Regulatory Update
Labor Reform: What Changes Under Law 2466 of 2025
Law 2466 of 2025 amends the Colombian Labor Code (Código Sustantivo del Trabajo) on several fronts: the duration of fixed-term employment contracts, the hours that count as night work, and the surcharge for work on the mandatory rest day and public holidays, among others. It was enacted and took general effect on June 25, 2025, although some of its provisions have their own effective dates, different from that general date. Below are three changes relevant to employment relationships governed by the Colombian Labor Code.
Schedule a consultationFixed-Term Employment Contracts: Maximum Duration and Extensions
Colombian law now sets a maximum term of four years for fixed-term employment contracts, including any extensions. For contracts already in force on June 25, 2025, that four-year limit is counted starting from that date, as explained further below.
When a contract is agreed for a term of less than one year, the parties may extend it in writing as many times as they consider appropriate; however, after the fourth agreed extension, any further renewal must be for a term of no less than one year.
Separately, if neither party states, at least thirty days before expiration, its intention to end the contract, the contract is automatically renewed for a term equal to the one originally agreed or to that of its extension. For contracts of less than one year, this same automatic-extension rule applies, but the fourth automatic extension must specifically be for a term of one year.
When a fixed-term employment contract does not meet the conditions and requirements set out by law, it is deemed to have been an indefinite-term contract from the start of the employment relationship.
Night Work: New Hours and Effective Date
The law redefines the hours that count as day work and night work: day work is work performed between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.; night work is work performed between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. the following day. This provision has an effective date different from the rest of the law: it took effect on December 25, 2025, six months after the law was enacted, not on June 25, 2025.
Surcharge for Work on the Mandatory Rest Day and Public Holidays
Article 179 of the Colombian Labor Code, as amended by Law 2466 of 2025, distinguishes work on the mandatory rest day from work on public holidays, although both are paid the same surcharge. If the parties do not expressly agree otherwise in writing, Sunday is presumed to be the mandatory rest day; the parties may agree in writing on a different day.
That surcharge increases up to one hundred percent (100%) of the value of an ordinary hour, on a phased schedule.
Phase-In Schedule
- From July 1, 2025: 80%.
- From July 1, 2026: 90% (currently applicable).
- From July 1, 2027: 100%.
The law also allows an employer to apply the 100% surcharge directly from the law's effective date, without following the phased schedule.
When Does Each Change Take Effect?
Law 2466 of 2025 was enacted and generally took effect on June 25, 2025. Not all of its provisions, however, began to apply on that same date: the change in night-work hours, for example, only took effect on December 25, 2025, and the surcharge for work on the mandatory rest day and public holidays reaches its final value only as of July 1, 2027.
Fixed-Term Contracts in Force on June 25, 2025
For fixed-term employment contracts already in force on June 25, 2025, the four-year maximum term is counted forward from that date, not from the contract's original start date. This rule applies specifically to how that limit is counted for fixed-term contracts; it is not a general rule for how every other provision of the law applies to other employment relationships.
These are three central changes under Law 2466 of 2025 for employment relationships governed by the Colombian Labor Code, but how they apply in practice depends on the specific circumstances of each employment relationship, the type of contract involved, and the exact dates on which each provision takes or took effect. This article is for general informational purposes and does not replace a legal review of a specific case.