Every year the same question returns: are there pensioners who are able to receive their Christmas bonus earlier than others? The issue circulated again on social media, especially after a user compared payments made by Caixa Geral de Aposentações (CGA) with those from Social Security, insinuating that one group was being privileged. But is it really so? And who, after all, receives this support sooner?
The Christmas bonus is paid in different months depending on the regime, and the explanation is far from being political or arbitrary. What determines the calendar is, in fact, the date on which each system processes the monthly pension. Whoever receives it first, receives everything sooner. Those who receive it later receive the subsidy closer to the end of the year. It’s simple, but it continues to fuel confusion.
After all, who gets paid sooner?
According to Polígrafo, which confirmed the dates with official entities, CGA pensioners receive the Christmas allowance in November. The reason lies in the payment system: CGA pensions are processed, as a rule, on the 19th of each month, or on the immediately preceding business day. And as the subsidy is transferred together with the pension, it ends up reaching the accounts before the beginning of December.
The CGA’s official website even states that the Christmas allowance is paid in the month of November, which means that these pensioners receive this amount weeks before Christmas. For many, it can be an important advantage, especially for those who depend on this support to make seasonal purchases or balance expenses accumulated throughout the year.
What about Social Security pensioners?
According to an official Social Security source cited by , the Christmas benefit is paid together with the December pension, which normally happens at the beginning of the month. In 2024, for example, payment is scheduled for the 5th.
This means that, technically, there is no “delay”, but rather a different calendar. As Social Security pensions are paid until the 8th, payments are concentrated at the beginning of the month, while the CGA processes its beneficiaries closer to the end.
The difference between both payments, November for CGA and the beginning of December for Social Security, translates, in practice, into an interval that doesn’t even reach a month. However, for those living on a tight budget, every week can make a difference.
A difference in calendar, not rights
According to the same source, there is no legal inequality between the two groups. Both receive the subsidy in full, both are entitled to the same amount and both follow the official calendars of their respective systems. The temporal difference derives only from the moment in which each entity processes the monthly pension.
Still, the topic always generates debate, especially because the CGA covers State pensioners, many of them with long careers in Public Administration, while Social Security covers the majority of workers in the former private sector. This historical distinction fuels misreadings whenever calendars diverge.
Receiving earlier is possible, but it depends on the regime
The question that many ask, “can I receive the Christmas benefit early?”, has a clear answer: only if you are a CGA pensioner. There is no way to change the Social Security calendar, where payments follow the already defined monthly date.
For those on this regime, the only strategy is financial planning. Those who belong to the CGA benefit from an advance seasonal payment, which many are unaware of until they see the money arrive in their account in November.
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