Some 236 firms are exempted from Christmas bonus payment

Labor and Human Resources Secretary María del Pilar Vélez Casanova

By THE STAR STAFF

The Department of Labor and Human Resources (DTRH by its initials in Spanish) announced Thursday that 236 companies out of a total of 272 that requested an exemption from paying the 2025 Christmas bonus qualified under Law 148 of 1969, known as the “Christmas Bonus Law for Private Sector Workers and Employees.”

Another five petitioners were granted a partial exemption, meaning they must distribute 15% of their net profits proportionally among their employees. Meanwhile, 31 employers were denied the exemption for failing to meet various requirements. The petitioning companies belong to the trade, construction, manufacturing and service industries.

When comparing the total number of requests received in 2024, Labor Secretary María del Pilar Vélez Casanova noted that this year saw a decrease in the number of employers seeking exemption from the bonus, equivalent to 25 fewer requests. However, the total number of denials issued by the agency increased this year, with 17 more rejections than in 2024.

Meanwhile, fully approved exemptions also decreased, with 39 fewer cases certified. For partial exemptions, there were three fewer cases than the previous year.

Vélez Casanova said the decline in the number of employers requesting exemption from the legally mandated bonus reflects a positive trend in employers’ ability to comply with the benefit, which is expected by all employees and supported by Gov. Jenniffer González Colón’s public policy.

“This trend reflects not only a more stable and responsible employer sector but also greater awareness of compliance with labor obligations,” the DTRH secretary said. “The stability of the private sector helps boost the economy, strengthens employer-employee relations, and improves the quality of life for our workforce.”

Instead of including the actual number of employees affected by the approved exemptions, many companies submitted their entire workforce in their applications this year, bringing the total reported workforce to 33,628 across all petitioning employers. Although the agency will take steps to gather more accurate data, it estimates that the real number of impacted employees is considerably lower. Meanwhile, about 104 employees will receive a partial bonus, and 1,005 employees will receive the full bonus under the law, as their employers’ requests were denied. The agency is evaluating the process it will follow to require companies to provide precise data on the actual number of employees expected to be affected by the requested exemption.

Vélez Casanova noted that this year, the initial audit of submitted cases was carried out by a specialized task force of five agency accountants. The team was created to support the Bureau of Labor Standards, the division responsible for evaluating and analyzing the requests.

The Department of Labor officially publishes the report of approved exemption requests. For employees whose employer is not listed in that document and who meet the required work hours, the law states that the bonus must be paid. For this reason, the DTRH recommends reviewing the report carefully on its portal at trabajo.pr.gov.

If an employee does not receive the bonus by next Monday, Dec. 15, and his or her employer does not appear on the exemption list, he or she should contact the Bureau of Labor Standards at 787-754-5353, extensions 12400, 12404, 12407, 12408, or 12411.