See how banks work at Carnival 2022

Consumers who have bills due during Carnival, between Saturday (February 26) and Wednesday (March 2), should pay attention to payment rules so as not to have to bear financial burdens such as fines and interest.

According to Febraban (Brazilian Federation of Banks), bank branches across the country will be closed on Monday (February 28) and Tuesday (March 1), without working hours. Operations return to normal on Ash Wednesday (March 2) at noon.

The federation informs that consumption bills such as water, electricity and telephone, in addition to payment vouchers due on Monday and Tuesday, can be paid without any increase on Wednesday. “Consumer bills and payment slips can be paid on the first business day, with no extra charge.”

In the case of payment of taxes, the taxpayer will need to advance the discharge. For other securities, if the due date falls on days when there are no banking hours, the guideline is also to anticipate payment at branches or to settle the debt by remote means, such as cell phone, computer and telephone, in addition to ATMs.

Febraban states that, in general, taxes already come with dates adjusted to the calendar when there are national, state and municipal holidays, which is not the case with Carnival, which, in most of the country, is not a holiday.

“If this has not occurred in the collection document, the suggestion is to advance payment or, in the case of securities that have a bar code, schedule payment at ATMs, internet banking and by phone service from banks”, informs the federation, in note.

Bank slips that have already been registered in automatic debit will be paid normally, as happens every month.

The bill payment rules apply to any title, including home ownership, rent, condominium and cable TV, for example. If the due date has not been postponed, the ideal is to pay it off at branches or pay electronically.

Payments can be scheduled

Mariana Rinaldi, a specialist at Proteste (Brazilian Association of Consumer Protection) confirms that the payment of the bills should be delayed until March 2, because of the interruption in service by Febraban.

According to her, the consumer must check the due date of the ticket to avoid having to pay interest and fines. “It is necessary to check and carefully read the billing document to make sure of the possibility of extension. And always keep proof of payment”, she says.

Mariana says that there are, however, “non-extendable” accounts, which are usually related to tax collections, fees, traffic fines and contributions. “It is important to note that, when the payment term of an invoice is not flexible, it is common for this information to appear in the document. In these cases, we recommend early payment to avoid any unwanted collection of fines or interest”, she says.

There is also the option to schedule payment for securities that have a barcode. This operation can be carried out at ATMs, on bank applications or websites, and also through telephone service provided by financial institutions.

INSS payment schedule is suspended during Carnival

For those who are going to withdraw benefits, such as retirement, pension and INSS aid, the payment schedule will be interrupted during the holiday, returning to normal on Thursday (March 3).

Sought after, the banks informed that they follow the rules of Febraban. All said that they offer remote service channels so that customers can pay their payments on the exact date, without charging fines and interest, if applicable.

According to Bradesco, customers can pay their bills that are due on all digital channels during the four days of Carnival. Itaú Unibanco and Santander also make their channels available.

Santander customers can use the Bank’s digital channels: Santander app and Santander Empresas app, internet banking, in addition to the call center by telephone 4004-3535 (capitals and metropolitan regions), 0800-7023535 (other locations) and 0800-7235007 ( people with hearing and speech impairments),” says a note.

Banco do Brasil has electronic and telephone service for account holders and savers. Public employees who are entitled to the Pasep allowance this year, however, will not be able to withdraw amounts on holidays through the agencies. Also, the release calendar only works on business days. “It is worth remembering that there is no way to withdraw the salary allowance on non-working days”, says a note.

Caixa Econômica Federal has, in addition to remote channels, the possibility of moving accounts through the Caixa Tem app, for whom digital social savings. The beneficiaries of Auxílio Brasil will not be affected by the closing of banks during Carnival, as the last batch comes out this Friday (25), for those who have a NIS (Social Identification Number) with a zero ending.

In case the PIS allowance is released, payments will be interrupted at Carnival and for another week. The values ​​are released this Tuesday (22) and Thursday (24) for those born in May and June, respectively. Afterwards, payments will only resume on March 15th.