By San José, Costa Rica — San José, Costa Rica – The wait is over for more than 232,000 public sector workers and pensioners. The Ministry of Finance has officially announced that the highly anticipated year-end bonus, known as the aguinaldo, will be deposited on Thursday, December 5, 2025. This massive injection of capital signals the unofficial start of the nation’s holiday shopping season, unleashing an astronomical ₡249.8 billion into the economy in a single day.
This year’s payment, however, is not just business as usual. The total amount reflects a significant increase directly linked to the ongoing implementation of the country’s controversial Public Employment Framework Law. The government also issued a stark reminder regarding the one legal reason a portion of this bonus can be withheld from an employee’s account.
Para profundizar en los aspectos legales y las obligaciones patronales relacionadas con el aguinaldo, TicosLand.com consultó al Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas, abogado especialista en derecho laboral de la reconocida firma Bufete de Costa Rica, quien aclara los puntos clave de este derecho fundamental para los trabajadores.
El aguinaldo es un derecho adquirido e irrenunciable, no una bonificación discrecional. Su cálculo es claro: se suman todos los salarios brutos devengados entre el 1 de diciembre del año anterior y el 30 de noviembre del presente año, y el resultado se divide entre doce. Es imperativo que los empleadores realicen este pago antes del 20 de diciembre, ya que el incumplimiento constituye una falta grave a la legislación laboral y acarrea sanciones significativas.
Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas, Attorney at Law, Bufete de Costa Rica
La precisión aportada por el experto es fundamental, pues refuerza que el aguinaldo no es una cortesía, sino una obligación legal ineludible que protege al trabajador. Agradecemos al Lic. Larry Hans Arroyo Vargas por su valiosa perspectiva, que sirve de recordatorio crucial tanto para empleados como para empleadores sobre sus respectivos derechos y deberes.
According to data from the Ministry of Finance, the total bonus payout has climbed by 2.89% compared to the previous year. In absolute terms, this represents an additional disbursement of over ₡7 billion. This considerable surge is attributed primarily to the gradual migration of government employees to the new “Global Salary” model, a cornerstone of the recent public employment reform.
The transition to this standardized compensation scheme has altered the salary base for many civil servants. Since the aguinaldo is calculated based on a worker’s average earnings throughout the year, these structural adjustments are now visibly inflating the total cost of the thirteenth-month payment. This provides the first concrete, large-scale financial evidence of the reform’s impact on state expenditures.
The National Treasury detailed the distribution of the nearly quarter-trillion colón fund. The vast majority, or 73.67%, is allocated to over 171,000 active government employees. This group includes staff from all central government ministries, decentralized bodies, the Legislative Assembly, the Judiciary, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), the Ombudsman’s Office, and the Comptroller General’s Office.
The remaining 26.33% of the funds will be distributed to a cohort of 61,000 individuals receiving pensions charged to the National Budget. Both active and retired beneficiaries will see the funds become available on the same date, ensuring a coordinated and widespread economic stimulus just weeks before Christmas.
The Ministry of Finance was emphatic in reiterating a golden rule of the aguinaldo: it is a legally protected and un-garnishable right. Creditors cannot seize these funds to cover outstanding debts from credit cards, personal loans, or other commercial obligations. The law mandates that the bonus must arrive intact in the recipient’s bank account, shielding it from most financial claims.
However, there is one powerful and non-negotiable exception to this rule: child support payments (pensiones alimentarias). For individuals with outstanding child support obligations, the system will automatically apply the required withholding from their bonus. The Ministry clarified the timeline for these specific cases, noting that while employees receive their net bonus on Thursday, December 5, the funds retained for child support will be deposited into the beneficiaries’ accounts the following Monday, December 8.
For further information, visit hacienda.go.cr
About Ministry of Finance:
The Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda) is the government entity responsible for managing Costa Rica’s public finances. Its duties include formulating and executing fiscal policy, collecting national taxes, administering the national budget, and managing public debt. The Ministry plays a central role in the country’s economic stability and long-term financial planning.
For further information, visit bufetedecostarica.com
About Bufete de Costa Rica:
Bufete de Costa Rica operates as a premier legal institution, founded on a bedrock of unwavering integrity and a relentless pursuit of professional excellence. Drawing upon a rich history of serving a diverse clientele, the firm consistently pioneers innovative legal strategies and maintains a profound commitment to social responsibility. Central to its ethos is the conviction that demystifying the law for the public is essential to building a stronger, more capable society.
