The short answer
São Paulo is one hour ahead of New York during US summer time and two hours ahead during US winter time. Brazil speaks Portuguese; the engineers Boecia Talent introduces interview and work in English. Companies without a Brazilian entity usually hire engineers as contractors who invoice through their own small company, a setup called PJ, or through an employer of record.
Time difference with the US
Brazil stopped daylight saving time in 2019, so São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Florianópolis and Recife stay on UTC−3 (Brasília time) all year. Some states in the west and north, such as Amazonas, use UTC−4. In each cell, the first value is during US summer time (second Sunday of March to first Sunday of November) and the second during US winter time.
| City | UTC offset | Compared with New York | Compared with San Francisco |
|---|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | UTC−3 | 1 h ahead / 2 h ahead | 4 h ahead / 5 h ahead |
| Rio de Janeiro | UTC−3 | 1 h ahead / 2 h ahead | 4 h ahead / 5 h ahead |
| Florianópolis | UTC−3 | 1 h ahead / 2 h ahead | 4 h ahead / 5 h ahead |
| Recife | UTC−3 | 1 h ahead / 2 h ahead | 4 h ahead / 5 h ahead |
A team on US Eastern time shares at least six hours of a 9 to 5 day with these cities. A team on Pacific time shares three to four hours, so meetings fit best in the Pacific morning. More cities in Latin America and US time zones.
Where the engineers are
São Paulo is the country's largest tech market. Campinas, Florianópolis, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Porto Alegre and Recife, home of the Porto Digital technology park, are other tech cities. Universities such as the Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Unicamp and the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA) train many engineers.
How companies hire engineers in Brazil
Without a company in the country, there are two common ways to hire. The general comparison is in contractor or employee in Latin America.
- As a PJ contractor. PJ stands for pessoa jurídica, a legal entity: the engineer opens a small company, issues you an electronic service invoice (nota fiscal) and pays the company's taxes.
- Through an employer of record. Employees in Brazil are hired under the CLT, the labor code. The Federal Constitution, in article 7, gives them a 13th salary, deposits into a severance fund called FGTS, and paid annual vacation with at least one third more than the normal salary. The EOR runs all of this.
Brazilian labor courts look at how the work happens. Article 3 of the CLT defines an employee as a person who works for an employer on a non-occasional basis, under its direction, for a salary, so a PJ contractor who works fixed hours for you alone can be treated as an employee. Your own local company makes sense once you have a larger team in the country, with local legal and accounting advice.
Things to agree before you hire
- The currency of the contract: US dollars or Brazilian reais (BRL). Payroll through an employer of record runs in reais.
- The language of the job post. English reaches engineers across the region, including Brazil, where the first language is Portuguese.
- Public holidays. Brazil has national holidays plus state and city holidays, so ask the engineer which ones apply where they live.
How we help
Tell us about the role. We speak with each engineer about it before we share their profile, and you receive a shortlist of vetted engineers. You only pay when you hire, and if the hire leaves within 90 days, we find a replacement for free.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change, so check with a lawyer or accountant in the country before you sign.
Sources
Labor rules: the Federal Constitution (article 7), published by the Chamber of Deputies, and the CLT (article 3). Time zones: the IANA time zone database.
Questions companies ask
Is Brazil ahead of the US?
Yes. São Paulo is one hour ahead of New York during US summer time and two hours ahead during US winter time. It is four or five hours ahead of San Francisco.
What does PJ mean in Brazil?
PJ stands for pessoa jurídica, a legal entity. A PJ contractor is an engineer who has their own small company and invoices you through it, instead of being employed under the CLT.
Do I pay anything if I do not hire?
No. Companies pay Boecia Talent only when they hire someone it introduced. The fee depends on the role and is given in the quote before any work starts, and a hire who leaves within 90 days is replaced for free.
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