Workers who have been on prolonged leave may be entitled to receive compensation for holiday and Christmas bonuses that were not paid by the employer, through Social Security support called compensatory benefits, a mechanism that many are unaware of but which can represent an important boost to annual income.
If you were furloughed in 2025 for more than 30 days, you can ask Social Security for compensation for the holiday and/or Christmas allowances you didn’t receive. This support can be requested online through the Direct Pension portal.
Request can be made directly on the Social Security portal
According to information released by the Social Security Institute (ISS), the request can be made simply via the digital platform. “From January onwards, the compensatory benefit for holiday and Christmas bonuses or for both simultaneously can be requested through the Social Security portal. This service allows not only registration and monitoring of the process, but a faster analysis and decision”, explains the agency.
How to order step by step
After logging into the Direct Social Security Portal, the process is relatively simple. First you must access the Illness menu, then select the Care during illness option and, finally, choose Compensatory benefit for holiday and Christmas allowances.
After submitting the request, the process is registered and will be analyzed by the Social Security services. “Your request is successfully registered and will be analyzed by the Social Security services. In the Direct Social Security message area, you will receive a message confirming the submission of your request. To obtain proof, go to Actions and select Get Proof”, explains the ISS.
Deadline to request support
The request must be submitted within a maximum period of six months from January 1st of the year following the year in which the holiday and Christmas bonuses were due by the employer. If the employment contract has ended in the meantime, the term starts to run from the date of termination of the contract.
The support is mainly aimed at salaried workers. Members of statutory bodies may also be eligible, as long as they can prove their right to the respective subsidies and meet the other required conditions.
When there is a right to compensation
One of the most common situations occurs when the worker was on sick leave. In these cases, the worker must have received sickness benefits and, due to the duration of the leave, not have received or only received part of the holiday or Christmas benefits.
Furthermore, the illness must have been of sufficient duration to suspend the employment contract and the employer cannot be legally obliged to pay these benefits.
Parenthood situations can also give the right
Support may also apply during periods of parental leave. According to Social Security, holiday and Christmas bonuses must normally be paid by the employer during parental leave.
However, if they are reduced in proportion to the period of leave, there may be a right to payment of a compensatory benefit.
Support amount depends on the type of subsidy
The amount receivable is not fixed. According to , the value of compensatory benefits varies according to the type of support the worker was receiving, namely sickness benefit or parental benefits. Additionally, these benefits can be stacked with other Social Security benefits.
When do these installments apply
Compensatory benefits apply when the employer did not pay and had no obligation to pay, in whole or in part, holiday or Christmas bonuses.
This happens, for example, when the worker received sickness benefit for 30 or more days, which led to the suspension of the employment contract.
It can also occur where the worker received parental benefits for 30 or more days in the year in which holiday or Christmas benefits were due.
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