Férias, meaning "vacation" or "holidays" in Portuguese, is Brazil's generous mandatory vacation benefit. After completing 12 months of employment (the acquisition period), every CLT employee earns 30 calendar days of paid vacation that must be taken within the following 12 months (the concession period).
The One-Third Vacation Bonus
Brazil's constitution guarantees a unique benefit: the terço de férias (vacation third), an additional payment equal to one-third of the employee's monthly salary paid alongside vacation pay. This means employees effectively receive 1.33 months of salary for their vacation period. This bonus must be paid at least 2 days before the vacation starts.
Splitting and Selling Vacation
Since the 2017 labor reform, employees can split vacation into up to three periods (one must be at least 14 consecutive days, others at least 5 days each). Employees can also sell up to 10 days of vacation back to the employer (abono pecuniário), receiving pay for those days plus the one-third bonus. The employer cannot force this sale; it must be the employee's choice.
EOR Relevance
An EOR in Brazil tracks vacation accrual, manages scheduling within the concession period, calculates the one-third bonus, and processes vacation sell-back requests. If vacation is not granted within the concession period, the employer must pay double the vacation amount, making timely tracking critical.