The money is on its way, but not all at once.
Cada febrero, millones de peruanos que dependen del Estado —empleados públicos y jubilados de la ONP— orientan su vida cotidiana en torno a un calendario bancario que determina cuándo podrán pagar el alquiler, llenar la despensa o cubrir una deuda. El Banco de la Nación ha publicado el cronograma de pagos de febrero de 2026, escalonado por apellido y sector, como un mecanismo que equilibra la presión sobre el sistema financiero con la urgencia humana de quienes esperan su ingreso mensual. A este ciclo rutinario se suman incrementos salariales negociados y un ajuste pensionario postergado, recordándonos que detrás de cada fecha en un calendario oficial hay una economía doméstica que respira al ritmo del Estado.
- Los jubilados de la ONP reciben sus pagos entre el 6 y el 11 de febrero según la inicial de su apellido, mientras que los trabajadores públicos deben esperar hasta el 18, una brecha que para muchos hogares marca la diferencia entre llegar o no a fin de quincena.
- El sistema escalonado alivia la presión sobre las sucursales bancarias, pero genera una desigualdad temporal: algunos ciudadanos ya tienen dinero en mano mientras otros siguen contando los días.
- Febrero trae un ajuste doble para los pensionistas de la ONP con 20 o más años de aportes: recibirán hasta S/1,000 mensuales y cobrarán en este pago el incremento que no pudo procesarse en enero.
- Los aumentos salariales por convenio colectivo —S/100 para trabajadores CAS y regímenes especiales, S/53 para otros regímenes— continúan vigentes, aunque el bono escolar extraordinario de enero no se repetirá.
- Un techo de S/15,600 mensuales se aplica automáticamente a cualquier trabajador público cuyo salario supere ese límite tras los incrementos, sin excepciones posibles.
- Los aumentos buscan amortiguar la inflación y el alza del costo de vida, pero si lograrán mantener el ritmo real de los precios es una pregunta que el calendario no responde.
Miles de empleados públicos y jubilados peruanos están pendientes esta semana del cronograma que el Banco de la Nación ha establecido para los pagos de febrero de 2026. El esquema, organizado por apellido y sector de gobierno, está diseñado para distribuir la carga sobre el sistema bancario a lo largo de varias semanas, evitando colapsos en las sucursales.
Los pensionistas de la ONP son los primeros en cobrar: entre el 6 y el 11 de febrero, según la letra inicial de su apellido. Quienes prefieren cobrar en ventanilla tienen plazo hasta el 21. Los trabajadores del sector público, en cambio, deben esperar hasta el 18, cuando comienza un despliegue de cuatro jornadas que abarca ministerios, poderes del Estado, gobiernos regionales y organismos autónomos, concluyendo el 23 de febrero.
En estos pagos se consolidan dos incrementos salariales vigentes desde enero: los trabajadores bajo el régimen CAS, el personal penitenciario y empleados de ciertos regímenes locales reciben S/100 adicionales al mes, mientras que otros regímenes nacionales y regionales perciben S/53 más. El bono escolar extraordinario de enero, sin embargo, no se repite.
Para los jubilados de la ONP con al menos veinte años de aportes, febrero representa un cambio más significativo: su pensión sube hasta S/1,000 mensuales. Dado que los sistemas de planilla no pudieron actualizarse a tiempo en enero, el ajuste de ese mes se incluye en el pago de febrero, resultando en un depósito mayor al habitual. En paralelo, ningún trabajador público puede superar el techo de S/15,600 mensuales, independientemente del régimen o los incrementos aplicados.
Para millones de peruanos, este calendario no es un trámite administrativo: es el eje sobre el que gira la economía del hogar. Los aumentos, aunque modestos, reflejan el esfuerzo del Estado por responder a la presión inflacionaria, aunque su capacidad real para compensar el alza de precios sigue siendo una incógnita abierta.
Thousands of Peruvian public employees and retirees are checking their calendars this week, waiting for the National Bank to release their February paychecks and pension payments. The staggered schedule, organized by surname and government sector, begins almost immediately—the first money moves on February 6th—and stretches across the month in a carefully choreographed sequence designed to prevent the banking system from being overwhelmed all at once.
The pensioners go first. Those drawing from the National Social Security Office, known by its Spanish acronym ONP, will see deposits arrive between February 6th and 11th, with the schedule determined entirely by the first letter of their last name. Retirees with surnames beginning A through C collect on Friday the 6th. Those from D to L arrive on Monday the 9th. M through Q come Tuesday the 10th. R through Z get their turn Wednesday the 11th. For pensioners who prefer to collect in person at a branch rather than receive a direct deposit, the bank extends a window from February 12th through the 21st. This alphabetical sorting is a practical measure—it spreads foot traffic across the banking network and ensures that no single day becomes a bottleneck.
Public sector workers, by contrast, must wait longer. Their paychecks begin flowing on February 18th, more than a week after the first pension payments clear. The government has divided the civil service into four payment tranches, each assigned to specific ministries and agencies. On the 18th, workers in Transportation and Communications, Defense, Justice, Economy and Finance, Agriculture, Energy and Mines, and Education receive their deposits, along with employees of the presidential office, the judiciary, the public prosecutor's office, regional governments, the comptroller's office, and Congress. The Interior Ministry, along with Social Development, Housing, and the Ombudsman's office, collect on the 19th. Health, Women's Affairs, Culture, Environment, Labor, and the national identification agency get paid on the 20th. The final group—Production, Foreign Affairs, Trade, the electoral authority, the military courts, and the constitutional tribunal—receives payment on the 23rd.
Two separate wage increases are flowing through these February payments, though the details vary by employment category. Since January, public servants have been receiving a monthly raise negotiated through collective bargaining agreements. Workers hired under the CAS temporary contract system, prison staff, and employees under two older legislative decrees that govern local government workers are receiving an additional 100 soles per month. Those under the 728 regime at the national and regional level, plus civil service employees, get a smaller bump of 53 soles. These increases continue in February, though the extraordinary school bonus that arrived in January will not appear again.
For ONP retirees, February brings a more substantial change. Starting this month, pensioners who contributed for at least twenty years now receive a monthly pension of up to 1,000 soles—a meaningful increase from previous levels. Because the payroll systems could not be updated in time during January, February's payment includes the adjustment that should have arrived then, meaning retirees will see a larger deposit than usual. The government has also imposed a ceiling: no public sector worker, regardless of employment category, can receive more than 15,600 soles per month. Anyone whose salary plus the new increases would exceed that threshold automatically gets capped at that level, with no exceptions granted.
For millions of Peruvians whose livelihoods depend on state paychecks and pensions, this calendar is not abstract bureaucracy—it is the difference between paying rent on time and falling behind, between buying groceries this week or next. The staggered schedule reflects both a practical necessity and a political choice: spreading payments across weeks rather than days keeps the banking system functioning, but it also means that some workers and retirees will have cash in hand while others are still waiting. The increases, modest as they are, represent the government's attempt to address inflation and cost-of-living pressures that have squeezed public sector incomes. Whether these adjustments keep pace with actual price increases in the economy remains an open question, but for now, the calendar is set, and the money is on its way.
Citações Notáveis
The government prioritizes getting retirees paid first because many have no other income.— Payment system logic
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does the government stagger these payments by surname instead of just paying everyone at once?
It's a practical measure. If 300,000 pensioners all tried to withdraw cash on the same day, the banking system would seize up. Spreading them across a week keeps the branches functioning and prevents lines from becoming impossible.
So the people with surnames starting with R through Z have to wait five extra days. Does that create hardship?
It can. If you're living paycheck to paycheck, five days is real time. But the bank also offers home delivery service for those who can't wait or can't get to a branch, which extends through the 21st.
The public sector workers wait even longer—not until the 18th. Why the gap between pensioners and active workers?
The two systems are separate. ONP is the old pension system, and the government prioritizes getting retirees paid first because many have no other income. Active workers have salaries that are already in the system; they're just waiting for the deposit to clear.
These salary increases—100 soles or 53 soles per month—how much is that really worth in Peru?
It depends on the worker's base salary, but 100 soles is roughly 27 US dollars. It's not nothing, but it's also not keeping pace with inflation. The government negotiated these through collective bargaining, so it's what the unions could extract.
What about that 15,600 soles ceiling? Who does that affect?
It's a cap on total monthly income for public sector workers. If your salary plus the new increase puts you over that, you get capped there. It's meant to control the wage bill, but it also means higher-paid workers don't benefit from the increases at all.
And the ONP retirees getting 1,000 soles—is that enough to live on?
In Peru, 1,000 soles is roughly 270 dollars a month. For someone who spent decades contributing to the system, it's survival-level income. The fact that they're finally getting an increase after years of stagnation matters, but it's still tight.