Since December 25, 2025, the night surcharge in Colombia will be paid from 7:00 p.m. and no longer from 9:00 p.m. as was previously the case.
The measure was implemented following the passage in Congress of the labor reform promoted by the government of Gustavo Petro, which established that the period subject to surcharge will be extended from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. the next day.
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According to Petro’s initiative, the regulations are aimed at favoring those who work in the evenings and at night.a population largely made up of mall staff, security guards and entertainment staff such as waiters and bar workers.
The adjustment actually came at a time of high demand in these sectors, linked to the end-of-year celebrations.
The first payment under the new regulation will be made in the first half of January 2026.
Until then, those who worked in the hours now recognized as night work (from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.) in the last period of the year must receive the adjusted pay.
The night surcharge is 35% of the value of the regular hour. If the night hours exceed 44 hours of the maximum statutory weekly working day, the additional costs for the employer increase: The surcharge is 75%, to which 100% of the additional hours worked are added.
This was explained by Nicolás Godoy, a labor lawyer Caracol news This scenario occurs when night working hours exceed the statutory maximum weekly working hours.
For its part, the manufacturing sector indicates that the increase in labor costs for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is estimated to be between 15% and 30%.
Deputy Labor Minister Iván Jaramillo, quoted by the above-mentioned media, cited the current minimum wage of 1,423,500 pesos as an example.
He said that if you divide this amount by 30, you get the value for the day, about 47,000 pesos.
This number, which corresponds to 8 hours, is divided by eight and the result is multiplied by 35% to calculate the night surcharge.
For overtime, if more than 8 hours per day are exceeded, the surcharge increases to 75% and an additional 100% of the overtime is added.
The reform also includes changes to payments for those who work on Sundays and public holidays.
The surcharge is currently 75% of the value of the regular hour. From July 2025 it will increase to 80%. A year later, in July 2026, it will be increased to 90% and from July 2027 the surcharge will reach 100%.
In parallel, the year 2026 will mark the final adjustment of the weekly working day in Colombia. As of July 15 this year, the maximum working time per day is 42 hours per week, in accordance with Law 2101 of 2021, which does not result from the current labor reform.
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