Aguinaldo - Mexico Christmas Bonus

[Libby]

The aguinaldo is the annual Christmas bonus. Businesses in Mexico are required by law to pay their employees an aguinaldo equivalent to 15 days pay by December 20th. If the employee has been with the company less than a full year, they may receive a pro-rated aguinaldo.

If you do not have a business but hire regular help, such as a cleaning lady or gardener, you are also expected to give a Christmas bonus. I am no expert on this, but I believe you should follow the 15 day rule. Of course, if they do a very good job for you and/or have been with you for a long time, you should adjust the bonus accordingly.

This is our first year giving the aguinaldo as a business. Does anyone know if there are any special customs that go along with giving the bonus? My plan is to give the money inside an envelope with a Christmas card along with a bottle of tequila. Our employee happens to also be a good friend of ours, so I know he won't be offended if I make some silly gringa faux pas. But sometimes I like to pretend that this silly gringa knows what she's doing.

[Michele]

We have a housekeeper and a gardener to consider for Christmas bonuses. For our housekeeper, we generally give her a cash bonus (more than required) and a gift. This year, sadly, her mother is dying and we gave her money (quite a bit) to send home for the funeral. I will still give her a small gift as well, from the kids. Our gardener will receive $1000 pesos and a small gift. He works for several families so he should make out pretty well. I don't know of any special custom that accompanies the gift giving. I am certain whatever you do will be appreciated.

[Libby]

Thanks, Michele! What about giving gifts to other people? Your lawyer, accountant, garbage man, security guards (in some neighborhoods). Anyone know what's expected?

Gracias!

[Michele]

You know, I was thinking about that the other day at Monex. We have not, in the past, given gifts to anyone other than the kids' teachers and our personal staff. I think just a card would be nice for people such as your lawyer, doctor and accountant (professional people). A small gift of cash would probably be nice for, in your case, your security guards.

[Maureena5]

I'm glad this topic has been brought up. I forgot all about the security guards & they are so helpful to us (more than just security)! One of them helped me unload groceries from my car one day!

MM

[YalkuHa]

Originally Posted by Michele

We have a housekeeper and a gardener to consider for Christmas bonuses. For our housekeeper, we generally give her a cash bonus (more than required) and a gift. This year, sadly, her mother is dying and we gave her money (quite a bit) to send home for the funeral. I will still give her a small gift as well, from the kids. Our gardener will receive $1000 pesos and a small gift. He works for several families so he should make out pretty well. I don't know of any special custom that accompanies the gift giving. I am certain whatever you do will be appreciated.

We gave our live-in married couple (maid/gardner) a $1000.00usd loan on December 1st. When Christmas came around, we didn't think we needed to give them additional money but did give them a huge ham and a basket of food to go with it. Should we have given them the Christmas bonus, too?

[Michele]

Originally Posted by YalkuHa

We gave our live-in married couple (maid/gardner) a $1000.00usd loan on December 1st. When Christmas came around, we didn't think we needed to give them additional money but did give them a huge ham and a basket of food to go with it. Should we have given them the Christmas bonus, too?

No, I think you're fine there. We gave our housekeeper the money she needed for her mother's arrangements a few weeks before Christmas as a gift to her in lieu of the Christmas bonus. We also gave her a few paid days off this week. If your staff is planning to pay back the loan, you should deduct the amount of their Christmas bonus from the debt.

[YalkuHa]

Thank you, Michelle, for the advice. Happy New Year. Stephanie