13th salary: first installment must be paid by November 30, 2026

The first installment of the 13th salary must be in workers' accounts by November 30, a Monday. According to InfoMoney, the company can pay the amount in one go until that date, and a single installment payment made after that is illegal. The date coincides with Cyber ​​Monday, right after Black Friday, which brings payment closer to the retail promotion calendar.

The benefit was created by Law 4,090, of 1962, and is equivalent to the monthly salary, paid in proportion to the months worked. Anyone who worked 12 months receives the full amount. Those who worked less are entitled to the proportional amount, calculated using a formula that the source text cites without detailing. According to InfoMoney, anyone who worked 15 days or more a year and was not fired for just cause is also entitled to proportional compensation.

Payment can be divided into up to two installments, in accordance with Law 4,749. The first, between February 1st and November 30th, is an advance equivalent to half of the previous month's salary. The second, until December 20th, pays the remaining half of December's remuneration, with INSS and Income Tax deductions and advance deduction. According to the report, the first installment can also be paid together with vacations, as long as the employee and company agree.

The right applies to workers with a formal contract, whether domestic, rural, urban, casual, monthly, hourly or temporary. Eligible INSS beneficiaries also receive the 13th, such as retirees, death pensioners, those on temporary disability aid, accident benefit, maternity pay or incarceration benefit.

In 2026, the government brought forward the 13th of benefits, which are traditionally paid in August and November, according to InfoMoney, based on Decree 3,028, article 120. The deposits followed the benefit calendar dates of April and May, and those who were entitled received them between April 24th and June 8th.

For those who follow public accounts, anticipation deserves attention. It shifts expenses over time, something that is important in the discussion about fiscal responsibility, because the government's spending calendar now has payments concentrated in different periods than usual.

What changes for the investor

The 13th is usually a point of attention at the end of the year because it injects income into the economy precisely when consumption is strongest. With the first installment in the last week of November and the second in December, the effect on retail and companies linked to consumption may appear in the sales flow for the period, without this meaning a predictable price movement. The data to monitor is how much of this money is converted into purchases, since the anticipation of benefits in 2026 also moved resources earlier than usual. This matter is not a recommendation to buy or sell assets, and each investor must evaluate the scenario, term and risk profile before deciding.

Automatically translated from Portuguese.