How to calculate the proportional amount of the Christmas allowance in Portugal for employment contracts that begin or end during the year?

As the holiday season approaches, employees and employers begin to run the numbers in order to understand what amounts they will receive and spend, respectively, under the heading “Christmas Allowance”. This amount is owed to all employees, regardless of the type of employment contract.

Thus, employees who do not receive the 13th month salary in twelfths must receive it by 15 December of each year. However, it frequently occurs that this amount does not correspond exactly to the value of a full month’s remuneration, particularly when the employment contract begins or ends during the year.

In these situations, it is therefore necessary to calculate the proportional amounts due, with the basis for calculation being the period worked during the year in question.

By way of example, if an employee earns €1,000.00 per month but, for any reason, their contract ends on 30 June, the amount of €500.00 must be processed in the final payslip as Christmas allowance, even though this amount would only fall due on 15 December. A simple way to calculate the allowance to be received is to divide the monthly salary by 12 and multiply it by the number of months or fractions of months worked in that year.

This reasoning applies in situations where (i) the employment contract only begins during the year, (ii) the employment contract ends during the year, and (iii) the employment contract, for any reason, was suspended during the year, in which case the suspension period should not be counted for this purpose.

In summary, it is important to recall that the Christmas allowance constitutes an essential right of employees and an obligation of employers, requiring particular attention in the calculation of proportional amounts when the employment relationship does not cover the entire year. Transparency in the calculation formula and in the communication of the amounts to be processed helps prevent disputes, the imposition of fines on employers, and ensures that both employees and companies enter the holiday season with predictability and security.

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