Labor Dept. reminds employers about Christmas bonus exemption rules
The Department of Labor and Human Resources informed employers that they have until Dec. 15, 2021, to pay the bonus to private sector workers who are entitled to it, according to Puerto Rico laws.
Employers looking to be exempted from paying the bonus to their employees, because they suffered economic losses or received earnings that are not enough to cover the entire bonus without exceeding the limit of 15% of annual net earnings, must present the agency — by Nov. 30 — several documents to support their request, said Lucila Vázquez-Iñigo, director of the Labor Department’s Labor Standards Bureau.
That list includes a request for exemption form for 2021, a profit and loss statement, which must be certified by an accountant, and a financial status document for the company, among other requirements.
The Labor Department also urged interested employers to submit their application by the deadline, or earlier at the agency’s Hato Rey headquarters, and its offices in Arecibo, Mayagüez, Ponce, Caguas and Humacao.
