What FGTS is
The FGTS (Fundo de Garantia do Tempo de Serviço) is a savings account every CLT employer must fund with 8% of the employee's monthly pay. It is not deducted from the salary. The worker can draw it on dismissal without cause, to buy a home, in serious illness and in other cases.
Worked example
Salary R$ 3,000: R$ 240 a month. With R$ 1,000 already in the account, after 12 months the balance is about R$ 3,880 (before the fund's interest).
- If dismissed without cause, the employer pays a 40% fine: R$ 1,552.
- In a dismissal by agreement, the fine is 20%: R$ 776.
- On the birthday withdrawal (saque-aniversário), a R$ 3,880 balance allows 30% + R$ 150 = R$ 1,314 a year.
Birthday withdrawal or dismissal withdrawal
Choosing the yearly birthday withdrawal means that if you are dismissed you receive only the 40% fine, not the balance, until two years after switching back.
How this works
The deposit is 8% of the salary. The projected balance adds the deposits for the months entered to the current balance, without interest. The fines are 40% and 20% of that balance, and the birthday withdrawal uses the band table in the FGTS law: a percentage of the balance plus a fixed amount.
Frequently asked
How much is the FGTS deposit?
8% of monthly pay, paid by the employer on top of the salary.
What is the FGTS fine?
40% of the balance on dismissal without cause, 20% on dismissal by agreement.
How is the birthday withdrawal calculated?
A percentage of the balance by band, from 50% for small balances to 5% above R$ 20,000, plus a fixed amount.
Does FGTS earn interest?
Yes, 3% a year plus the TR and part of the fund's profit; this page leaves it out.
Sources
Reviewed Oct 17, 2026 · test vectors fixtures/calculators/finance/br/fgts-calculator/