The Christmas bonus will be paid earlier this year to employees, as the official payment deadline falls on a Sunday. Specifically, December 21st, which is the deadline date, is a holiday, forcing employers to proceed with payment before this date to avoid late payment.
Read: Christmas 2025: The countdown begins for this year’s bonus
Who qualifies for the Christmas bonus
All employees with dependent employment contracts are entitled to the Christmas bonus. The amount they receive depends on their compensation method. Salaried employees receive one full monthly salary, while those paid daily wages are entitled to 25 daily wages.
Method for calculating the holiday allowance
The basis for calculating the Christmas bonus is the earnings of December 10th. In case the employment relationship has ended earlier, the earnings of the last working day are used. The reference period extends from May 1st to December 31st of each year. Employees who worked continuously throughout this entire period receive the full bonus amount. Those who worked for a shorter period receive a proportional amount. Specifically, for every 19 calendar days of work they are entitled to:
• 2/25 of the monthly salary for salaried employees
• 2 daily wages for those paid daily wages
The calculation also includes legal leave such as annual leave, maternity leave, and study leave. For sickness cases, three-day sick periods where no benefit is paid by the insurance organization are counted, while days with sickness benefits are deducted.
Special cases of part-time employment
For part-time employees, the Christmas bonus is calculated based on their reduced earnings and the time they worked from May 1st to December 31st. This regulation ensures proportional payment of the allowance according to working hours.
