Costa Rica will have 12 holidays in 2023, three of them are not non-compulsory payment and four are transferred to Monday.

As part of the efforts to promote the reactivation of the tourism sector, which was affected by the pandemic, Law 9875 was created. This law moves holidays to Mondays during the years 2020 to 2024 in order to extend weekends and lengthen vacation periods for people visiting tourist destinations.

Another important matter is the creation of a new holiday through Law 9526, which declares August 31 of each year as the Day of the Black Person and Afro-Costa Rican Culture. It also states that during 2021, 2022, and 2023, this holiday is moved to the following Sunday, which in 2023 falls on Sunday, September 3.

Regarding non-mandatory paid holidays, according to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, "companies that pay weekly (in non-commercial activities), meaning those that only recognize in the salary the actual time worked during the week, must pay for the worked days without including the non-mandatory holiday pay. If the employee works that day, a regular daily wage must be paid. Under this weekly payment modality, if overtime is worked on this holiday, it must be compensated at time and a half, that is, at the ordinary rate. Workplaces that pay monthly or biweekly, as well as commercial businesses that pay weekly, must recognize the salary for all the days of the month, even if they are weekly rest days or holidays. In these cases, they must pay the full salary of the week, fortnight, or month, including the non-mandatory paid holiday. If employees work on that holiday, the payment of an additional regular day must be included to complete double pay. If overtime is worked on the holiday, it must be paid at double time and a half, which means triple pay."

Information extracted and summarized from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security website.