Employment law · Pay · minimum wage
Minimum wage in France in 2026: the Smic gross and net, and what counts towards it
Since 1 June 2026, the French minimum wage (Smic) is 12.31 euros gross per hour, or 1,867.02 euros gross per month for 35 hours a week (about 9.74 euros net per hour, 1,477.93 euros net per month). An arrêté of 22 May 2026 set it: the rise is automatic once prices have gone up at least 2 % since the last increase (Labour Code, article L3231-5). Below the Smic, the employer must top up, whatever the collective agreement says.
- 1,867.02 euros gross a month for 35 hours
- About 1,477.93 euros net a month
- Below the Smic: a monthly top-up is due
- Official texts cited
- Sources checked on
- Drafted with AI assistance, our method
General legal information with official references and dated checks. It is not personalised advice: for a decision that commits you, have your situation checked by a qualified professional.
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Do overtime premiums count when checking the minimum wage in France?
No, statutory overtime premiums do not count when checking the French minimum wage: article D3231-6 of the Labour Code excludes them, along with expense refunds and the transport bonus. The overtime hours themselves must be paid at least at the hourly Smic, with the premium on top. To compare, take the premium out of the month’s pay.
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What is the French minimum wage gross and net since 1 June 2026?
Since 1 June 2026, the French minimum wage (Smic) is 12.31 euros gross per hour and 1,867.02 euros gross per month for a 35-hour week, which is about 9.74 euros net per hour and 1,477.93 euros net per month. Over a year, that makes 22,404.20 euros gross and 17,735.19 euros net, according to service-public.fr (fact sheet F2300, 2026).
Gross (brut) means before social contributions; net means after them. The net figure is only indicative, because it depends on the contributions taken from your payslip, so always check the gross amount. From 1 January to 31 May 2026, the Smic was 12.02 euros gross per hour and 1,823.03 euros gross per month: for back pay covering those months, the old amount is the reference.
Two cases have their own amounts. In Mayotte, the minimum is 9.56 euros gross per hour and 1,449.93 euros gross per month. A minor with less than six months’ practice in the sector can be paid 11.08 euros gross per hour at 17, and 9.85 euros at 16 or under.
Minimum wage (Smic), fact sheet F2300 (in French)The Smic rises on 1 June 2026 (in French)
What does article L3231-5 of the French Labour Code say?
Lorsque l'indice national des prix à la consommation atteint un niveau correspondant à une hausse d'au moins 2 % par rapport à l'indice constaté lors de l'établissement du salaire minimum de croissance immédiatement antérieur, le salaire minimum de croissance est relevé dans la même proportion à compter du premier jour du mois qui suit la publication de l'indice entraînant ce relèvement.
In plain English: Once consumer prices have risen by at least 2 % since the Smic was last set, the Smic rises automatically in the same proportion, from the first day of the month after the price index is published. This rule produced the rise of 1 June 2026.
The yearly increase on 1 January comes from another text, article L3231-6 of the French Labour Code.
Does your pay reach the French minimum wage?
This check compares your pay for the month with the official minimum in force since 1 June 2026, by age, status and working hours, leaving out what article D3231-6 excludes. It does not read your collective agreement, whose minimum may be higher.
Fictional example · Your comparison with the Smic
Under article D3231-5 of the French Labour Code, an employee aged 18 or over paid below the Smic receives a top-up that brings pay up to the Smic. If the top-up shown is above 0, ask your employer in writing to correct it, with your payslip.
- Monthly gross minimum for 35 hours in your situation
- 1,867.02 euros
- Monthly gross minimum for your working hours
- 1,867.02 euros
- Pay counted for the comparison
- 1,840.00 euros
- Monthly top-up owed by the employer
- 27.02 euros
- Take your payslip (bulletin de paie) and remove expense refunds, the transport bonus and overtime premiums from the pay you entered.
- Repeat the check for each month since 1 June 2026; before that date, the Smic was 1,823.03 euros gross for 35 hours.
- If 27.02 euros is missing this month, ask your employer in writing, by registered letter with proof of receipt.
- Without an answer, contact the labour inspectorate (inspection du travail) or file a claim with the employment tribunal (conseil de prud’hommes): pay claims expire after three years.
A gross comparison based on the official amounts in force since 1 June 2026 and only the figures you entered. It does not include your collective-agreement minimum, which may be higher.
Which parts of your pay count towards the Smic?
To check the Smic, your pay per hour of actual work is compared with the hourly Smic, counting benefits in kind (avantages en nature) and extras that in practice form part of your salary (French Labour Code, article D3231-6). The same article excludes expense refunds, statutory overtime premiums and the transport bonus.
Service-public.fr gives the practical list.
- Counted: base salary, benefits in kind, productivity bonuses
- Not counted: seniority, attendance or working-conditions bonuses (for example unhealthy work)
- Not counted: profit-sharing (participation, intéressement), holiday or year-end bonuses, unless paid in monthly instalments
French Labour Code: article D3231-6Minimum wage (Smic), fact sheet F2300 (in French)
Your collective agreement sets less than the Smic: what must the employer pay?
Your employer must pay you at least the Smic: if your collective agreement (convention collective) sets a lower minimum, the employer adds a pay top-up up to the Smic (service-public.fr, fact sheet F2300). For an employee aged 18 or over, this top-up brings pay up to the Smic in force (French Labour Code, article D3231-5).
Agreement pay scales often fall behind after a Smic rise, because an agreement may not index its wages on the Smic (article L3231-3). When the minimum for unskilled staff drops below the Smic, the sector must negotiate; if employers do not start talks within 45 days, negotiation begins within 15 days of a request by a representative trade union (article L2241-10).
For you the result is simple: each month, the employer owes the higher of the two amounts, the Smic or the minimum for your grade.
Minimum wage (Smic), fact sheet F2300 (in French)French Labour Code: article D3231-5French Labour Code: article L3231-3French Labour Code: article L2241-10
Adult, under 18, apprentice, Mayotte: which minimum applies?
| Situation | Applicable minimum | Text |
|---|---|---|
| Employee aged 18 or over, France except Mayotte | 12.31 euros gross per hour, 1,867.02 euros gross per month for 35 hours | Arrêté of 22 May 2026; fact sheet F2300 |
| Minor aged 17, under six months’ practice in the sector | 11.08 euros gross per hour (10 % reduction) | Labour Code, art. D3231-3 |
| Minor under 17, under six months’ practice | 9.85 euros gross per hour (20 % reduction) | Labour Code, art. D3231-3 |
| Minor with six months’ practice in the sector | Full Smic, no reduction | Labour Code, art. D3231-3 |
| Apprentice aged 16 to 20 | From 27 % to 67 % of the Smic, by age and contract year | Labour Code, art. D6222-26 |
| Apprentice aged 21 to 25 | 53 %, 61 % or 78 % of the Smic, or of the agreement minimum if higher | Labour Code, art. D6222-26 |
| Apprentice aged 26 or over | 100 % of the Smic, or of the agreement minimum if higher | Labour Code, art. D6222-26 |
| Employee in Mayotte | 9.56 euros gross per hour, 1,449.93 euros gross per month | Fact sheet F2300; Labour Code, art. L3423-1 |
If your collective agreement sets a higher minimum for your job, that minimum applies.
Minimum wage (Smic), fact sheet F2300 (in French)French Labour Code: article D3231-3French Labour Code: article D6222-26French Labour Code: article L3423-1
Which Smic amounts apply in 2026?
- Hourly Smic, gross (indicative net: 9.74 euros)
- 12.31 €
- since 1 June 2026 · Service-public.fr, fact sheet F2300
- Monthly Smic for 35 hours, gross (indicative net: 1,477.93 euros)
- 1,867.02 €
- since 1 June 2026 · Service-public.fr, fact sheet F2300
- Annual Smic, gross (net: 17,735.19 euros)
- 22,404.20 €
- since 1 June 2026 · Service-public.fr, fact sheet F2300
- Monthly Smic before the June rise, gross (12.02 euros per hour)
- 1,823.03 €
- 1 January to 31 May 2026 · French Ministry of Labour, Code du travail numérique
- Hourly Smic at 17 without six months’ practice, gross (9.85 euros at 16 or under)
- 11.08 €
- since 1 June 2026 · Service-public.fr, fact sheet F2300
- Hourly minimum wage in Mayotte, gross (1,449.93 euros per month)
- 9.56 €
- since 1 June 2026 · Service-public.fr, fact sheet F2300
Why did the French minimum wage rise twice in 2026?
The French minimum wage rose twice in 2026 because two separate rules of the Labour Code applied: the yearly increase on 1 January, then an automatic mid-year rise linked to prices. On 1 January 2026, the Smic went up to 12.02 euros gross per hour under the annual setting in article L3231-6.
Article L3231-5 then requires an automatic increase once the consumer price index has risen by at least 2 % since the last setting, from the first day of the month after the index is published. That is what raised the Smic to 12.31 euros on 1 June 2026, through a ministerial order (arrêté) of 22 May 2026, an hourly rise of about 2.4 %.
The government may also go further during the year by regulation (article L3231-10). According to service-public.fr (2026), the monthly Smic went from 1,823.03 euros to 1,867.02 euros gross for 35 hours.
French Labour Code: article L3231-6French Labour Code (Code du travail): article L3231-5Minimum wage (Smic), fact sheet F2300 (in French)French Labour Code: article L3231-10The Smic rises on 1 June 2026 (in French)
What can you do if your employer pays you below the Smic?
If you are paid below the Smic, first ask your employer in writing for the top-up owed for each month concerned, with your payslips. The top-up to the Smic is compulsory (French Labour Code, article D3231-5), and paying wages below the Smic is punished by a fine for a fifth-class petty offence (article R3233-1). According to service-public.fr (2026), the employer can be fined 1,500 euros and ordered to pay damages to the employee.
If nothing changes, you can contact the labour inspectorate (inspection du travail) or file a claim with the employment tribunal (conseil de prud’hommes). A pay claim expires three years after the day you knew the facts, and it can cover the last three years, or the three years before the contract ended if it has ended (article L3245-1).
- Your payslips (bulletins de paie), month by month
- Your contract, with the agreed working hours
- The minimum for your grade in the collective agreement
French Labour Code: article D3231-5French Labour Code: article R3233-1Minimum wage (Smic), fact sheet F2300 (in French)French Labour Code: article L3245-1
What else do people ask about the French minimum wage in 2026?
Do overtime premiums count when checking the minimum wage in France?
No, statutory overtime premiums do not count when checking the French minimum wage: article D3231-6 of the Labour Code excludes them, along with expense refunds and the transport bonus. The overtime hours themselves must be paid at least at the hourly Smic, with the premium on top. To compare, take the premium out of the month’s pay.
Can an annual bonus make up for a monthly salary below the Smic?
No, an annual bonus does not make up for a monthly salary below the Smic in France: according to service-public.fr, holiday and year-end bonuses do not count towards the Smic unless paid in monthly instalments. The Smic is checked month by month, and the employer owes the top-up for any month where pay is too low (Labour Code, article D3231-5).
Minimum wage (Smic), fact sheet F2300 (in French)French Labour Code: article D3231-5
How much is an apprentice aged 22 paid in France in 2026?
An apprentice aged 22 in France is paid at least 53 % of the Smic in the first contract year, 61 % in the second and 78 % in the third, or that share of the collective-agreement minimum if higher (Labour Code, article D6222-26). On the Smic of 1,867.02 euros gross for 35 hours, that is 989.52, 1,138.88 or 1,456.28 euros gross per month since 1 June 2026.
French Labour Code: article D6222-26Minimum wage (Smic), fact sheet F2300 (in French)
You live in France and work in Geneva: which minimum wage applies?
If you live in France and work in Geneva, the Geneva minimum wage applies, because it is tied to the place of work: it covers people who usually carry out their work in the canton (Geneva LIRT, article 39I), wherever they live. According to the canton of Geneva, it is 24.59 Swiss francs (CHF) gross per hour in 2026 and 24.73 CHF in 2027.
Geneva Act on labour inspection and labour relations (LIRT), arts 39I and 39K, rsGE J 1 05 (in French)Applying the Geneva minimum wage: amount and calculation (in French)
Which official texts back these French minimum wage figures?
- Minimum wage (Smic), fact sheet F2300 (in French)République française / DILA : Service-Public.fr
- The Smic rises on 1 June 2026 (in French)Ministère du Travail : Code du travail numérique
- French Labour Code: article D3231-6République française / DILA : Légifrance
- French Labour Code: article D3231-5République française / DILA : Légifrance
- French Labour Code: article L3231-3République française / DILA : Légifrance
- French Labour Code: article L2241-10République française / DILA : Légifrance
- French Labour Code: article L3231-6République française / DILA : Légifrance
- French Labour Code (Code du travail): article L3231-5République française / DILA : Légifrance
- French Labour Code: article L3231-10République française / DILA : Légifrance
- French Labour Code: article R3233-1République française / DILA : Légifrance
- French Labour Code: article L3245-1République française / DILA : Légifrance
- French Labour Code: article D3231-3République française / DILA : Légifrance
- French Labour Code: article D6222-26République française / DILA : Légifrance
- French Labour Code: article L3423-1République française / DILA : Légifrance
- Geneva Act on labour inspection and labour relations (LIRT), arts 39I and 39K, rsGE J 1 05 (in French)République et canton de Genève : recueil systématique (silgeneve.ch)
- Applying the Geneva minimum wage: amount and calculation (in French)République et canton de Genève (ge.ch)
Texts cited last checked: 30 October 2026