Public servants in Ecuador who receive their thirteenth salary on an accumulated basis will have that money available as of November 16, 2026, by decision of President Daniel Noboa. The disbursement will occur 38 days before the deadline established for this payment and less than two weeks before the subnational elections and the elections for the Council of Citizen Participation and Social Control (CPCCS).
The elections are scheduled for Sunday, November 29, so there will be 13 days between the payment announced by the Executive and election day.
The measure covers public sector workers who opted to accumulate the benefit. For private companies there is no equivalent mandatory provision: Noboa invited them to also advance the payment to their employees.
The president justified the decision by the impact these funds have on families' finances. The Government also expects that the early availability of money will help increase consumption and economic activity during the last part of the year.
The thirteenth salary is part of the additional payments recognized by Ecuadorian legislation. Its value equals one twelfth of the computable remuneration received by the worker during the corresponding calculation period.
Workers can receive this amount distributed monthly along with their salary or request its accumulation. In the latter case, the nor…
AI Brief
Your highlights
File photo of the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa. EFE/José Jácome
Public servants in Ecuador who receive their thirteenth salary on an accumulated basis will have that money available as of November 16, 2026, by decision of President Daniel Noboa. The disbursement will occur 38 days before the deadline established for this payment and less than two weeks before the subnational elections and the elections for the Council of Citizen Participation and Social Control (CPCCS). The elections are scheduled for Sunday, November 29, so there will be 13 days between the payment announced by the Executive and election day. The measure covers public sector workers who opted to accumulate the benefit. For private companies there is no equivalent mandatory provision: Noboa invited them to also advance the payment to their employees. The president justified the decision by the impact these funds have on families' economies. The Government also hopes that the early availability of money will help increase consumption and economic activity during the last part of the year. FILE PHOTO - An electoral delegate reviews ballots at the Pichincha delegation of the National Electoral Council while conducting a standard vote audit, after electoral authorities said that Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa won the race, in Quito, Ecuador, on April 14, 2025. REUTERS/Karen Toro
The thirteenth salary is part of the additional remunerations recognized by Ecuadorian law. Its value equals one twelfth of the computable remunerations received by the worker during the corresponding calculation period. Workers can receive that amount distributed monthly along with their salary or request its accumulation. In the latter case, the regulation sets December 24 as the maximum date for making the payment. The presidential decision moves that disbursement to November 16 for the public employees covered by the measure. The advance payment will take place while Ecuador is going through the final stage of a new electoral process. More than 13.8 million citizens are called to the polls to choose authorities of local governments and representatives of the CPCCS. The election will define provincial prefects and vice prefects, mayors, urban and rural council members, and members of parish boards. The members of the Council of Citizen Participation will also be chosen, an institution that takes part in the selection procedures of several oversight authorities. File photograph showing a general view of the national headquarters of Ecuador's National Electoral Council, in Quito, Ecuador. EFE/Elías Benarroch
The proximity between the two dates constitutes the second consecutive precedent of an advance of the thirteenth salary ordered by the Noboa government in a period close to a national vote. In November 2025, the Executive ordered that this remuneration be delivered early to public servants on Friday the 14th. On Sunday, November 16, two days later, Ecuadorians went to the polls to participate in the referendum and popular consultation promoted by the government itself. That vote included four questions put to the consideration of voters. The salary advance was presented at the time by the Executive as an economic decision intended to inject resources into households and boost commercial activity. Weeks later, the Internal Revenue Service (SRI) reported that between November 24 and 28 of that year sales reached USD 5,552.4 million, 15.1% above the comparable period of 2024. The tax authority mentioned the advance of the thirteenth salary among the factors that favored the commercial performance recorded around Black Friday. For the advance announced for 2026, neither the total amount the State will need to fulfill the obligation early nor the source of liquidity the Ministry of Economy and Finance will use to make the disbursement has yet been made public. Nor has an obligation been announced for private employers to change their payment dates. The presidential request to that sector is voluntary. The decision nevertheless leaves two consecutive occasions on which the government has advanced this remuneration before an election day. In 2025, the distance was two days between the payment to public servants and the referendum and popular consultation. In 2026 there will be 13 days between the disbursement and the elections of local authorities.