Crédito do Trabalhador: Brazil's new rules for payroll loans and FGTS

Since June 26, 2026, workers who take out a payroll-deductible loan (consignado) under Brazil's Crédito do Trabalhador program can pledge part of their severance pay and of their FGTS (Brazil's mandatory severance savings fund) as collateral, and since July 23, terminations follow a new deduction procedure. The changes came with Portaria MTE nº 1.115/2026, an ordinance of the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE), and with resolutions of the Management Committee for Payroll Loan Operations (CGCONSIG), which also set an interest cap for secured loans and limited the total cost of credit. For payroll teams, the monthly routine and termination calculations change; for employees, so do the borrowing conditions.

How Crédito do Trabalhador works

The program was created by Medida Provisória nº 1.292/2025 (a provisional measure with the force of law), later converted into Lei nº 15.179/2025, which amended Brazil's payroll loan law (Lei nº 10.820/2003). The installment is deducted from pay and passed on to the lender by the employer.

• Who can borrow: employees with a formal contract under the CLT (Brazil's Consolidated Labor Laws), including rural and domestic workers and employees of individual microentrepreneurs (MEI), plus non-employee directors entitled to FGTS.
• Where: in the Carteira de Trabalho Digital app (Brazil's digital work card) or through banks authorized by the MTE; authorization by phone is not valid.
• Limit: installments may take up to 35% of available pay, meaning earnings subject to social security contributions minus the employee's INSS contribution, withheld income tax and other mandatory deductions.
• Terms: up to 96 installments, with no credit-opening fee and no grace period.

What changed in 2026

FGTS and severance pay as collateral

Portaria MTE nº 1.115 and CGCONSIG Resolution No. 3, both of June 25, 2026, allow workers to pledge:

Collateral	Limit	When it can be used
Severance pay	35%, up to the outstanding balance	Any type of termination
FGTS balance	Up to 10%	Dismissal without just cause, constructive dismissal, mutual fault or force majeure; only under the termination-withdrawal option (saque-rescisão)
FGTS fine paid by the employer	Up to 100%	Same cases, under either withdrawal option

Using collateral requires the worker's express authorization on the platform, and the amounts are blocked in favor of the lender. Collateral applies to new loans, refinancing and portability, but not to renegotiation.

Cost of credit

CGCONSIG Resolution No. 2, of April 23, allows lenders to charge only interest, late-payment charges, taxes and credit life insurance expressly contracted, and caps the monthly CET (total effective cost) at 1 percentage point above the interest rate. For secured loans, Resolutions No. 3 and No. 4 set a maximum rate of 1.99% a month and coverage of 100% of the loan amount, both in the work card app and, since July 25, in the banks' own channels.

Timeline

Date	Milestone
Apr 23, 2026	CGCONSIG Resolution No. 2 limits charges and the CET
Jun 25, 2026	Portaria MTE nº 1.115 and Resolution No. 3 create the collateral options
Jun 26, 2026	Collateral becomes available in the app and at banks
Jul 23, 2026	The new deduction from severance pay takes effect
Jul 25, 2026	Resolution No. 4 extends coverage in banks' channels
Aug 11, 2026	The MTE details how to check contracts at termination

Payroll obligations

Monthly routine

Between the 21st and 25th of each month, employers receive a notice in the DET (the official electronic mailbox for employers) and must check contracts on the Portal Emprega Brasil in time to include installments in payroll. Then:

• deduct within the 35% limit and, if pay is insufficient, make a partial deduction and inform the employee;
• use pay item type 9253 in eSocial (the government's digital system for payroll and labor reporting) and show each loan separately on the payslip;
• pay through the FGTS Digital payment slip, on the same due date as monthly FGTS (the 20th of the following month); domestic employers use the DAE slip.

If there is no pay to deduct from, as in unpaid leave, the employee pays the installment directly to the lender.

At termination

Since July 23, 2026, the deduction from severance pay depends on two pieces of information from the lender: the updated outstanding balance and the percentage of severance pay pledged. The base adds accrued, proportional and paid-out vacation, the one-third vacation bonus and notice pay to available pay. According to the MTE (August 11):

1. check each active contract (API or Portal Emprega Brasil) when calculating the termination;
2. if the balance or the percentage is not available, do not deduct;
3. send eSocial event S-2299 (termination) ideally on the same day as the check;
4. keep the last balance checked, because after S-2299 the contract no longer appears in the query.

The amount deducted is paid through FGTS Digital. FGTS collateral, however, does not go through payroll: the FGTS operator executes it at the lender's request, first on the balance and then on the fine.

Job changes

The deduction is automatically redirected to another active job or to the next one. For contracts signed while the provisional measure was in force, this depends on a contract clause; earlier contracts do not migrate. With more than one job, the one with the largest margin is used; in transfers between companies of the same economic group, the collateral follows the worker.

Penalties

Deducting and not passing on the money is costly: Lei nº 15.179/2025 provides for a Termo de Débito Salarial (a wage-debt notice issued by labor inspectors that can be enforced directly in court) and a fine of 30% of the amount withheld. The employer is also liable for the updated amount, for damages and for administrative, civil and criminal penalties. Portaria nº 506/2026 adds adjustment by the IPCA (Brazil's official inflation index), interest of 0.033% a day and a 2% late fee, once FGTS Digital and the DAE incorporate the calculation.

What employees need to know

• Compare the CET, not just the rate. The offer in the app shows the net amount, installment, total payable, rate and CET. In April, according to Agência Brasil, rates on these payroll loans ranged from 1.63% to 6.87% a month.
• Weigh the collateral. It lowers the rate, but if you are dismissed, part of your severance pay and FGTS goes to the lender.
• Mind your budget. The 35% is a ceiling, not a target. The program was designed to replace more expensive debt, such as revolving credit card balances and overdrafts; if that is your case, compare the total cost.
• Use your rights. You can cancel within 7 days of receiving the money by returning it, request portability at any time and get the early payoff calculation within five business days.
• Check your payslip. Each loan appears on its own line and should match the contracts listed in the work card app. If something does not match, talk to payroll and the lender; complaints can go to consumidor.gov.br, the government's consumer complaints platform.
• Watch out for scams. Only banks authorized by the MTE can operate, and authorization given by phone is not accepted.

In TIRVU+, employees access their payslips through the app, in the employee portal, and can check the deduction line month by month. See also what changes on the payslip with the income tax exemption.

What to do now

• Check contracts on the Portal Emprega Brasil every month after DET notices
• Review pay item 9253 and the separate line for each loan on payslips
• Adjust termination calculations to the collateral base
• At termination, check contracts, send S-2299 the same day and keep the balance checked
• Confirm payment through FGTS Digital by the due date
• Guide employees on CET, collateral and scams through announcements in the TIRVU+ employee portal

FAQ

If I resign, does my FGTS pay off the loan?

No. FGTS collateral can only be used in dismissal without just cause, constructive dismissal, mutual fault or force majeure. The 35% severance collateral applies to any termination, and the remaining balance moves to your next job or can be renegotiated with the lender.

Can my employer stop me from borrowing?

No. The decision is yours, and the employer cannot add requirements beyond the law or interfere in your choice of lender; its role is to deduct and pass on the installments.

What if the company deducts the installment but does not pass it on?

The company is subject to the Termo de Débito Salarial and the 30% fine. If the lender charges you for an installment already deducted on your payslip, keep the payslip and contact the lender and payroll.

Conclusion

Crédito do Trabalhador became broader and more regulated in 2026, with collateral options, an interest cap for secured loans and a limit on total cost. For payroll, the critical point is termination: checking the outstanding balance, sending S-2299 quickly and keeping a record of what was checked. For employees, the key is to compare the CET and understand what happens to the collateral in case of dismissal.

Want to give your team easy access to payslips and announcements, with clear guidance on payroll loans? Talk to the Tirvu team and organize that communication.

Sources

• Lei nº 15.179/2025 — Chamber of Deputies
• Portaria MTE nº 435/2025, consolidated up to Portaria nº 1.115/2026 — MTE
• CGCONSIG/MTE Resolution No. 3, of June 25, 2026 — MTE
• MTE notice on deductions from severance pay (Aug 11, 2026)
• Ministry restricts fees and limits the cost of payroll loans — Agência Brasil

Information about credit is educational and does not constitute financial advice.

This content is for informational purposes only and does not replace specialized legal advice.