Tis’ the season for “Alguinaldo” or Christmas Bonuses in Costa Rica. Every December this mandatory payment for full time employees is due and many count on this for their holiday season expenses.
Often called the 13th month of salary, the “Alguinaldo” is equal to one month’s average pay. The easiest way to calculate your employee’s “Alguinaldo” is to take their weekly salary and multiply by 4.3; since on average there are 4.3 work weeks in each month. Or you can add up all their annual pay and divide it by 12 to get the 1 month average.
These Christmas Bonuses could not come at a batter time because December is the most expensive month in Costa Rica with car and motorcycle “Marcharmos” (annual fee for vehicles), taxes due December 15th, plus holiday festivities and gifts.
So make sure you pay your employee’s “Alguinaldo” on time because their family is surely depending on it for the holidays.