Running payroll for a real estate team in Egypt is complicated by three factors: commission-heavy compensation, multiple concurrent deals per agent, and Egyptian Labor Law requirements for formal employment.
Egyptian Labor Law basics for real estate
Under Egyptian Labor Law No. 12/2003, full-time employees must receive: minimum base salary (currently EGP 6,000/month), social insurance contributions (11% employee + 18.75% employer), and annual leave of 21 days (rising to 30 days after 10 years). Commission agents often receive a low base salary plus commission — but the law requires the base salary to be clearly stated in the employment contract.
Commission structures in Egyptian real estate
The most common structure: 1.5–2.5% of property value from the seller's side, split between the agent (50–70%) and the brokerage (30–50%). For developers, this is often a fixed fee per unit type (e.g., EGP 50,000 for a 2BR apartment). Zold's commission module stores both percentage-based and fixed-fee structures per project.
The payroll cycle
Egyptian real estate payroll typically runs monthly. The critical challenge: commissions are earned when a deal is signed, but may be received from the developer weeks or months later. Zold handles this with two concepts: Commission Earned (at contract signing) and Commission Paid (at receipt from developer), with the payroll cycle drawing from the "Paid" pool.
3-gate approval process
To prevent payroll errors, Zold enforces a three-step approval: HR confirms employee data and attendance; Finance verifies commission calculations against deal records; Management approves the final payout. Each gate has a 48-hour SLA — if approval is not given, the next approver in the chain is notified.
Social insurance filing
Monthly social insurance declarations must be submitted to the National Organization for Social Insurance (NOSI). Zold's payroll module generates the required forms (Form 1, Form 2, Form 6) pre-filled with all employee data, ready for accountant review.
Ready to transform your real estate operations?
Try Zold free for 14 days. No credit card required.