Annual Salary in Portugal, is it divided into 12 or 14 payments?

In Portugal, employees can choose between getting paid in twelve or fourteen months. All employees have a mandatory 13th (“Subsídio de férias”) and 14th (“Subsídio de Natal”) salary which is an extra two months’ salary.

To simplify, the 13th and 14th months are required by law in Portugal, but whether they are distributed in 12 or 14 months depends on the employee and employer's discretion. The employer usually asks the employee which is the preferred option. Standard practice in Portugal is to pay the annual salary in 14 instalments. 

If I decide to receive my salary in 14 instalments, when are the holiday and Christmas allowances paid?

The holiday bonus is paid by BRIDGE IN before the employee's annual leave (usually in June). The Christmas bonus is paid usually in November.

However, according to article 263 of the Labor Code, the Christmas allowance must be paid by December 15 of each year. Similarly, article 264 determines that the holiday subsidy, unless otherwise agreed in writing, must be paid before the start of the holidays and proportionally in the case of interpolated holiday periods.

Which day of the month are salaries paid?

At BRIDGE IN, salaries are paid monthly, on the last working day of the month. 

Employees will receive their salary in the account they provided during their onboarding process and their payslips through email.

However, from a legal standpoint, the salary payment date is established through the agreement in the individual or collective employment contract, if applicable, or by the company's internal regulations always in accordance with article 278.º of the Labour Code, which states that the salary must be paid on working days, “during the period of work or immediately after it” and the remuneration must be paid on the due date or on an immediately prior working day.