maximum insurable income of €2,300 a month from 1 August 2026, and the sector average is above it. Worked from the hub rates, on the sector average of €3,079 the employer pays €425.96 a month in contributions, for a cost of €3,504.96. The employee pays 13.78% up to the same ceiling and a flat 10% income tax, withheld from pay. Our guide to hiring in Bulgaria has the full breakdown and a worked example: a €2,000 monthly salary costs the employer €28,444.80 a year. The national minimum wage is €620.20 gross a month in 2026.
Working together across time zones
Bulgaria is on Eastern European Time, UTC+2, and UTC+3 in summer. It is 2 hours ahead of London and, for most of the year, 7 hours ahead of New York. A 09:00 to 17:00 day in Sofia overlaps about 6 hours with London and about 1 hour with New York, so shared meetings with New York fall in the New York morning. Under the Labor Code the normal working week is 5 days and up to 40 hours, and employees get at least 20 working days of paid leave a year.
How to hire developers in Bulgaria
Start with placement. We source, screen and interview remote developers, then deliver a shortlist of 3 vetted candidates within 21 days for a flat $6,500, or your deposit back. Prefer to run the search yourself? Post a job for $299 and reach candidates who want to work remotely.
Once you have chosen the person, there are 3 ways to employ them:
- Bulgarian entity: you register a company in Bulgaria, run payroll and pay the employer's social and health contributions yourself. It suits a team of several people in Bulgaria.
- Employer of record (EOR): a third-party provider becomes the legal employer and runs Bulgarian payroll for a monthly fee per employee. Your company directs the work.
- Contractor: the developer invoices you as a self-employed worker. The relationship has to be genuinely independent, or it can count as employment.
Euro Remote Talent does not employ people on your behalf. We handle the placement: we find and shortlist the candidate, and you employ them through the route that fits.
See how placement works or post a job. For pay levels, see average salary in Bulgaria and the Bulgaria minimum wage, and for living costs, cost of living in Bulgaria. Browse remote jobs in Bulgaria to see who is hiring there now.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and collective agreements can set different terms. Confirm with a local accountant or lawyer before you hire.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average developer salary in Bulgaria?
NSI does not publish pay for the job title, but employees in information and communication earned an average of €3,079 gross a month from April to June 2026. In the 2022 EU earnings survey, professionals in the sector earned a mean of BGN 4,439 gross a month, €2,270 at the fixed rate of 1.95583 lev per euro.
How many software developers are there in Bulgaria?
Eurostat counted 141,500 ICT specialists in employment in Bulgaria in 2025, 4.8% of all workers and 48.2% more than in 2020. The figure covers developers and other ICT roles such as network and support specialists.
How long does it take to hire a developer in Bulgaria?
With our placement service you get a shortlist of 3 vetted candidates within 21 days, or your deposit back. After that, the time depends on your interviews and on the candidate's notice: 30 days for an open-ended contract under the Labor Code, unless a longer term of up to 3 months was agreed.
Should I hire a Bulgarian developer as a contractor or an employee?
Either can work. An employee needs a Bulgarian entity or an employer of record to run payroll and pay the 18.52% employer contributions. A contractor invoices you as a self-employed worker, but the relationship must be genuinely independent or it can count as employment.
Do I need a company in Bulgaria to hire a developer there?
No. You can use an employer of record, a third-party provider that employs the person for you, or a genuine contractor agreement. Euro Remote Talent handles the placement: we find, screen and shortlist the person, and you choose the route.
Sources
- NSI, Employees and average wages and salaries, second quarter of 2026. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- NSI, Average annual wages and salaries by economic activity groupings, 2025. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Employed ICT specialists, isoc_sks_itspt. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Employed ICT specialists by sex, isoc_sks_itsps. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Graduates by field of education, educ_uoe_grad02. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Mean monthly earnings by occupation and economic activity, earn_ses22_48. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- NRA, Appendix 1: 2026 table of contribution rates and split. Checked 3 Nov 2026.
- NOI, Insurance of workers and employees: insurable income 2026. Checked 3 Nov 2026.
- Labor Code, lex.bg, Labor Code, arts. 136, 155, 326. Checked 3 Nov 2026.
