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UI, UR, BPC and the dollar rate: the units Uruguayan law is written in

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

Uruguayan law rarely states amounts in plain pesos. Tax thresholds, cash limits and many fines use the Unidad Indexada (UI), which moves every day with consumer prices (UYU 6.6792 on 27 October 2026). Rents, mortgage credit and many administrative fines use the Unidad Reajustable (UR, UYU 1,940.77 in force in September 2026). Social security caps and benefits use the Base de Prestaciones y Contribuciones (BPC, UYU 6,864 for 2026). Code tax fines are reset each year by decree (UYU 680 to UYU 13,220 in 2026). The Banco Central del Uruguay publishes the reference dollar quotation (UYU 40.21 on 27 October 2026).

USD figures use UYU 40.21 per US dollar, the Banco Central del Uruguay quotation for DLS. USA BILLETE on 27 October 2026, retrieved from the BCU quotations service on the verification date. Amounts set in indexed units are converted at the UI of UYU 6.6792 published by the BCU for 27 October 2026; conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Unidad Indexada (UI), daily value on 27 October 2026	6.6792 UYULey Nº 17.761, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Unidad Reajustable (UR) in force in September 2026 (fixed for August 2026)	1940.77 UYUDecreto Nº 229/026 art. 1, as of 2026-09-30 · in force
Base de Prestaciones y Contribuciones (BPC) for 2026	6864 UYUDecreto Nº 11/026 art. 1, as of 2026-01-01 · in force
Minimum tax contravention fine, 2026	680 UYUDecreto Nº 344/025 art. 1, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Maximum tax contravention fine, 2026	13220 UYUDecreto Nº 344/025 art. 1, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
BCU DLS. USA BILLETE quotation, 27 October 2026	40.21 UYU per USDLey Nº 16.696 art. 7, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Reference dollar quotation	BCU daily quotation (DLS. USA BILLETE) Ley Nº 16.696 art. 7, as of 2026-10-27 · in force
Cash payment ceiling per transaction	UI 200,000, or 5% of the price up to UI 450,000 Ley Nº 19.210 art. 35; Decreto Nº 238/026 art. 1, as of 2026-10-27 · in force

The rule

1. The Unidad Indexada (UI) was created with a value of UYU 1.2841 on 1 August 2003 and varies daily so as to accumulate the change in the consumer price index of the previous month. Obligations contracted in UI as a unit of account are governed by this law, and the Instituto Nacional de Estadística administers the unit and publishes its daily value.
Example: A supply contract priced at UI 1,000,000 is worth UYU 6,679,200 at the UI of 27 October 2026 (6.6792); one week earlier, on 20 October, it was worth UYU 6,671,100 (UI 6.6711). / UYU 6,679,200 is about US$166,108 at UYU 40.21.Ley Nº 17.761, Art. 1 to 4, 2004-05-12 official text · verified 2026-10-27

2. The Unidad Reajustable (UR) was created by the 1968 housing law and is adjusted by the Executive by reference to the average wage index. Each month a decree fixes the UR, the rent adjustment unit (URA) and the rent adjustment coefficient; Decreto Nº 229/026 fixed the UR for August 2026 at UYU 1,940.77, the URA at UYU 1,928.96 and the coefficient for rents adjusting in September 2026 at 1.0455. IMPO's official table lists UYU 1,940.77 as the UR in force for September 2026. On 27 October 2026 the BCU quotations service already showed UYU 1,946.95 as the UR in force in October 2026, while IMPO's table did not yet list the decree fixing it.
Example: A fine of 100 UR equals UYU 194,077 at the UR in force in September 2026. / UYU 194,077 is about US$4,827.Ley Nº 13.728 art. 38 and 39; Decreto Nº 229/026, Ley 13.728 art. 38; Decreto 229/026 art. 1, 2 and 4, 2026-09-22 official text · verified 2026-10-27

3. The Base de Prestaciones y Contribuciones (BPC) replaced every legal reference to the national minimum wage used as a base for social security contributions, as a minimum or maximum of social benefits, as an income threshold or as any other unit of account. The Executive updates it; for 2026 it was fixed at UYU 6,864 from 1 January 2026.
Example: A threshold of 10 BPC equals UYU 68,640 in 2026. / UYU 68,640 is about US$1,707.Ley Nº 17.856 art. 1 to 3; Decreto Nº 11/026, Ley 17.856 art. 1 and 2; Decreto 11/026 art. 1, 2026-01-20 official text · verified 2026-10-27

4. The minimum and maximum fines for tax contraventions under articles 95 and 98 of the Código Tributario are fixed each year by decree: for 2026, UYU 680 and UYU 13,220. Many other regimes are written as multiples of this maximum, for example beneficial owner reporting fines of up to 100 times the maximum contravention fine.
Cost to do it: Maximum contravention fine in 2026: UYU 13,220 (about US$329); beneficial owner ceiling of 100 times that maximum: UYU 1,322,000 (about US$32,877).Decreto Nº 344/025; Decreto Nº 166/017 art. 21, Decreto 344/025 art. 1 and 2; Decreto 166/017 art. 21, 2025-12-30 official text · verified 2026-10-27

5. The Banco Central del Uruguay applies the monetary, exchange and credit instruments needed for its purposes and acts as the Government's financial agent; its primary purposes are price stability contributing to growth and employment and the regulation and supervision of the payment and financial systems. The BCU publishes daily quotations for foreign currencies and for the UI; the DLS. USA BILLETE quotation was UYU 40.077 on 20 October 2026 and UYU 40.21 on 27 October 2026.
Example: A US$10,000 invoice converts to UYU 402,100 at the 27 October 2026 quotation. / US$10,000.Ley Nº 16.696 (BCU Charter), art. 3 as worded by Ley Nº 18.401, and art. 7, Art. 3 and 7, 1995-03-30 official text · verified 2026-10-27

6. Cash payments are capped in UI: in any transaction, cash may be used up to UI 200,000, or up to 5 percent of the total price provided that amount does not exceed UI 450,000; the balance must be paid by other means. The same limit applies to capital contributions, irrevocable contributions, capital refunds and profit distributions in commercial companies.
Example: UI 200,000 equals UYU 1,335,840 at the UI of 27 October 2026. / About US$33,222.Ley Nº 19.210 art. 35 (as reworded by Ley Nº 20.469); Decreto Nº 238/026, Ley 19.210 art. 35; Decreto 238/026 art. 1, 2026-10-01 official text · verified 2026-10-27

Unit	Current value	Approx. USD	Who sets it and how often	Typical uses	Legal basis
UI	UYU 6.6792 (27 Oct 2026)	US$0.166	Published daily (INE methodology, BCU quotation), follows prior month CPI	Tax thresholds, cash limits, financial statement registry thresholds, indexed contracts and debt	Ley Nº 17.761 art. 1 to 4
UR	UYU 1,940.77 (in force Sept 2026)	US$48.27	Monthly decree of the Executive	Rents (URA and coefficient), mortgage credit, administrative and consumer fines	Ley Nº 13.728 art. 38; Decreto Nº 229/026
BPC	UYU 6,864 (2026)	US$170.70	Executive decree, when general public sector pay is adjusted (Ley Nº 17.856 art. 3)	Social security bases, caps and benefits, income thresholds	Ley Nº 17.856; Decreto Nº 11/026
Tax fine (CT art. 95)	UYU 680 to 13,220 (2026)	US$16.91 to US$328.77	Annual decree	Tax contraventions; multiples used in beneficial owner and other regimes	Decreto Nº 344/025
US dollar	UYU 40.21 (27 Oct 2026)	US$1	BCU daily quotation	Conversions; dollar contracts are common in property and finance	Ley Nº 16.696 art. 7

The four reference values a foreign investor meets most often (27 October 2026)

Worked example

A foreign buyer agrees to pay UI 300,000 for equipment. On 27 October 2026 that is UYU 2,003,760 (about US$49,832). Cash can cover at most UI 200,000 (UYU 1,335,840) because 5 percent of the price (UI 15,000) is lower, so the remaining UI 100,000 (UYU 667,920) must go by transfer or another non cash means (Ley Nº 19.210 art. 35; Decreto Nº 238/026 art. 1).

Step by step

1. When a rule quotes UI, convert at the BCU quotation for the day of the operation, not at a monthly average.
2. For rents and amounts in UR, use the IMPO table of UR values by month in force and the monthly decree.
3. For social security caps and benefits, multiply by the BPC of the current year (Decreto Nº 11/026 for 2026).
4. For tax fines, check the annual decree; the 2026 values are in Decreto Nº 344/025.
5. Keep a record of the quotation used for each conversion; tax returns and contracts usually refer to the BCU quotation of a specific date.

Common traps

The UR value IMPO lists for a month is the value in force that month; the decree that fixes it refers to the previous month (Decreto Nº 229/026 fixes the August 2026 UR, listed as in force in September).
The UI moves every day, so a threshold in UI is a moving peso amount; check it at the date the rule specifies (for example, the closing date of the fiscal year for the financial statement registry).
The BPC is not the minimum wage: since Ley Nº 17.856 the two are separate and are updated by different decrees.
Cash limits apply to capital contributions and dividend payments in commercial companies, not only to sales.

Sources

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