The approach of the Christmas season brings with it a recurring question for thousands of workers: who receives Christmas bonuses and, above all, who does not have access to this additional payment provided for by law. According to the Santander bank website, the subsidy is a supplementary benefit associated with extraordinary expenses at the time, but it is not universal. There are groups of taxpayers who are expressly excluded and who, due to lack of knowledge or expectation, may be surprised when the end of the year does not bring them this increase in income.
The Labor Code establishes that the subsidy must be paid to employees, with a contract in force in the public or private sector. According to the same source, administrators and managers of legal entities can also receive it, as long as there are proven legal conditions. This group includes pensioners and beneficiaries covered by parental leave, as well as those who are ill.
However, not everyone benefits from the same scenario. Self-employed workers are not part of the range of recipients of this benefit. The same happens with those who are registered in voluntary social insurance, with beneficiaries whose prolonged sick leave having triggered the granting of occupational illness benefit also being excluded.
When is it paid and who arrives first
In the case of the private sector, the subsidy must be delivered by December 15th. The bank adds that public servants usually receive it in November. State pensioners, registered with the Caixa Geral de Aposentações, see the amount also credited in November, while the majority of Social Security retirees only receive the amount in December, accumulated with the monthly pension.
This calendar helps to understand the phased distribution, but it also highlights the line that separates those who are part of the traditional contributory system and those who work on their own, without equivalent protection. The same source states that this distinction is structural and remains even during festive periods.
How much and how is it calculated
The value of the subsidy corresponds, as a rule, to the normal monthly salary. The website explains that there are exceptions, such as in the year of admission, upon termination of the contract or in the case of suspension for reasons attributable to the worker. There, the amount is reduced in proportion to the length of service provided.
The calculation considers the gross salary and the days of actual work. Absences and sick leaves are deducted from the count. In a standard scenario, the subsidy is equivalent to 100% of this base value. An income of 1,200 euros therefore translates into an equal amount paid in the annual allowance.
Payment in full or in twelfths
In most situations, the amount is delivered in full. According to , there is, however, the option of payment in twelfths in the private sector, through a formal agreement between the company and worker. The amount can be distributed over the 12 months, or divided in half with half diluted in the year and the remaining 50% paid in December.
In either regime, the legal framework defines who receives and who is excluded. Self-employed workers and those registered in the voluntary system are the most obvious cases of absence of subsidy, a fact that not everyone is aware of and which can influence the family budget in the final stretch of the year.
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