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Brazil meal and food voucher regulation

Updated 7 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-09-23 16:45 UTC → 2026-10-02 10:16 UTC · added removed

Brazil has implemented Decree No. 12.712/2025 to standardize the administration of meal and food vouchers (vale-alimentação and vale-refeição) across all employers, including those not enrolled in the Worker's Food Program (PAT). The regulation establishes a maximum Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) of 3.6% for transactions and a 15-day deadline for financial settlement. To promote equality, the decree prohibits the segregation of worker balances and introduces interoperability, allowing vouchers to be processed by any standard card machine in retail establishments. Starting in As part of the transition toward full interoperability, a significant milestone is set for November 2026, this interoperability will require establishments such as restaurants, bakeries, 2025, requiring food and supermarkets meal voucher cards to accept various benefit card brands through be accepted across different payment terminal networks regardless of the issuing operator. While full interoperability across all payment arrangements is expected to be completed by November 2026, the upcoming November milestone marks a critical step in preventing workers from being limited to the infrastructure of a single payment terminal. operator. This measure aims to provide workers with greater freedom of choice while simplifying operations for merchants merchants, such as restaurants and supermarkets, by removing the need for multiple machines or contracts. The decree also establishes an interchange fee ceiling of 2%. Despite these efforts, recent data from Ipsos-Ipec indicates that average fees charged to establishments rose from 5.19% in 2025 to 6.18% in 2026, with small businesses seeing rates climb to 6.44%. In response, the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE) has expanded enforcement, notifying 115 companies—including major operators Alelo, Pluxee, Ticket, and VR—regarding potential deviations such as excessive fees and unauthorized purchases. deviations. In September 2026, the Supreme Federal Court provided a legal setback to industry opposition. opposition when Minister Cármen Lúcia declined to hear a direct action of unconstitutionality (ADI 7.962) filed by the Brazilian Association of Worker Benefit Companies (ABBT), ruling that the dispute concerns legality rather than direct constitutionality. The Attorney General's Office (AGU) defended the decree as a necessary exercise of regulatory power to address market concentration, where four operators control approximately 80% of the sector. (ABBT).

Versions

  1. 2026-10-02 10:16 UTC Brazil meal and food voucher regulation
  2. 2026-09-23 16:45 UTC Brazil meal and food voucher regulation
  3. 2026-09-21 03:48 UTC Brazil meal and food voucher regulation
  4. 2026-09-18 04:07 UTC Brazil meal and food voucher regulation
  5. 2026-09-03 20:49 UTC Brazil meal and food voucher regulation
  6. 2026-08-23 13:34 UTC Brazil meal and food voucher regulation
  7. 2026-08-20 23:33 UTC Brazil meal and food voucher regulation
  8. 2026-08-10 22:22 UTC Brazil meal and food voucher regulation

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