Last Friday, 6.feb.2026, Transparência Brasil and nine other civil society organizations sent a letter to President Lula requesting a full veto of parts of two bills approved by Congress that establish the so-called “compensatory leave” for civil servants in the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate.
The document also reinforces the request already sent in Dec.2025 not to sanction the institution of a similar mechanism for the Federal Court of Auditors (TCU). The organizations argue that the bills institutionalize the benefit for the first time in law, which will lead to extra payments and higher public spending, with a possible cascading effect on the public administration.
The request specifically targets article 10 of Bill 179/2026, which deals with the modernization of the Chamber’s legislative career, and article 9-A of Bill 6070/2025, relating to the Senate’s career plan. The provisions authorize the granting of time off to commissioned civil servants or those in managerial positions for ordinary work outside regular hours, with the possibility of converting these days into cash compensation.
In practice, the mechanism would allow the granting of up to one day’s leave for every three days worked, limited to ten days per month, in the case of the Chamber. In the Senate, the ratio varies between one day for every ten and one for every three days worked. In both cases, the days not taken could be paid in cash, as compensation, without incurring income tax or social security contributions and outside the constitutional ceiling.
According to the coalition, the request for a veto is important given the decision on February 5 by Minister Flávio Dino to suspend payments of compensation without express provision in the law. This is because the sanction of these bills would represent the legalization of the compensatory leave mechanism, leaving it outside the scope of the minister’s decision in the case of payments to the legislature, and creating precedents for payments to the judiciary to go through the same process.
The organizations’ document also points out that similar benefits exist in bodies of the Judiciary and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, but through internal resolutions. A survey carried out by TB and República.org indicates that the Judiciary spent at least R$1.2 billion in 2024 on compensatory leave for 10,700 magistrates, without limitation by the constitutional ceiling.
For the signatory organizations, the measure creates a “penduricalho” that does not exist in the Unified Legal System for federal civil servants (Law No. 8.112/1990) and resumes problems generated by practices that have already been abolished, such as the old attendance bonus leave, which was abolished in the 1990s to contain expenses. The group argues that the new leave distorts the remuneration logic by transforming time off into compensation, which allows payments above the salary ceiling and reduces fiscal control.
In addition, the organizations warn of a possible “multiplier effect” if the benefit is incorporated by law into the federal legislature. The assessment is that the measure would serve as a precedent for other powers and federal entities to adopt similar mechanisms, increasing personnel expenses and putting pressure on the public budget. In addition to the fiscal impact, the group cites a reputational risk for the state, at a time when the public is demanding a fight against super salaries. According to a Datafolha poll commissioned by the People Ahead Movement, 83% of Brazilians support stricter rules to limit salaries above the ceiling.
According to TB’s executive director, Juliana Sakai, “the bills approved by Congress contribute to the rise and consolidation of super salaries in the public administration, allowing compensatory leave to be normalized and replicated rather than combated, in a metastasis that affronts the collective interest“.
Another point raised is the difficulty of monitoring. As the funds are of an indemnity nature, they could escape the broader scrutiny of payrolls, increasing the opacity of personnel expenses.
In addition to TB, the following signed the letter: República.org, Associação Fiquem Sabendo, Centro de Liderança Pública, Livres, Movimento Brasil Competitivo, Movimento Orçamento Bem Gasto, Movimento Pessoas à Frente, Plataforma Justa and Transparência Internacional – Brasil.
In the request, the group argues that the presidential veto should be restricted to the articles dealing with compensatory leave, preserving the other points of the career restructuring proposals. For the organizations, blocking the provision now would prevent the consolidation of a benefit considered costly and difficult to reverse in the future.
