This year, private sector employees in Greece must receive their Christmas bonus by Friday, December 19, 2025. Since December 21 falls on a Sunday, earlier payment is mandatory to avoid being considered late.
Who Is Eligible
All employees under formal employment contracts in the private sector are entitled to the bonus.
How the Christmas Bonus Is Calculated
The bonus is based on the employee’s pay type—monthly salary or daily wage—and covers the period from May 1 to December 31 each year.
- Employees who worked uninterrupted for the entire period are entitled to the full bonus, equivalent to one month’s salary or 25 daily wages.
- Those employed for part of the period receive a proportional amount: every 19 days of work equals 2/25 of the monthly salary or 2 daily wages.
- The calculation is based on earnings as of December 10. If the contract ends earlier, the amount is calculated using the final day’s pay.
Special Employment Categories
Hourly workers: Bonus calculated from the average pay between May 1 and December 31.
Part-time workers: Bonus corresponds to their reduced earnings for the same period.
Shift-based workers: Every eight completed daily wages count as one extra daily wage.
In all cases, the bonus is increased by a leave factor of 0.041666.
Online Tools for Calculation
Employees can calculate their Christmas bonus using an online tool provided by the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) via the Workers & Unemployed Information Center.
Legal Recourse for Non-Payment
If employers fail to pay the bonus, employees may report the issue to the Labor Inspectorate, which can file a formal complaint and initiate legal action against the employer. Reports can be made anonymously or openly through the Labor Inspectorate hotline at 1555 or via its online platform.
