Colombian Prima de Servicios Calculator

Work out Colombia's legally mandated service bonus — including the transport allowance most calculators leave out of the base, and the 360-day year.

Reference table

Monthly salary	Prima owed	Calculation base	Days counted
100,000	$150,000.00	$300,000.00 — transport allowance included	180 days
200,000	$200,000.00	$400,000.00 — transport allowance included	180 days
250,000	$225,000.00	$450,000.00 — transport allowance included	180 days
500,000	$350,000.00	$700,000.00 — transport allowance included	180 days
750,000	$475,000.00	$950,000.00 — transport allowance included	180 days
1,000,000	$600,000.00	$1,200,000.00 — transport allowance included	180 days
1,250,000	$725,000.00	$1,450,000.00 — transport allowance included	180 days
1,500,000	$850,000.00	$1,700,000.00 — transport allowance included	180 days
2,000,000	$1,100,000.00	$2,200,000.00 — transport allowance included	180 days
2,500,000	$1,350,000.00	$2,700,000.00 — transport allowance included	180 days
3,000,000	$1,500,000.00	$3,000,000.00 — no transport allowance	180 days
4,000,000	$2,000,000.00	$4,000,000.00 — no transport allowance	180 days
5,000,000	$2,500,000.00	$5,000,000.00 — no transport allowance	180 days
7,500,000	$3,750,000.00	$7,500,000.00 — no transport allowance	180 days
10,000,000	$5,000,000.00	$10,000,000.00 — no transport allowance	180 days

📅 The Legal Deadlines

First instalmentBy 30 June
Second instalmentBy 20 December
Amount per year30 days of salary
Per instalment15 days
Legal year360 days
On leavingPaid pro rata

What Most Calculators Get Wrong

The transport allowance forms part of the base. If you earn up to two minimum wages, leaving it out understates the prima by roughly the allowance itself.
Divide by 360, not 365. Colombian labour law counts a 360-day year for social benefits, and using 365 shaves about 1.4% off the result.
The prima is not a gift or a bonus at the employer's discretion — it is a legal obligation under Article 306, and late payment accrues penalties.
It is paid in two instalments, not one. If you are calculating in June, use the days of that half-year, not the whole year.

A Thirteenth Month, Split in Two

The prima de servicios is thirty days of salary that every employer in Colombia owes every employee each year, set out in Article 306 of the Código Sustantivo del Trabajo. It is not a performance bonus and not discretionary: it is deferred salary the law requires, and it is paid in two halves — the first by 30 June, the second by 20 December. Historically it represented the worker's share of the company's profits, which is why it is called a prima de servicios rather than a bonus. Since Law 1788 of 2016 it also covers domestic workers, who were excluded for decades and are still the group most often left unpaid.

Salary Plus Allowance, Divided by 360

The formula is the base salary multiplied by the days worked in the period, divided by 360. Two details decide whether the answer is right. First, the base is not just the salary: if the worker earns up to two minimum wages, the transport allowance is added to it, because the law treats that allowance as salary for the purposes of social benefits. Second, the divisor is 360 and not 365, because Colombian labour law counts commercial years of twelve thirty-day months. Getting either wrong produces a number that looks close enough to pass unnoticed — the missing allowance alone can be two hundred thousand pesos on a minimum wage, every six months.

The Six Mistakes

Leaving the transport allowance out of the base. On a minimum wage that is the single largest error, and it repeats twice a year.
Dividing by 365. The legal year for social benefits is 360 days, and the difference is about 1.4%.
Counting only the days actually worked and excluding paid leave. Holidays, sick leave and vacation count toward the period.
Treating variable pay as excluded. Commissions and regular overtime form part of the average salary that feeds the base.
Assuming a worker who resigns loses the prima. It is paid pro rata for the days worked, whatever the reason for leaving.
Applying it to an integral salary contract. Salaries above ten minimum wages under that regime already include it.

Who Is Entitled

Every employee on an ordinary employment contract, regardless of contract length or whether it is fixed-term.
Domestic workers, since Law 1788 of 2016. Before that they were expressly excluded, and non-payment is still widespread.
Part-time workers, in proportion to the time worked. There is no minimum period to qualify.
Workers who left during the period, pro rata to the days worked, paid with the final settlement.
Not workers on a salario integral above ten minimum wages: that regime already folds social benefits into the salary.
Not independent contractors on a contrato de prestación de servicios — though misclassification is common and can be challenged.

Worked Examples

With and without the allowance

Minimum wage, full half-year

Base = 1,423,500 + 200,000 allowance = 1,623,500
1,623,500 × 180 ÷ 360
= 811,750

$811,750 — the allowance adds $100,000

$3,000,000 salary, 90 days

Above two minimum wages (2,847,000), so no allowance
3,000,000 × 90 ÷ 360
= 750,000

$750,000 for a partial period

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the prima de servicios calculated?

Multiply the base salary by the days worked in the period and divide by 360. The base is the salary plus the transport allowance if the worker earns up to two minimum wages. A full half-year gives fifteen days of salary; a full year gives thirty.

Does the transport allowance count toward the prima?

Yes. For workers earning up to two minimum wages, the allowance is added to the base, because the law treats it as salary for social-benefit purposes. Leaving it out is the most common error, and on a minimum wage it costs roughly a hundred thousand pesos per instalment.

When must the prima be paid?

The first instalment by 30 June and the second by 20 December, under Article 306 of the Labour Code. Paying late is a breach and can attract penalties; paying it in a single December instalment is not compliant.

Do I get the prima if I resign?

Yes, pro rata for the days worked in the period, paid with your final settlement. The reason for leaving is irrelevant — resignation, dismissal or mutual agreement all give the same entitlement.

Do domestic workers get the prima?

Yes, since Law 1788 of 2016. They were expressly excluded before then, which is why non-payment remains widespread among household employees who have not been told the law changed.

Why divide by 360 and not 365?

Colombian labour law counts a commercial year of twelve thirty-day months for social benefits. Using 365 understates the prima by about 1.4%, which is small per instalment but systematic.