“The Christmas bonus is a right for all contract employees, whether in the public or private sector. It is also a right for pensioners, whether they belong to Social Security or the Caixa Geral de Aposentações.
The bonus amounts to one month’s pay (base salary) and must typically be paid with November’s salary in the public sector (state employees); or, for the private sector (contract employees), by December 15 each year.
While full payment by December 15 is standard, the Labor Code permits installment payments (in twelfths) if outlined in a Collective Labor Regulation Instrument (IRCT) or agreed upon in writing between employer and employee.
For Social Security pensioners, the Christmas bonus is paid with the December pension; for Caixa Geral de Aposentações pensioners, it accompanies the November pension.
Self-employed workers typically do not receive a Christmas bonus unless explicitly included in their service contracts.”
‘Work and Taxes Made Simple’ is a section of Notícias ao Minuto, authored by Dantas Rodrigues, covering topics related to work, personal finance, and taxes. Here is the response to this question on Friday, November 14.
Notícias ao Minuto | 08:49 – 14/11/2025
The publication of the section ‘Work and Taxes Made Simple‘ is biweekly. Be part of it by sending your doubts, questions, or topic suggestions to ec******@**************to.com.
Dantas Rodrigues has been a lawyer since 1993 and is a partner at Dantas Rodrigues & Associados. He has also been a professor of Law at the Polytechnic Higher Education since 1995.
