Grocery vouchers IMSS 2026: enrollment & cost

If you are evaluating issuing grocery vouchers for the first time, you probably already have the conceptual side clear —they are a partially tax-exempt benefit, they help the employee's purchasing power, they improve the compensation package without inflating the salary base—. But when the question "how much does it really cost me?" arrives, the answer gets more complex: there is an ISR cap, a deductibility percentage, an IMSS procedure, and a provider choice that not every finance director has top of mind.

This guide goes straight to the operational and tax side, so you can build the internal business case and present it to leadership without gaps. If you still need the conceptual foundation —what they are, how they work, what their advantages are— we recommend starting with our general guide to grocery vouchers in Mexico and coming back here when it is time to implement.

What the ISR Law 2026 says about grocery vouchers

The Income Tax Law treats grocery vouchers as a social welfare benefit, not as salary. That means two important things for your company:

The employee does not pay ISR on the voucher's value up to a certain cap.
The company can deduct the expense, as long as it complies with the requirements of Article 27, section XI of the LISR.

Two basic conditions that often go unnoticed:

The voucher must be delivered through a SAT-authorized electronic wallet (monedero electrónico). Paper vouchers stopped being deductible years ago.
The benefit has to be general, meaning it is granted to all employees (or to an entire category —union, trusted staff— uniformly). You cannot give vouchers only to the sales team and leave the rest out.

If these points are not met, the expense stops being deductible and the income for the employee stops being exempt. It is a detail worth reviewing with your accountant before kicking off.

Cap and exempt percentage in 2026

The ISR-exempt cap for grocery vouchers is calculated as a percentage of the monthly UMA (Unidad de Medida y Actualización). This UMA is adjusted by INEGI every year in February and is the reference the Treasury uses for many tax calculations.

In practice, what this means for your company:

There is a maximum monthly exempt amount per employee. If you issue a voucher below that amount, the income arrives without ISR.
If you issue a voucher above the cap, the excess is considered taxable income and ISR is withheld from the employee as if it were salary.
For the employer, the voucher does not integrate into the IMSS Salary Base of Contribution (SBC) as long as it does not exceed 40% of the UMA. If it exceeds that, the proportional part does integrate.

This last rule is the one that most impacts the employer cost. A properly sized voucher keeps you out of the IMSS base; an "overly generous" voucher starts loading contributions on the excess.

Before setting the voucher amount, ask your accountant for the updated UMA 2026 value and run the math. It is not worth designing the benefit around a number memorized two years ago.

Step-by-step calculation: 10 employees with a $2,000 voucher per month

Let's assume this scenario, using UMA 2025 values (adjust once you have the 2026 ones in hand):

10 employees
Monthly voucher per employee: $2,000 MXN
SAT-authorized electronic wallet
Benefit granted generally to all staff

Gross cost for the company (12 months): $2,000 × 10 employees × 12 months = $240,000 MXN per year.

Up to here, it seems clear. The interesting part starts when you subtract the tax savings:

Corporate ISR deductibility. If you meet the conditions (electronic wallet, general nature, documentary support), you can deduct 100% of the expense against the corporate ISR base. With a 30% rate, that means a potential saving of up to $72,000 per year.

Estimated net cost after deduction: $240,000 − $72,000 = $168,000 MXN, equivalent to $1,400 per employee per month in real terms.

Comparison with giving the same amount as salary: If instead of the voucher you raise their salary by $2,000 monthly for each one, in addition to the employee's ISR you would have to add IMSS, Infonavit contributions, and provisions (aguinaldo, vacation premium, PTU). The total cost for the employer is usually between 25% and 35% above gross. With vouchers, since they don't integrate into the SBC, that extra cost disappears.

The math changes by sector (some have a higher IMSS risk premium) and by salary level. Ask payroll to run the same calculation with your actual payroll data before going to leadership.

IMSS enrollment: what you need to know

Many people assume that "issuing vouchers" requires a full IMSS procedure. In reality, as long as the amount respects the 40% UMA cap, there is no specific enrollment for the benefit —the payment simply does not integrate into the SBC and you don't modify the employee's contribution—.

What you do need to have in order:

Internal documentary support: written benefit policy, signed by leadership, where it is clear who accesses it, what the amount is, and under what conditions. This is the first thing a SAT auditor will ask for if a review comes.
Agreement with the electronic wallet provider, with the corresponding invoices (CFDI).
Payroll system registration as a "social welfare" concept (not as salary).
If the voucher exceeds 40% of the UMA, the excess portion does enter the SBC and you have to notify a salary modification to the IMSS —there is a procedure then—.

The most common mistake we see: companies that issue vouchers at a comfortable amount above 40% of the UMA without modifying the SBC. When the IMSS detects the gap, it charges retroactive contribution differences with surcharges. It is cheaper to adjust the amount than to skip the procedure.

Electronic wallet vs paper: what makes sense in 2026

This is no longer a 2026 decision, it is an obligation: paper vouchers are not deductible. For the expense to meet the requirements of Article 27 LISR, vouchers have to be issued through a SAT-authorized electronic wallet.

The real benefits of the electronic version:

Guaranteed deductibility as long as the provider issues CFDI with the correct codes.
Traceability: you can see where vouchers are spent, at which merchants, how frequently.
Usage control: most providers allow restricting use to food and grocery merchants, preventing vouchers from "leaking" into unauthorized categories.
No immediate expiration: the balance accumulates on the card and is not lost the next month.
Employee experience: a prepaid card used like debit at the supermarket. Nothing simpler.

If you still handle physical vouchers out of habit, it is time to migrate. The procedure is relatively simple and the tax savings justify the immediate change.

Authorized providers in Mexico

The SAT publishes and updates the list of authorized issuers of grocery electronic wallets. The best-known players in the Mexican market include Edenred, Sodexo, Si Vale, Up Sí Vale, Toka, and Broxel, among others.

Criteria for choosing a provider (beyond the price per card):

Accepted merchant network. Verify it covers the areas where your employees live well, not just the big cities. If you have people in the provinces, don't assume: ask the provider for the coverage map.
Employee app. Today it is expected that they can check balance, transactions, and nearby merchants from their phone. If the provider is still using SMS to notify top-ups, think twice.
HR panel. How long does it take to do a bulk top-up, how are employees added/removed, what reports does it export.
Hidden fees. Some charge for enrollment, others for top-up, others for inactive balance. Ask for the full fee schedule before signing.
Integration capability. If you use a payroll system or a benefits platform (such as Maslow), confirm there is an API or flat file to automate loading.

The price per card is a small fraction of the total cost; the real cost of a bad provider is the time it consumes from the HR team.

Implementation checklist: 7 steps before the first voucher

Design the written policy of the benefit: who accesses, amount, periodicity, conditions.
Validate the amount against 40% of the UMA 2026 with your accountant.
Choose a provider following the 5 criteria above (pricing, network, app, panel, fees).
Agreement signature with the provider and monthly CFDI setup.
Bulk enrollment of employees in the provider's panel (name, RFC, basic data).
Communicate the benefit internally: announcement, how to activate the card, how to use it, where it is accepted. A good onboarding doubles adoption.
First top-up and follow-up: during the first three months, check the activation and real usage percentage. If part of the team is not activating the card, the benefit is not landing.

If all this is managed manually —excel, loading one by one, HR tickets for every removal or change—, the benefit becomes operational overhead. That is why several companies today move vouchers to integrated benefits platforms, which include grocery vouchers alongside other flexible benefits (discounts, gift cards, health, education) and automate management. Maslow works with companies in Mexico that operate grocery vouchers combined with discount coupons and other benefits within the same package, with a single payroll operation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cap for ISR-exempt grocery vouchers in 2026?

The cap is calculated as 40% of the monthly UMA in force in 2026. Up to that amount, the voucher does not integrate into the IMSS SBC and no ISR is withheld from the employee. Ask your accountant for the updated UMA 2026 value to run the exact calculation.

Are grocery vouchers taxable for the employee's ISR?

No, as long as they respect the cap (40% of the monthly UMA). The excess is considered taxable income and withheld as salary. The practical advice is to adjust the amount to stay below the cap and keep the full exemption.

What percentage of grocery vouchers is required by law?

There is no mandatory percentage: it is not a legal benefit like aguinaldo or vacation premium. It is a voluntary employer benefit. What the law does set are the tax exemption caps and the requirements to make it deductible (electronic wallet, general nature of the benefit).

Can I give grocery vouchers only to some employees?

For the expense to remain deductible, the benefit has to be general —to all employees or to a fully defined category (for example, trusted staff)—. If you give it only to a few without objective criteria, the SAT may reject it as a deduction.

What happens if I issue paper vouchers in 2026?

The expense stops being deductible and the benefit loses its ISR exemption for the employee. The law has required SAT-authorized electronic wallets for several fiscal years. If you are still on paper, migrating is a priority for the next closing.

Can I combine grocery vouchers with other benefits?

Yes, and it is the most common practice in medium and large companies. Grocery vouchers are combined with corporate discounts, gift cards, wellness subscriptions, and flexible benefits. The advantage of an integrated platform is that everything is managed with a single payroll operation and the employee has a single place to see what the company offers.

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Do you want to build a package of vouchers + benefits that simplifies HR operations and saves employer cost? Schedule a conversation with a Maslow specialist at maslow.hr/en/contact and we will help you size the benefit for your payroll.

Grocery vouchers IMSS 2026: enrollment and employer cost in Mexico