Am I required to use REGES-ONLINE if I have no employees?
Quick answer
- An employer with no active employees has no contracts to submit in REGES-ONLINE.
- If it hires later, it must hold an account and register the contract before the first working day.
- A sole trader (PFA) with no employees or an LLC with no staff has no employee registry to fill in.
- The obligation to use REGES arises with the first individual employment contract.
- It is advisable for the company to activate its account early, so it can register at the first hire.
What the law says
- The obligation to register in REGES concerns employees' individual employment contracts.
- An employer with no employees submits no data but becomes obliged at the first hire.
- The first employee's contract is submitted at the latest the working day before work starts.
- Sole traders and LLCs with no staff are not employers for the purposes of the employee registry.
- The Labour Code (Law 53/2003) ties the obligation to the existence of an individual employment contract.
Practical examples
- Example: an LLC with a single, unemployed associate-administrator submits nothing in REGES.
- Example: a sole trader working alone, with no employees, has no employee registry to fill in.
- Example: a company hiring its first employee must already have an activated REGES account by then.
- Example: a 'dormant' company that resumes activity and hires immediately falls under the REGES obligation.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a company with no employees must still submit something in REGES.
- Delaying account activation until the day of the first hire, risking missing the deadline.
- Confusing the obligation to hold an account with the obligation to submit, absent employees.
- Not registering the first contract on time when moving from zero to the first employee.
How 4softhr helps
- 4softhr lets the company be ready in advance, with files and contract templates prepared.
- It generates the first employee's contract and prepares the data for REGES submission.
- It sends deadline alerts from the moment the first hire appears.
- It keeps a clear record of active employees so REGES obligations match reality.
- It reduces the risk that the first hire is processed late or with incomplete data.