Some Tips About Paying Wages for Household Services in Puerto Vallarta Katy - Vallarta Nayarit MLS
go to original September 25, 2017

How Much Do I Pay My Maid?

We hear this question a lot from newbies. It’s a fact that living in Puerto Vallarta is appealing for many reasons and one is that you can hire someone to do things you would normally do yourself back in The North. Not just maids (and yes, it’s okay to call them that) but gardeners and painters and all sorts of wonderful local people! You’re contributing to the economy in Puerto Vallarta two ways: hiring someone to do your job at home and spending money at the beach or other pleasure domes in your milieu.

We often find people facing a dilemma when it’s time to reach into their pocket to pay for domestic help. That grinchy feeling of not offering enough collides with the oh-my-god-I-don’t-want-to-seem-rich-because-I’m-in-fact-not. There are actually laws that do apply to hiring people who work in your home.

We recommend choosing a day of the week (or two) however many you need and agree with your new employee that these will be consistent. Legally they must be paid three times the normal wage for a holiday, so prearrange those. If you’re hiring fulltime, then you must give them one day off per week, usually Sunday, and you’ll be expected to give them one week per year paid vacation.

An Aguinaldo, sometimes mistakenly referred to as a Christmas bonus, is due at the end of the year to each employee, which is equal to two weeks of salary and is to be paid by the 15th of December. This allows time for your employee to do their own Christmas shopping, if they are so inclined but it’s good to note that not all Mexicans celebrate Christmas in Puerto Vallarta.

The suggested daily rate, according to Mexican law is $70.10/day (pesos). However, our survey tells us the consistent pay in Puerto Vallarta is $300- 350/day. You will be providing meals, water or other non-alcoholic beverages, and assist with transportation costs. Birthdays are always granted the day off.

In the case of severance, regardless of the grounds, if your employee has been with you for more than 28 days, they must receive an automatic 90 days of salary as a Finiquito.

This is all very basic but if you hire several people in your home, for example maids, cooks, mozos, gardeners, etc, you will most likely want to consult with an accountant and hire them to take care of all your wage and salary requirements. They can also explain health insurance and social security, which complicates matter but is the way to go if you’re planning on having a household staff.