Sunday and holiday surcharge in Colombia: 90% rate, calculation and compensatory rest

Short answer: If you work on a Sunday or a holiday in the private sector, you are paid the regular hours for that day plus a 90% surcharge on those hours. That percentage is in effect from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027. Starting July 1, 2027, the surcharge will be 100%, unless your employer already pays the full amount before then. And heads up: you do not lose the payment for your weekly rest day.

I see it every Sunday in any bakery or store that opens early: the owner and the employee aren't quite sure if the Sunday pay is "double," "75%," or "whatever is possible." Law 2466 of 2025 (article 14, which rewrites article 179 of the Labor Code) made the calendar clear. Here it is, without inventing figures that are not in the law.

What is 90% and what is not

The permanent rule is a 100% surcharge on the ordinary salary for hours worked on the mandatory rest day or a holiday, without losing the ordinary payment for the weekly rest. Since the country was coming from a lower surcharge, the law introduced a transitional ladder:

The employer can adopt the 100% earlier if they wish. And a warning: various online explainers state 100% from July 2026. That is wrong; 100% arrives in July 2027.

"Sunday pay" refers to the mandatory rest day. It is Sunday, unless there is a written agreement setting another day. This regime is part of the Labor Code and covers private labor relations; public servants are governed by special statutes and this guide does not apply to them.

The formula, without a divisor the law does not publish

This is where most people get tangled up. Many divide the salary by 210 (or 220, or 240) and believe that it is the "official" hourly value. No rule we reviewed sets a single monthly divisor, so do not treat it as a legal rate. The value of the ordinary hour comes from your monthly salary and the agreed workday. And when the workday is shortened, Law 2101 of 2021 says that neither the salary nor the value of the ordinary hour is reduced.

The structure of the settlement is this:

• Ordinary payment: the salary for the full week, which includes the rest day.
• Surcharge: ordinary hourly value × hours worked on the rest day or holiday × 0.90.

That is, the surcharge is added, not replaced. And if that day coincides with another paid rest, whoever works receives the surcharge only once. For a base salary reference: the 2026 minimum wage is $1,750,905 (Decrees 1469 of 2025 and 159 of 2026), but what each person gets depends on their own hourly value, so you won't find a price in pesos "for everyone" here.

If you leave the job, the surcharges you haven't been paid also count toward the final settlement. See how it is calculated in our guide on labor settlement due to voluntary resignation.

One more detail: this surcharge is part of the salary and is a separate issue from debt deduction caps; for that, there is the salary garnishment and the non-attachable amount.

Occasional or habitual: when there is compensatory rest

Within a calendar month, the math is simple:

• Occasional: up to two mandatory rest days worked. The worker chooses between paid compensatory rest or cash payment.
• Habitual: three or more. There is paid compensatory rest and the cash payment is also maintained.

The compensatory time can be another business day of the following week (for all staff or by shifts), or from 1:00 p.m. Sunday to 1:00 p.m. Monday. If Sunday is habitual in your business, article 185 requires posting the schedule at least 12 hours in advance, indicating the day and hours of the compensatory time.

There is a narrow exception (article 182): technical personnel who cannot be replaced without serious harm to the company work on their rest day without compensatory time, but are paid according to article 179. Do not use this as a general excuse; it is the exception, not the rule.

When the 90% does not apply, or doesn't go alone

Before settling, review these cases:

• Rest on another day: if there is a written agreement that sets the rest on a day other than Sunday, the surcharge corresponds to that rest day, not necessarily Sunday.
• Successive shifts of 6 hours a day and 36 a week: do not generate a night surcharge nor the Sunday or holiday surcharge. The ordinary day is paid, at least the legal or agreed minimum, and the paid rest. The 90% is not automatic in these cases.
• Flexible workday: can range from 4 continuous hours up to 9 per day without overtime surcharges if the week maintains the 42-hour average. The maximum ordinary workday is 42 hours per week.
• Night: is from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The night surcharge and the overtime hours from article 168 are separate concepts; the law does not publish a single compound percentage for "Sunday + night," and the surcharges from article 168 itself do not accumulate with each other. Do not add percentages on your own: each concept is settled based on the ordinary hour.

Shifts for Monday, October 12, 2026

October 12 is on the list of holidays in article 177. When it does not fall on a Monday, it is moved to the following Monday; in 2026 it already falls on a Monday, so that Monday is the paid holiday. Anyone working a shift that day at a private company is settled with the 90% rule: ordinary hours plus the surcharge on the hours actually worked. In addition, that day counts for the month's tally: if you have already worked two mandatory rest days in October, the third one puts you in the habitual regime and the paid compensatory time is mandatory. None of this changes because it is a "bridge" holiday; it is a normal holiday.

What your job offer should say if the position includes Sundays

If you are a business owner and are going to post a vacancy with weekend shifts, be clear from the beginning. An honest offer avoids misunderstandings and resignations in the first month. Include:

1. The schedule and the weekly workday.
2. The agreed rest day, and if it is different from Sunday, make sure it is in writing.
3. Whether work on Sundays or holidays will be occasional or habitual.
4. That the payment follows the current legal surcharge, separated from the ordinary payment on the pay stub.

As an employer, you also have other payroll compliance dates, such as the payment of severance interest and the delivery of work equipment. Heads up: a pay stub that shows the surcharge on a separate line protects you more than any hallway conversation.

This is general information about private employment; it does not replace a written payroll settlement or the opinion of a labor inspector or an accountant.

Frequently asked questions

❓ How much do they pay for working a Sunday or holiday now?

The ordinary hour rate for these hours is paid plus a 90% surcharge starting July 1, 2026. The 100% rate takes effect on July 1, 2027, unless the employer is already paying it. You do not lose the payment for your weekly rest period included in your salary (verify with the official source).

❓ Is a public holiday settled the same way as a Sunday?

Yes, Article 179 covers the mandatory day of rest and public holidays with the same surcharge. Some listed holidays are moved to the following Monday when they do not fall on a Monday, and that Monday is the paid rest day that counts (verify with the official source).

❓ Is it safe to assume the 90% replaces the payment for the rest day?

No. The surcharge is in addition to the ordinary salary for the full week and is calculated based on hours actually worked. If that day coincides with another paid rest day, the surcharge is paid only once, not twice (verify with the official source).

❓ When is compensatory rest mandatory and paid as well?

If you work three or more mandatory rest days in a calendar month, you are entitled to both paid compensatory time and payment in money. For up to two days, you choose between paid compensatory time or money. The employer must provide notice of the regular schedule 12 hours in advance (verify with the official source).

❓ Is dividing the salary by 210 the legal formula for the hourly rate?

No, the law does not publish a monthly divisor of 210. The monthly salary does not decrease when the workday is shortened, and the surcharge is calculated based on the ordinary hourly rate of the agreed-upon workday. Ask your employer or accountant to explain how they arrived at your hourly value (verify with the official source).

❓ Does the Sunday night shift add 35% plus 90% into a single percentage?

There is no single composite percentage in the law. The night surcharge in Article 168 and the surcharge in Article 179 are calculated separately based on the ordinary hourly rate, and the surcharges within Article 168 itself are not cumulative. The night period is from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. (verify with the official source).

❓ What should a job offer say when posting a position that includes Sundays?

It must indicate the schedule, the agreed-upon rest day, whether work on Sundays or holidays is occasional or habitual, and that payment follows the legal surcharge. This way, the candidate knows from the start how each shift will be settled (verify with the official source).