Countries › Colombia › Guide › 16. What is normal abroad but not here › A legal bonus of one month of salary a year

A legal bonus of one month of salary a year

Last verified: 2026-10-27 · Status: Stable

Abroad, bonuses are usually discretionary; in Colombia every employer must pay the prima de servicios, 30 days of salary a year, in two halves by 30 June and within the first 20 days of December. For workers earning up to two minimum wages, the transport allowance (COP 249,095 a month in 2026) counts in the base. Only a valid integral salary of at least 13 minimum wages can include the prima in advance.

USD figures use the TRM (tasa representativa del mercado) of COP 3,157.94 per US dollar valid on 27 October 2026, certified by the Superintendencia Financiera and published on datos.gov.co. Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Prima de servicios (mandatory bonus)	30 days of salary a yearCST art. 306, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Transport allowance 2026 (workers up to 2 minimum wages)	249095 COPDecreto 1470 de 2025 art. 1, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Monthly minimum wage 2026	1750905 COPDecreto 1469 de 2025 art. 1, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Minimum integral salary 2026 (13 minimum wages)	22761765 COPCST art. 132; Decreto 1469 de 2025, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
TRM used for conversions on this page	3157.94 COP per USDTRM certified by the Superintendencia Financiera, valid 27 October 2026, as of 2026-10-27 · in force

The rule

1. The employer must pay its employees the prima de servicios, a social benefit of 30 days of salary a year, paid in two installments: half by 30 June at the latest and the other half within the first 20 days of December. It is owed for the whole semester worked or in proportion to time worked, and covers domestic workers, family drivers, day workers and farm workers.
Cost to do it: One month of salary a year per employee, about 8.33 percent of annual salary.
Example: An employee earning COP 3,000,000 a month plus the COP 249,095 transport allowance receives COP 1,624,548 by 30 June and the same by 20 December. / About US$514 per installment, US$1,029 a year.Código Sustantivo del Trabajo, art. 306 as amended by Ley 1788 de 2016 art. 1 (Diario Oficial 49.927, 7 July 2016), Art. 306, 2016-07-07 official text · verified 2026-10-27 · changed: Ley 1788 de 2016 extended the prima to domestic workers and similar workers.

2. The transport allowance is deemed part of salary for all purposes of calculating social benefits. For 2026 it is COP 249,095 a month, owed to workers earning up to two monthly minimum wages where public transport exists.
Cost to do it: COP 249,095 a month in 2026, which also raises the prima and cesantía base.
Example: Two minimum wages are COP 3,501,810 a month in 2026, so a worker on COP 3,000,000 gets the allowance and it enters the prima base. / Allowance about US$79 a month.Ley 1 de 1963 art. 7 (Diario Oficial 31.004, 6 February 1963); Decreto 1470 de 2025 art. 1 (Diario Oficial 53.350, 29 December 2025), Ley 1 de 1963 art. 7; Decreto 1470 de 2025 art. 1, 2025-12-29 official text · verified 2026-10-27

3. The 2026 monthly minimum wage is COP 1,750,905 from 1 January 2026.
Cost to do it: Minimum base for all benefits.
Example: A minimum wage worker's prima is COP 1,750,905 plus COP 249,095 of transport allowance, COP 2,000,000 a year. / About US$633 a year.Decreto 1469 de 2025 (29 December 2025), Art. 1, 2025-12-29 official text · verified 2026-10-27

4. Where the worker earns an ordinary salary above 10 monthly minimum wages, the parties may agree in writing an integral salary that compensates in advance benefits such as legal and extralegal primas, cesantías and their interest, overtime and night and holiday premiums, but not vacation. The integral salary cannot be below 10 minimum wages plus a benefits factor of at least 30 percent, that is 13 minimum wages.
Cost to do it: Minimum integral salary 2026: COP 22,761,765 a month.
Example: A manager agreed at COP 25,000,000 a month of integral salary has no separate prima or cesantía; one at COP 20,000,000 cannot validly be on integral salary. / Minimum integral salary about US$7,208 a month.Código Sustantivo del Trabajo, art. 132 as amended by Ley 50 de 1990 art. 18, Art. 132 num. 2, 1990-12-28 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Worked example

A foreign company budgets a Colombian analyst at COP 3,000,000 a month times 12. The real cash cost before social security also includes 12 months of transport allowance (COP 2,989,140), the prima (COP 3,249,095), the cesantía deposit (COP 3,249,095) and its 12 percent interest (COP 389,891), about COP 45.9 million against the COP 36 million budgeted.

Step by step

Add the transport allowance to payroll for workers up to two minimum wages.
Accrue the prima monthly and pay half by 30 June and half by 20 December.
Pay the proportional prima when an employee leaves mid semester.
Use integral salary only for written agreements at or above 13 minimum wages.

Common traps

An offer quoting a foreign style annual package without the prima understates cost, unless it is a valid integral salary.
Forgetting the transport allowance in the prima base underpays the benefit.
Integral salary does not cover vacation.

Sources

← Costs need a DIAN validated electronic invoiceSeverance is deposited every year, not only paid on dismissal →