The payment of the PIS/PASEP bonus for those who worked with a formal contract in 2021 is a recurring topic of doubt. With a new batch of withdrawals released last week by Caixa for 1.1 million workers, the subject once again aroused the interest of several people.

In February this year, the federal government released the PIS/PASEP bonus deposit for 24.2 million private sector workers paid by Caixa Econômica Federal and private sector workers paid by Banco do Brasil. The benefit of up to R$ 1,212 was paid to Brazilians with a formal contract in 2020.

For those who don't remember, in March 2021 the Ministry of Economy decided to postpone the payment of the benefit. As a result, deposits, which were supposed to start in July, were extended to 2022. The value of the benefit, which was expected to be R$ 1,100 (minimum wage in 2021), was adjusted to R$ 1,212 in accordance with the applicable national minimum wage in 2022.

After the change that changed the PIS/PASEP payment calendar for the 2020 base year, other payments were also affected. 

Without resources to pay the salary bonus for those who worked with a formal contract in 2021, the government will only release the benefit in 2023. The schedule for those who worked during 2022 should be until 2024 and so on.

For next year's payment, the federal government declared a spending forecast of R$ 24.7 billion, which was submitted to the National Congress under the Annual Budget Bill (PLOA 2023). 

According to calculations by the Ministry of Economy, the salary bonus should be paid to 23.7 million employees in 2023. The number is below that achieved in 2022, when 24.2 million Brazilians from the public and private sectors benefited.

There is still no forecast for the start of the schedule, which should only be released at the beginning of 2023. It is estimated that the money will be released in the first half of 2023, as happened in 2022 between the months of February and March.

The 2023 budget presented by the government also provides for an increase in the minimum wage for next year. The national floor is used as a reference for the ceiling of salary bonuses, pensions and INSS benefits. 

According to the document, the government estimates that the INPC (National Consumer Price Index) will end the year at around 7.41%. The index, which portrays inflation in the country, is also used to adjust the national floor.

If the forecast is confirmed, the minimum wage should be R$ 1,302 in 2023, an increase of R$ 90 compared to 2022. The same amount will be paid in the salary bonus calendar for the base year 2021. 

However, there is a possibility that the minimum wage will be adjusted higher than expected. After announcing plans to unlink the correction of the national minimum from the inflation index and causing controversy, Paulo Guedes, Minister of Economy, declared in a live broadcast with President Jair Bolsonaro last Saturday, the 22nd, that “workers will have an increase in the minimum wage above inflation”.

The value of the PIS/PASEP allowance is granted based on the number of months worked with a formal contract in the base year of the calendar. According to the government's forecast, anyone who worked for a month with a formal contract in 2021 will be entitled to R$ 108.50 next year. The maximum ceiling will be R$ 1,302 for those who worked 12 months.

It is important to remember that these values are only a temporary forecast and may change when the INPC index closes at the end of the year. Based on the minimum wage proposed in next year's budget, the PIS/PASEP values for the year 2023 should be as follows:

To be able to receive PIS/PASEP, the worker must:

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