Overview
- The Federal Labor Law guarantees a minimum aguinaldo equal to 15 days of daily pay and requires employers to pay it before December 20, with December 19, 2026 cited as the practical deadline.
- Employees with a subordinate labor relationship — including permanent, temporary, unionized, by‑piece workers, sales agents and commission-based staff covered by the LFT — are entitled to aguinaldo, while most contractors paid by fee are not unless their work shows a de facto employment link.
- To calculate the full minimum payment take your daily salary and multiply by 15; for monthly salaries divide the monthly pay by 30 to get the daily rate before multiplying by 15.
- Proportional aguinaldo for those who worked less than a year uses this formula: (daily salary × 15) ÷ 365 × days worked; for variable wages use the 30‑day average and for commissions use the average of the last year or of the time worked if shorter.
- If an employer withholds, pays late or pays less than required, workers can seek free advice and file claims with Profedet within one year; the federal sector follows separate rules that allow earlier first payments and often higher minimum days under the bureaucratic law.