The complete guide to offering employee benefits in Brazil

Author

Vanessa Kahkesh

Published

March 30, 2023

Updated

June 4, 2024

Read time

2 MIN

When hiring employees in Brazil, it's crucial to offer them the right benefits to stay compliant with Brazilian labor laws. Brazilian employees have mandatory benefits that aren't required in other countries (including the US) and may be unfamiliar to certain employers.

Here's what you need to know to design and offer a benefits package that's compliant with Brazilian labor laws.

Time off, vacation, and vacation bonus

The amount of paid vacation time Brazilian employees are entitled to depends on how many unexcused absences they've had from work in the prior calendar year. Vacation time accrues over a one-year period, so employees who have worked for at least one year are entitled to:

30 calendar days of vacation leave if they've been absent five times or less
24 calendar days if they've been absent between six and 14 days
18 calendar days if they've been absent between 15 and 23 days

Employees who have accrued vacation time are also entitled to a vacation bonus, which is equal to one-third of their monthly earnings. Employers must pay out vacation bonuses at least two days before an employee's planned leave.

Employees can request up to 33% of their vacation bonus without going on leave. Any unused vacation time rolls over into the following year, and any unused vacation bonus must be paid out at a doubled rate by the end of the year.

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Disclaimer

Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied on for tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, accounting, and legal advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.

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Author

Vanessa Kahkesh

Content Marketing Manager, HR

Vanessa Kahkesh is a content marketer for HR passionate about shaping conversations at the intersection of people, strategy, and workplace culture. At Rippling, she leads the creation of HR-focused content. Vanessa honed her marketing, storytelling, and growth skills through roles in product marketing, community-building, and startup ventures. She worked on the product marketing team at Replit and was the founder of STUDENTpreneurs, a global community platform for student founders. Her multidisciplinary experience — combining narrative, brand, and operations — gives her a unique lens into HR content: she effectively bridges the technical side of HR with the human stories behind them.