Payroll and Benefits Guide Guatemala

Employer

Employer Payroll Contributions

Employee

Employee Payroll Contributions

Employee

Employee Income Tax

General

The minimum salary in Guatemala is as follows:
Agricultural activities: 3,323.60 GTQ
Non-Agricultural activities: 3,416.38 GTQ
Export and Maquila activities: 3.143.54 GTQ

Payroll Cycle

Salaries are paid on a monthly, bi-monthly, weekly, daily, or hourly basis, depending on the type of work conducted by the employee and what is agreed upon in the employment contract.

13th Salary

Salaried employees should receive two bonuses a year equivalent to one months’ salary each as a 13th and 14th-month payment. The bonus 14 (“Bono 14”) is payable in July of each year and a Christmas bonus is payable in December.

General

The standard working day in Guatemala is 8 hours per day, 44 hours per week and cannot exceed 12 hours per day. However, working hours do not apply to high-level executives or domestic employees.

Night-time work has a maximum of 36 hours per week with six hours a day between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. If the shift is mixed with day and night-time work, the maximum is increased to 42 hours per week.

Overtime

All hours over 44 hours in one work week are considered overtime and are paid at a rate of 150% of the regular pay.

Working Week

Monday–Saturday

Paid Time Off

15 days, after completing 12 months of continuous employment with the employer.
Any unused days do not carry over and will be lost. Holiday is paid at a rate of 130% salary, paid to the employee before their leave.

Public Holidays

Public holidays that fall on the weekend are usually lost, with the exception of Army Day that moves to a Friday or Monday when falling on a Sunday.

Sick Days

Termination Process

The termination process varies according to how the employment agreement and collective agreement are in place and is based on the type of contract and reason for termination.

Notice Period

When the periods of notice are determined in accordance with the Employment Contracts Act, the employer and the employee may agree on the periods of notice (no longer than six months). Collective agreements may contain provisions on periods of notice. If the periods of notice in the collective agreement differ from the statutory periods of notice, the employer and the employee must observe the periods of notice laid down in the collective agreement.

The amount of notice is dependent on the length of service and reason for termination. If the employer terminates the contract, the notice period is as follows:

• For employees with employment service of up to 6 months- 1 weeks’ notice
• For employees with between 6 months and 1 year of employment service- at least 10 days’ notice
• For employees with between 1- and 5 years’ employment service – at least 2 weeks’ notice
• For employees with more than five years’ employment service- 1 month’s notice

Severance Pay

Employees receive severance if they are terminated without just cause and have 30 days to make a claim to a court. Should the employer be unable to justify the reason in court, the employee receives up to 12 months of severance pay but cannot return to their previous job/role/employer.

Also, employers cannot terminate trade union members, female employees during pregnancy or maternity leave, or immediately after childbirth, and those during a collective dispute or illegal shutdown of a business.

Should employees be terminated in the event of force majeure, death, or economic reasons, the severance payment is generally agreed at an amount equal to between two days and four months of the regular salary rate of pay.

Probation Period

The probation period in Guatemala is generally two months.

VISA

If a foreign national comes to Guatemala for paid work in a paid activity, it creates a relationship involving dependence on and management by a Guatemalan employer. In that case, the foreign national must apply for a migrant worker’s residence and work permit.

Following the elimination of the Business Visa, business travelers may now enter Guatemala under the category of Tourist or Traveler to perform consulting and advisory activities. Visa nationals must obtain the appropriate entry visa to enter ​Guatemala but are no longer required to apply for a Business Visa after arrival. The allowable consecutive stay as a business visitor is up to 90 days, with the possibility of a 90-day extension.

Once the foreign national has obtained a migrant worker’s residence permit (or has filed the corresponding application for migrant worker’s residence with the Guatemalan Institute of Immigration (Instituto Guatemalteco de Migración)), the foreign national must apply for a work permit with the Labor Ministry.
The main work authorization option is the Temporary Residence and Work Permit.

The Temporary Residence authorization is granted for an initial stay of up to five years, renewable for the same term. The corresponding work permit is valid for one year, renewable annually.​​​

General

The standard rate of VAT in Guatemala is 12.00%.