Colombia night shift and Sunday surcharges in 2026: how to calculate them after the reform
Colombia's night surcharge is 35% from 7:00 p.m., and the Sunday and holiday surcharge is 90% since July 1, 2026. This guide calculates both step by step, with assumed examples and a way to accrue them.
A foreign company that hires in Colombia usually discovers surcharges the hard way: the payroll provider applies last year's rules and the employee notices. Since 2025 two rules changed at once. Night work starts at 7:00 p.m., and the Sunday surcharge climbs in steps. A calculation that was right in 2024 now underpays.
At Soulbit Academy we explain Colombian payroll for companies that employ people there from abroad. This article is the calculation guide for the night and Sunday surcharges. The overview of the reform is in Colombia's labor reform (Law 2466 of 2025): what employers must adjust, and the budget impact is in the cost of employing in Colombia. Here we go straight to the formulas, with examples you can reproduce.
Colombia's night shift surcharge: from what time it applies and how much it is
The night surcharge is 35% of the ordinary daytime hourly value, paid for the mere fact of working at night. Numeral 1 of article 168 of the Substantive Labor Code sets it. The reform did not change the percentage.
What changed is the definition of night. Article 10 of Law 2466 of 2025 amended article 160 of the Code and set night work between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. the next day. Its paragraph 2 made it effective six months after enactment, that is, from December 25, 2025.
In practice, the hours between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. stopped being paid as daytime hours. An employee who finishes at 9:00 p.m. now earns a surcharge on two hours that did not carry one before, even if the schedule is unchanged.
The formula has three steps. First, the ordinary hourly value: monthly salary divided by monthly hours. Second, the surcharge per hour: that value times 0.35. Third, the monthly total: the hourly surcharge times the night hours worked.
A common mistake is paying the night hour at 135% on top of salary. The ordinary hour is already inside the monthly salary, so only the 35% is added.
All surcharges are calculated on the ordinary hourly value, so the divisor drives the result. With 42 weekly hours since July 15, 2026, the usual six-day method gives 42 ÷ 6 × 30 = 210 monthly hours. With 44 hours it was 220.
Industry sources report the 210-hour divisor as the current method. We found no Ministry of Labor circular that fixes it, so confirm it with your labor adviser before configuring the system. We do not develop the hourly value or overtime here.
The examples use an assumed salary of 2,800,000 pesos and a divisor of 210, so the ordinary hour is worth 13,333 pesos. These are assumptions of this article, not Soulbit figures or figures of any real company. The 2026 minimum wage is 1,750,905 pesos, per Decree 1469 of 2025.
Colombia's Sunday and holiday surcharge: the scale from 2025 to 2027
The Sunday and holiday surcharge is 90% since July 1, 2026 and will be 100% on July 1, 2027. Article 14 of Law 2466 of 2025 amended article 179 of the Code and set three steps: 80% from July 1, 2025, 90% from July 1, 2026 and 100% from July 1, 2027.
Before July 1, 2025 the surcharge was 75%, according to secondary sources that we did not check against an official text. Table 1 applies each step to the same assumed salary of 2,800,000 pesos. To compare only the percentage, it uses the 210-hour divisor in every row, although before July 15, 2026 the usual divisor was 220.
| Period | Sunday and holiday surcharge | Surcharge per hour (assumed) | 8-hour shift, surcharge only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Until June 30, 2025 | 75% | 10,000 | 80,000 |
| July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 | 80% | 10,667 | 85,333 |
| July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 | 90% | 12,000 | 96,000 |
| From July 1, 2027 | 100% | 13,333 | 106,667 |
The shift in the last column counts only the surcharge, assuming the Sunday is already paid within the monthly salary. The compensatory rest day depends on whether Sunday work is habitual or occasional, so settle it with your labor lawyer.
Does the Sunday surcharge apply to every hour of the shift?
Yes. The surcharge applies to each hour worked on the Sunday or holiday, whether daytime or night. An eight-hour Sunday shift earns eight times the hourly surcharge in Table 1. What differs between day and night hours is whether the night surcharge is added as well.
How to calculate the night and Sunday surcharge step by step
A surcharge calculation takes four steps: hourly value, applicable percentage, hours worked and sum. The two cases below use the assumed salary of 2,800,000 pesos, a 210-hour divisor and October 2026 percentages.
The first case is a support agent for a foreign software company, working 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday to Friday. Each shift has two night hours, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. In a month with 20 shifts that is 40 night hours. The surcharge is 40 × 4,667 = 186,667 pesos on top of salary.
The second case is the same shift on a Sunday. It has eight Sunday hours, two of them at night. The Sunday surcharge is 8 × 12,000 = 96,000 pesos. The night surcharge is 2 × 4,667 = 9,333 pesos. The total is 105,333 pesos for that Sunday.
With the 100% step of July 2027 and the same salary, that Sunday becomes 8 × 13,333 + 2 × 4,667 = 116,000 pesos.
How many percentage points does a night hour on a Sunday add?
A night hour worked on a Sunday adds 35 points of night surcharge and 90 of Sunday surcharge, 125% of the ordinary hour at October 2026. Table 2 sums up the most common combinations, with the hourly surcharge for the same assumed salary.
| Hour worked | Total surcharge over the ordinary hour | Surcharge per hour (assumed) |
|---|---|---|
| Night, ordinary day | 35% | 4,667 |
| Daytime, Sunday or holiday, October 2026 | 90% | 12,000 |
| Night, Sunday or holiday, October 2026 | 125% (35% + 90%) | 16,667 |
| Daytime, Sunday or holiday, from July 2027 | 100% | 13,333 |
| Night, Sunday or holiday, from July 2027 | 135% (35% + 100%) | 18,000 |
Night and Sunday surcharges with overtime: what adds up and what does not
Article 168 of the Code says that the surcharges it lists, night, daytime overtime and night overtime, are each paid exclusively and do not accumulate with one another. The Sunday and holiday surcharge has its own regime in article 179. So the treatment of night plus Sunday rests on labor practice, not on a single sentence of article 168.
Industry sources agree that when night and Sunday coincide both surcharges are paid, as in Table 2. Our article on the labor reform takes the same reading. We found no Ministry of Labor concept backing it in this review, so ask your lawyer to put it in writing.
Overtime on a Sunday or at night adds another layer, each with its own surcharge on the ordinary hour. We only mention it here: combining overtime with the Sunday surcharge is where interpreters disagree most, and it should not be configured without written legal advice.
What should the company do with doubtful cases?
It should set a written criterion, apply it equally to all employees and document it. A consistent criterion backed by a legal opinion lowers the risk of claims. A criterion that changes by employee or by month is what gets disputed later, in a final settlement.
Surcharges in electronic payroll and in the benefits base
Surcharges are salary and, in general, part of what is reported and contributed on. The electronic payroll document transmitted to the tax authority (DIAN) distinguishes surcharge concepts from overtime concepts. Each one must be configured with its concept and value, as explained in electronic payroll in Colombia.
The benefits base calls for caution. Surcharges paid habitually make the salary variable, and for severance and the service bonus a variable salary is averaged. Which surcharges enter each base, and over what period, follows its own rules, and the vacation base has yet another. The full explanation is in vacation pay and payroll accruals in Colombia. We set no general rule here: confirm each concept with your accountant.
The effect reaches the final settlement. If surcharges were underpaid, the difference does not disappear: it comes back as a balance owed to the employee, as described in terminating an employee in Colombia and severance pay. Social security works the same way: if contributions were calculated without surcharges that count as salary, the UGPP can audit the difference.
How to accrue surcharges in the monthly budget
Surcharges are accrued with a monthly average per employee, multiplied by the cost of the contributions and benefits calculated on them. A surcharge is not an isolated expense: it carries a share of pension, family compensation fund, severance, interest and service bonus.
Assumption: a Colombian subsidiary with 6 employees, each on 2,800,000 pesos, a 210-hour divisor and October 2026 percentages. Each employee works 18 weekday shifts with two night hours and 2 Sundays of eight daytime hours plus two night hours, so no week exceeds 42 hours.
- Weekday night surcharge per employee: 36 hours × 4,667 = 168,000 pesos.
- Sunday surcharge per employee: 2 Sundays × 105,333 = 210,667 pesos.
- Total per employee: 378,667 pesos. For 6 employees, 2,272,000 pesos a month.
- Load on top: pension, class I occupational risk, family fund, severance, interest and service bonus add about 34%, the same proportion as in our cost of employing analysis. That is about 0.8 million pesos more.
Total accrual would be about 3.0 million pesos a month. The 34% is an assumed calculation, excluding vacation and assuming a payroll-contribution exemption.
The July 2027 step is the next move. In this example each Sunday shift would add 1,333 pesos per hour, or 10,667 per shift. Across 2 Sundays and 6 employees that is 128,000 pesos a month before contributions and benefits.
A useful practice is to accrue with the average of the last three months and adjust each month with actual hours, keeping evidence of the difference against the settled payroll.
What Soulbit does today for surcharge payments and what it does not
Soulbit does not calculate surcharges, overtime, contributions or benefits, and it does not run payroll. That calculation stays with the employer, its accountant or its payroll software. Soulbit does not give labor, tax or accounting advice either.
What Soulbit offers today is the step after the calculation. With Soulbit Salaries, a company holds a balance in stablecoins such as USDC and USDT or in fiat, and disburses already-calculated payroll in batches or on a recurring basis to Colombian bank accounts, with a local bank rail, institutional custody, KYB and AML/KYT monitoring. Each payment is traceable, and a human support team is available. The flow is in how to pay payroll with stablecoins in Colombia.
The mobile apps and the card are not available yet. And a fast disbursement does not fix a wrong surcharge: if the net amount leaves the payroll system wrong, the payment goes out wrong.
Frequently asked questions
What is the night shift surcharge in Colombia in 2026?
The night surcharge in Colombia is 35% on top of the ordinary daytime hourly value. Night work runs from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. under article 10 of Law 2466 of 2025, in force since December 25, 2025. The percentage did not change; the start time did.
What is the Sunday and holiday surcharge in Colombia in October 2026?
At October 2026 the surcharge for work on Sundays and public holidays is 90% of the ordinary hourly value, in force since July 1, 2026 under article 14 of Law 2466 of 2025. It becomes 100% on July 1, 2027. The surcharge is added to the ordinary hour, which a monthly salary already covers.
How do I calculate the night surcharge for one hour in Colombia?
The night surcharge for one hour is the monthly salary divided by monthly hours, multiplied by 0.35. With an assumed salary of 2,800,000 pesos and a divisor of 210 hours, the hour is worth 13,333 pesos and the surcharge is 4,667 pesos per hour. Confirm the divisor with your labor adviser.
Do the night and Sunday surcharges add up when they overlap?
Industry sources say that when a night hour falls on a Sunday or holiday both surcharges are paid, which is 35% plus 90%, or 125% of the ordinary hour at October 2026. We found no Ministry of Labor concept confirming this in our review, so validate it with a Colombian labor lawyer.
Does Soulbit calculate surcharges for a foreign company's Colombian payroll?
No. Soulbit does not calculate surcharges, overtime or benefits, and it does not replace the accountant or labor lawyer. Soulbit Salaries disburses payroll that has already been calculated, in batches or on a recurring basis, to Colombian bank accounts from a balance held in stablecoins or fiat, with traceability for each payment.
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