Cesantía in Costa Rica: 19.5 to 22 days of salary a year, at most the last 8 years
Estimates only, not financial advice. What you type stays on your device. Checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026.The auxilio de cesantía in Costa Rica pays 7 days of salary after 3 to 6 months, 14 days after 6 months to a year, and from one year the article 29 table: 19.5 days per year for one year, up to 22 days for 7 to 9 years, 20 days from 13 years, never for more than the last 8 years. The base is the average salary of the last six months.
2026 · Rates and rules read from Código de Trabajo de Costa Rica, art. 28, 29 and 30, current text (SCIJ, Procuraduría General de la República) on 16 Oct 2026; they may have changed since.
Enter your figures. The result updates as you type.
Read the result and the breakdown below it.
Share the link or embed the calculator.
When an employer in Costa Rica ends an open-ended contract without just cause, the Código de Trabajo owes the worker two amounts: the auxilio de cesantía and, unless the notice was worked, the preaviso. This page works out both from your salary and dates, each step shown.
Preaviso (article 28). One week of notice after 3 to 6 months of continuous work, 15 days after more than 6 months up to a year, and one month after a year. The employer can skip the notice by paying the salary of that period.
Cesantía (article 29). 7 days of salary after 3 to 6 months, 14 days after more than 6 months and under a year. From one year, the table sets the days per year by the years of service: 19.5 for one year, 20 for two, 20.5, 21, 21.24, 21.5, then 22 for seven to nine years, 21.5, 21, 20.5, and 20 days from thirteen years. A fraction over six months counts as a year, and no more than the last 8 years are paid.
The rest of the article, and all 6 questions about Costa Rica Cesantía and Preaviso Calculator, are on the Costa Rica Cesantía and Preaviso Calculator page.
Take the average monthly salary of the last six months, divide it by 30 for the daily salary, and multiply by the days article 29 grants: 7 days after 3 to 6 months, 14 days under a year, then the table's days per year times the years of service, at most 8.
Eight years of service at most. The highest row of the table is 22 days per year for seven, eight or nine years, so the largest cesantía is 176 days of salary. From thirteen years the row is 20 days, 160 days in all.
When the employer ends the contract without just cause and does not give the notice in writing. The amount equals the salary of the notice period: a week after 3 months, 15 days after 6 months, a month after a year.
Aguinaldo, unused vacation days and salary still owed, which make up the rest of a liquidación; fixed-term contracts, which follow article 31; and better amounts from a collective agreement. Cesantía is paid even if you start a new job at once.
Rates and rules change; check the source before you rely on a figure.
Still stuck? Ask about Costa Rica Cesantía and Preaviso Calculator and anybody who knows can answer. No account needed.
Same job, other tools: Salario Neto Costa Rica Calculator 2026 – Salario neto in Costa Rica 2026: what is left after the CCSS and the renta.
On the related tools: PF Calculator – What your PF account will hold when you retire.