🇨🇴 Colombia: New national holiday + working week reduction – Remofirst

Two separate regulatory changes take effect in Colombia from July 2026. Both affect payroll and must be reflected in how overtime, holiday pay, and working hours are calculated and reported. Clients with employees in Colombia should review both changes before the July payroll cycle.

New national public holiday — July 13, 2026

On June 4, 2026, the Colombian government sanctioned a new national public holiday in honor of Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Chiquinquirá, the Patron Saint of Colombia. The law enters into effect immediately upon publication.

When is it observed?

Colombia follows the Ley Emiliani framework, which moves certain holidays that fall on non-Monday weekdays to the following Monday. Because the date in question (July 9) falls on a Thursday in 2026, the observed holiday is Monday, July 13, 2026.

Ley Emiliani explained: Colombia's Law 51 of 1983 (Ley Emiliani) establishes that certain non-religious holidays are moved to the following Monday when they fall on a Tuesday through Sunday. This creates "puentes" (bridge holidays) and is standard practice in Colombian labor law.

Two consecutive holiday Mondays in July

The new holiday falls the week before Colombian Independence Day, creating two consecutive holiday Mondays:

Date	Holiday	Type
Monday, July 13, 2026	Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Chiquinquirá	New — first time observed
Monday, July 20, 2026	Colombian Independence Day	Existing annual holiday

Pay obligations on public holidays

Under Colombian labor law, employees who work on a public holiday are entitled to their regular pay plus a surcharge. The applicable surcharge rates from July 2026 onward are listed in Part 2 below, as the working week reduction affects the reference values.

Employees who do not work on a public holiday are entitled to their regular daily wage with no deduction.

Reduction of the standard working week

Colombia is implementing a phased reduction of the maximum working week, as established by Law 2101 of 2021. From July 2026, the monthly reference hours decrease from 220 to 210. This affects overtime thresholds, surcharge calculations, and how excess hours are compensated.

What changes

Parameter	Before July 2026	From July 2026
Monthly reference hours	220 hours	210 hours
Max overtime per day	2 hours	2 hours (unchanged)
Max overtime per week	12 hours	12 hours (unchanged)

Updated overtime multipliers — effective July 2026

Overtime type	Multiplier	Applies when
Daytime overtime on Sundays and public holidays	1.90×	Work performed during daytime hours on a Sunday or holiday
Extended daytime overtime on Sundays and public holidays	2.15×	Extended daytime overtime beyond standard daytime on a Sunday or holiday
Nighttime overtime on Sundays and public holidays	2.65×	Work performed during nighttime hours on a Sunday or holiday

Important: These multipliers must be applied to all overtime reported from July 2026 onward. Using the previous reference values will result in underpayment and a compliance breach.

Compensatory rest day rule

Colombian labor law includes a compensatory rest day entitlement that is easily overlooked: if an employee works on two or more Sundays or public holidays within the same calendar month, the employer must grant a compensatory rest day in addition to paying the applicable holiday surcharge. The rest day must be granted — it cannot be substituted with additional pay.

Example: An employee works on July 13 (new holiday) and July 20 (Independence Day). Both days count. The employer must pay the applicable surcharge for each day and also grant one compensatory rest day within the same or following month. If the employee also works on additional Sundays in July, each additional occurrence requires its own compensatory rest day.

Questions about Colombia holiday pay, overtime calculations, or compensatory rest days? Contact your Customer Success Manager or our Support Team.