- Mehdi Hafid
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If your team has grown past five people and you are still paying contractors by bank transfer, tracking contracts in a folder, and hoping your invoices are compliant, you are probably overdue for a proper hiring platform. The good news: moving to one like Deel can come with up to $5,000 in startup credits through the Deel and AWS Activate partnership.
Most founders never claim it. Not because they do not qualify, but because nobody told them it exists, or the steps looked confusing. This guide explains what the perk is, who it is for, and exactly how to get it.
Short version: Deel partners with AWS Activate, Amazon’s startup program, to give eligible startups up to $5,000 in credits. Eligibility depends on your company and changes over time, so the fastest way to know if you qualify is a free 20 minute call with us. We check your situation and walk you through every step.
What is the Deel and AWS Activate perk?
AWS Activate is Amazon’s program for startups. It gives young companies credits, tools and support to build their business. Deel, the global hiring and payroll platform used by tens of thousands of companies worldwide, is an official Activate partner.
Through this partnership, eligible startups can get up to $5,000 in credits. Depending on your situation, those credits can help cover:
- Hiring and paying contractors in 150+ countries
- Employer of Record (EOR) costs, so you can hire full-time employees abroad without opening a local company
- Running your first US payroll
- Equipment and software for new hires through Deel IT
- Cloud costs, if you build your product on AWS
The exact credit type, amount and rules are set by Deel and AWS, and they update them from time to time. That is the main reason we check each case one by one instead of promising a fixed amount to everyone.
Who this perk is really for
Almost any growing business can benefit from it, but it makes the biggest difference if most of these sound like you:
- You already have a team of 5 to 11 people or more, some of them in other countries
- You pay people with bank transfers, PayPal or Wise, one by one, every month
- Contracts live in Google Docs or email threads, and you are not fully sure they hold up in each country
- You are about to make your next few hires and want to do it properly this time
- You spend hours each month on invoices, currency conversions and chasing paperwork
If you have one freelancer and no plans to hire, a platform is probably overkill for now. If the list above feels familiar, the credits make the switch close to free for the first months.
What the credits are worth in real numbers
Deel’s published prices (September 2026) are:
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Contractor management | $49 per contractor per month |
| US PEO (US employees) | $125 per employee per month |
| Employer of Record (employees abroad) | $599 per employee per month |
Take a typical small team with 6 international contractors. On Deel that is $294 per month in platform fees. If your credits apply to Deel fees, $5,000 would cover well over a year of running that team. If you hire one full-time employee abroad through EOR, it covers around 8 months of that employee’s platform fee.
Those numbers do not include the time you get back. Once a team passes five people, manual payments, invoices and paperwork easily eat several hours every month. That time alone is worth more than the platform fee.
How to claim it, step by step
Here is how we help founders get the perk, from first call to credits in the account:
- Book a free call with us. 20 minutes. We learn how your team works today, where you hire, and what you pay.
- We check your eligibility. We tell you honestly whether the perk applies to you, and whether Deel is the right platform at all. Sometimes it is not, and we will say so.
- Book your Deel demo. We introduce you to Deel so the demo focuses on your exact setup, not a generic tour.
- Set up your account and move your team. Onboard your existing contractors or make your first hires on the platform.
- Claim your credits. We guide you through the claim so nothing gets missed.
Why using a platform unlocks more than one perk
This is the part most founders miss. Big platforms like Deel have partnerships with hundreds of other companies. Once you are a customer, you are inside that network, and doors open that stay closed for businesses running everything by hand.
At SaaSPathway, we collect those deals in one place. On top of the Deel credits, our readers get discounts on tools like Navan for travel and expenses, Notion, ClickUp and HubSpot. You can browse them all on our Partner Perks page.
Is Deel the right platform for you?
Deel is our top pick for small businesses hiring across several countries, mainly because of its country coverage, fast contractor onboarding and its strong compliance tools. But it is not the only option. If you want the full comparison, read our Deel vs Remote breakdown, or our hands-on Deel review.
And if you hire people abroad as contractors today, read our guide on contractor misclassification. It is the most common, and most expensive, mistake we see in small teams.
Frequently asked questions
Is the perk really free?
Yes. The credits are offered by Deel and AWS through their partnership. Our call is free too. If you later become a Deel customer, we may receive a referral fee from Deel. It never changes your price. See our disclosure for details.
Do I need to be a US company?
No. Deel works for companies in the US, Canada, the UK, Europe and many other countries. Eligibility for the credits depends on the program rules at the time you apply, which we check with you on the call.
Do I have to hire someone new to qualify?
Not necessarily. Many teams qualify by moving their existing contractors onto the platform. Making your first hires through Deel is the most common path, though.
Why talk to you first instead of going straight to Deel?
Because we know which programs you can stack, what to ask for in the demo, and where founders usually lose the perk by skipping a step. A 20 minute call saves you hours of back and forth.
Ready to see if you qualify?
Book a free 20 minute call. We will look at your team, tell you honestly if the Deel and AWS Activate perk fits, and guide you through claiming it.
