CWith the arrival of December, the squares and shop windows light up and the air begins to fill with the typical Christmas atmosphere, but for many workers and pensioners, the first gift arrives between the first and 15th of the month: it is the thirteenth. Also known as the “Christmas bonus”, this additional monthly payment is a small breath of fresh air in view of holiday expenses. But when exactly does it arrive? The dates are not the same for everyone and depend on the category they belong to.
Thirteenth, the payment schedule: the first are pensioners
Although the general principle dictates that the thirteenth is paid to everyone by December 25th, specific timelines change depending on the categories of workers and former workers. INPS pensionersfor example, are traditionally the first to see it accredited. For them, the additional monthly payment arrives together with the December pension slip, which is paid on December 1stif it is a bankable day, otherwise the first available day. This applies both to those who have a bank or post office account.
Public and private employees expect more
For i private sector employeesthe regulation is more flexible. The collective sector agreements establish that the Christmas bonus must be paid “close to the Christmas holidays”leaving the employer a certain margin, as long as it happens before Christmas. Public employeeshowever, have a fixed calendar established by precise rules (Law Decree no. 350/2001). For them, disbursement is staggered across three main dates in December:
- nursery and elementary school teachers: the disbursement is scheduled for December 14th, but if this date falls on a Sunday, the credit is brought forward to December 12th.
- personnel administered by the provincial departments of the Treasury with fixed expenditure roles: receives the thirteenth on December 15th.
- temporary substitute teaching staff and other public employees: payment takes place on December 16th.
The thirteenth is coming for public and private employees. For a more peaceful Christmas (Getty Images)
How to calculate the amount: a formula for everyone
There thirteenth is not a random sumbut essentially corresponds to the thirteenth part of the entire annual salary. To clarify: you take your monthly salary and multiply it by the number of months actually worked in the year, after which you divide the result by 12. It is important to know that the thirteenth salary is due even when the worker is absent for reasons of force majeure such as illness or accidents at work, maternity. However, there are elements of the salary that are not included in the calculation: such as, for example, discontinuous overtime, night and holiday work, compensation for unused holidays, expense reimbursements and one-off sums (i.e. paid only once). Also periods of leave from work are excluded from the calculation.
Part-time: tailor-made calculation
Those who work part timeor part-time, you need not fear: lThe Christmas bonus is up to them too. The amount is not calculated solely on the basis of the fixed monthly salary, but the calculation is proportionate to the hours actually workedguaranteeing a fair amount compared to the commitment made during the year.
Maids and carers must count the hours worked
A similar argument applies to domestic workers and carers. These categories often work for multiple employers or have variable hours; for this reason, the most common calculation method is the hourly one, which adds all the hours worked in the various jobs to determine the final amount. Finally, even for teachers, a working period of more than 15 days is sufficient to trigger the calculation of the monthly salary, a detail that ensures that even the shortest contracts are included in this precious bonus. In short, whether it is used for gifts or simply to put aside a small savings, the thirteenth that arrives at Christmas makes Italian families breathe a sigh of relief. At least until the end of the year.