DKI PJLP Workers Complain of Festive Holiday Allowance Deductions Reaching Rp 1.2 Million

Jakarta – A number of casual service providers (Penyedia Jasa Lainnya Perorangan or PJLP) working within the Jakarta provincial government have complained about tax deductions on the Festive Holiday Allowance (THR) they received this year.

Several workers reported that their THR payments were substantially reduced due to significant tax deductions, reaching approximately Rp 1 million to Rp 1.2 million.

“I’m complaining about the THR deduction, which is quite large, almost Rp 1.2 million,” said Liman (32), a pseudonym, a PJLP worker in Jakarta, when contacted on Wednesday (11 March 2026).

“This is quite painful. PJLP workers face large deductions, but civil servants (ASN) aren’t subjected to tax. It seems like PJLP workers are paying the tax for ASN,” he added.

Liman stated that the deduction is significant because the allowance is typically used to meet family needs ahead of Lebaran. For him, THR represents one of the year’s important hopes for workers preparing for the religious holiday.

“Lebaran isn’t about squandering money, but it’s reasonable to do some shopping – it happens only once a year. With these deductions, we’ll likely have to be more frugal during Lebaran,” Liman said.

Similar complaints were raised by Rudy, another pseudonym, from another PJLP worker in Jakarta. He contended that the communication regarding THR tax deductions was insufficiently clear.

“We’re complaining about the lack of prior notification. Information was only provided closer to the THR payment date, and only through a chat message, without direct explanation to the PJLP workers,” Rudy said.

“We didn’t receive clear information about the system or calculation methodology because it was only communicated via chat. In that case, each person’s perception could differ,” he noted.

When asked about the size of deduction he received, Rudy stated the amount was also considerable.

“Around one million rupiah,” he replied.