#CostaRica 🇨🇷 #BDS_LaborAlert: New INS Technical Standard 2025: Key Changes Regarding Occupational Risks
The National Insurance Institute (INS in Spanish) has issued the new Technical Standard for the...
On Sunday, August 31, 2025, Costa Rica will commemorate the “Day of the Black Person and Afro–Costa Rican Culture,” a holiday established in the Labor Code to recognize the valuable contributions of the Afro–Costa Rican population to national identity.
This is a non-mandatory paid public holiday, so its application depends on the employee’s wage modality:
- Monthly or biweekly salary: The holiday is already covered by the regular salary. If the employee works on that day, the employer must pay an additional full day or the hours actually worked. Overtime is paid based on double pay plus 50% of the hourly rate.
- Weekly, hourly, or daily wage: If the employee does not work, no payment is required. If the employee works, they receive regular pay for the hours worked, and overtime is paid at 150% of the standard hourly rate.
As the holiday falls on a Sunday, if that is the employee’s usual day off and they are not required to work, they are not entitled to any additional payment or compensatory time off. If the employee is called in to work, the aforementioned rules apply.
For additional guidance on the proper application of public holiday rules, we recommend using our self-service platform BDS TOOLS, which provides access to practical resources, specialized guides, and other useful materials. .
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