Country reference

Bulgaria — Work Calendar, Salary and VAT Reference

The quickest route into this market's holiday calendar, salary planning and VAT rules.

🇧🇬 BGNEurope/Sofia20% standard VAT

Next holiday

Assumption Day · Sat, 15 Aug 2026

national

Working days

254 working days in 2026

10 public holidays

Standard VAT

20% standard

9% · 0%

Salary example

BGN 2,200.00 → BGN 1,720.00 net

Average monthly example

Core routes for this market

Open the exact workflow you need without leaving the country context.

Upcoming public holidays

The next holidays matter most for cut-offs, staffing and payroll timing.

DateHolidayType
Sat, 15 Aug 2026Assumption Daynational
Tue, 22 Sept 2026Independence Daynational
Sun, 1 Nov 2026All Saints’ Daynational
Fri, 25 Dec 2026Christmas Daynational

2026 monthly capacity

A quick monthly view before you open the full working-days page.

1

21 working days

1 holidays in month

2

20 working days

0 holidays in month

3

21 working days

1 holidays in month

4

20 working days

2 holidays in month

5

20 working days

2 holidays in month

6

22 working days

0 holidays in month

7

23 working days

0 holidays in month

8

21 working days

1 holidays in month

9

21 working days

1 holidays in month

10

22 working days

0 holidays in month

11

21 working days

1 holidays in month

12

22 working days

1 holidays in month

Payroll reference

Salary planning snapshot

Average gross monthlyBGN 2,200.00
Average net monthlyBGN 1,720.00
Minimum wageBGN 470.00 / monthly
Salary model year2026

VAT reference

Standard and reduced rates

Standard rate20%
Reduced9%
Reduced0%

Regional context

National baseline, local review where required

Bulgaria has additional regional context that can affect operational planning. The figures above show the national baseline first.

SofiaPlovdivVarnaBurgas

Bulgaria — Country reference

The quickest route into this market's holiday calendar, salary planning and VAT rules.

Work culture and weekly rhythm in Bulgaria

Bulgaria operates a forty-hour standard workweek under the Labour Code. Statutory paid leave is twenty working days per year, with extensions for specific industries. Sofia and Plovdiv have developed into significant technology and outsourcing centres, with the lev pegged to the euro since 1997 (and euro adoption planned for 2026 or 2027 subject to convergence criteria).

Bulgarian workplace culture is generally informal and warm, with strong English fluency in modern technology sectors and a highly skilled engineering workforce. Cyrillic script is used in formal documentation, but English-language business operations are universal in international companies.

Public holiday landscape in Bulgaria

Bulgaria observes fifteen public holidays per year, including New Year's Day, Liberation Day on 3 March, Orthodox Good Friday and Easter Monday, Saint George's Day on 6 May, Cyrillic Alphabet Day on 24 May, Unification Day on 6 September, Independence Day on 22 September, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Orthodox Easter follows the Julian calendar adjustment and usually falls on a different date from Western Easter. The Orthodox dates should always be checked for the specific year when planning project schedules with Bulgarian counterparts.

Salary and payroll fundamentals in Bulgaria

Bulgarian payroll uses a flat ten percent personal income tax with employee social contributions of 13.78 percent of gross. The combined employee burden is among the lowest in the EU, which has driven sustained foreign direct investment in shared services and technology operations.

Employer-side social contributions are 18.92 to 19.62 percent of gross depending on activity classification, producing a total employer cost of approximately 1.19 to 1.20 times the gross salary. This is among the lowest employer cost ratios in the EU.

VAT, invoicing and the business framework in Bulgaria

Bulgaria applies a standard VAT (DDS) rate of twenty percent and a reduced rate of nine percent for tourism, accommodation, restaurant services and certain other categories. The two-tier structure is straightforward and the standard rate matches the broad EU norm.

Bulgarian invoice content requirements follow the EU directive. The VAT registration threshold is one hundred thousand BGN in annual turnover (approximately fifty-one thousand euros).

Practical planning tips for Bulgaria

Take advantage of the relatively low total payroll cost when budgeting Bulgarian operations. Sofia in particular offers strong technology talent at substantially lower fully-loaded cost than Western European hubs while maintaining EU compliance and English-speaking communication.

Confirm Orthodox Easter dates each year and plan around the Liberation Day cluster on 3 March, which is one of the most significant national observances and often produces a long weekend.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to the questions people most often ask before relying on the page.

What is included on the Bulgaria page?
The country page links together holidays, working days, salary planning, VAT references and the most relevant calculators.
How should I use the country page?
Use it as the starting point for that market, then open the holiday, salary or VAT route that matches your task.
Are regional differences covered?
The page highlights regional considerations where they matter, but local verification may still be needed for final decisions.
Are the salary and VAT figures legal advice?
No. They are planning references and should be confirmed against official country sources before regulated use.
What does the Bulgaria country page show me?
The Bulgaria page combines four pillars: the public holiday calendar for the current and upcoming years, the working day count by month, the salary planning model with current tax brackets and contribution rates, and the VAT framework with all applicable rates and invoicing rules. Each pillar links into a dedicated calculator or year-specific deep dive.
How does Bulgaria compare to its neighbours?
The Related countries section at the bottom of the Bulgaria page links directly to nearby markets so you can open them side by side. The most useful comparison views are usually salary (gross to net delta), VAT (standard rate and reduced bands) and the public holiday count.
Are the Bulgaria salary numbers reliable for an offer letter?
The salary calculator on the Bulgaria page reflects the current published tax brackets and social contribution rates and produces a reasonable estimate for offer planning. For the actual payslip in a binding contract, confirm with a local accountant or payroll provider since regional surcharges, collective agreements and personal deductions can move the figure by several percentage points.
Where do the Bulgaria holiday dates come from?
Public holiday data follows official government and ministry of interior publications. Where regional holidays are observed only in specific provinces or states, the data also captures the regional layer so HR planners can build accurate calendars for distributed teams.
Can I plan a project deadline using the Bulgaria working day count?
Yes. The monthly working day count on the Bulgaria page already deducts national public holidays and standard weekends. For projects that depend on a specific city or region, also check the regional holiday section because patron saint days and local closures may further reduce the count for individual teams.
Does the Bulgaria page show VAT rules for cross-border sales?
The standard and reduced rates are shown directly on the page, and the related VAT calculator handles the most common scenarios. Cross-border B2B and B2C rules under the EU one-stop-shop framework are explained in the resource articles linked from the page rather than embedded in the calculator itself.

Salary calculators

Explore all salary tools for this country to understand gross-to-net, net-to-gross, and employer cost calculations.

Holiday years

View public holidays across multiple years for comprehensive holiday planning.

Working days by month

Drill into any month for the exact list of business days, public holidays, and a full planning breakdown.

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