The GGMMI, the minimum wage for a full-time employee aged 18 or over, has been € 2,233.61 gross per month since 1 July 2026. It rose three times in 2026: on 1 January through indexation, on 1 April by € 35.70 under the social agreement, and on 1 July again by 2% through indexation.
The minimum wage in 2026: the three steps
| From | Monthly amount | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 February 2025 | € 2,111.89 | indexation |
| 1 January 2026 | € 2,154.11 | indexation by 2% |
| 1 April 2026 | € 2,189.81 | third phase of the social agreement |
| 1 July 2026 | € 2,233.61 | indexation by 2% |
The indexation took effect on 1 July 2026, not on 1 August. That is how the National Labour Council table records it; the Council publishes the amount after every change. For an employee on a 38-hour week, the GGMMI works out at 2,233.61 x 3 / (13 x 38) = € 13.56 an hour.
Why does the minimum wage rise by EUR 35.70 on 1 April 2026?
The increase of € 35.70 on 1 April was not indexation. It is the third and final step of the 2021 social agreement, implemented by collective agreement no. 43/18 of 24 March 2026. It came on top of the January indexation.
What this means for you: if you were still paying exactly the minimum in March, you had to raise pay in April and again in July. Because the minimum wage went up, the NSSO also adjusted the pay thresholds of the work bonus. What that means in net terms is explained in our article on the work bonus in 2026.
What counts towards the GGMMI?
The minimum applies to all pay the employee receives for his normal work, unless your joint committee sets a different rule.
- Counts: fixed and variable pay, in cash or in kind, and bonuses and benefits for normal work.
- Does not count: overtime premiums, single and double holiday pay, expense allowances such as commuting and work clothing, and the non-recurring result-related bonus up to the legal ceiling.
- Bonuses covering more than a month: an end-of-year bonus counts for the period it covers, provided it is paid within 12 months. When you pay it, you draw up a settlement. If the total stays below the GGMMI for that period, you pay the difference.
A monthly wage below the minimum is therefore only in order if the end-of-year bonus covers the gap over the year and you do the settlement. How to calculate the bonus itself is in our guide to the end-of-year bonus.
Young workers, students and part-time employees
The GGMMI applies from age 18. Younger workers and students receive a percentage of the amount at 18:
| Employee | Percentage | Since 1 July 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 16 or younger | 67% | € 1,496.52 |
| 17 | 73% | € 1,630.54 |
| 18, student contract | 79% | € 1,764.55 |
| 19, student contract | 85% | € 1,898.57 |
| 20, student contract | 90% | € 2,010.25 |
A part-time employee must reach the minimum in proportion to his working hours. A half-time employee therefore earns at least 2,233.61 / 2 = € 1,116.81 gross per month.
The 2026 minimum wage versus the sector minimums
For most employees the sector pay scale is above the GGMMI. But not always by much:
| Sector | Lowest minimum | Converted |
|---|---|---|
| GGMMI | € 2,233.61 a month | € 13.56 an hour at 38 hours |
| JC 200 white-collar, class A, 0 years | € 2,242.80 a month | € 9.19 above the GGMMI |
| JC 140.03 road haulage, level 1 | € 14.93 an hour | € 2,457.73 a month at 38 hours |
| JC 302 hospitality, category I | € 15.21 an hour | € 2,504.53 a month at 38 hours |
| JC 124 construction, category I | € 18.75 an hour | GGMMI at 40 hours: € 12.89 an hour |
So in JC 200 the lowest pay scale is barely above the minimum. Pay a white-collar employee there below the scale and you quickly fall below the GGMMI as well.
In a joint committee with its own indexation mechanism, the GGMMI follows that mechanism. That is why some sector tables show a different amount, such as € 2,212.50 in JC 202. Always check the table of your own committee. For hospitality, all pay scales are on our page about the hospitality sector.
What to check now
- Compare every full-time monthly wage of an employee aged 18 or over with € 2,233.61, and every part-time wage with the share that matches his working hours.
- Check that wages were actually adjusted on 1 April and 1 July. A wage at the minimum in March had to rise twice.
- If you rely on an end-of-year bonus to reach the minimum, do the settlement per period when you pay it.
- Check the pay of young workers and students against the percentages above.
- Recalculate net pay with our gross-to-net calculator: the work bonus and withholding tax decide how much of the raise the employee keeps.
What Business Centrum does for you
Business Centrum automatically applies every indexation and every minimum wage increase to your payroll, together with Acerta. We flag employees whose pay risks dropping below the GGMMI or the sector scale and draw up the end-of-year bonus settlement where it is needed.