Minimum wage in Argentina 2026: ARS 391,200 a month

How the SMVM is set and who it covers

The SMVM is fixed by the Consejo Nacional del Empleo, la Productividad y el Salario Mínimo, Vital y Móvil, which brings together employers, unions and the government. When the council cannot agree, the government sets the rate by resolution of the council president. It covers monthly-paid workers on a full legal working day under the Ley de Contrato de Trabajo, the agrarian regime and the national public administration. Part-time and reduced-hours staff receive it pro rata, and family allowances do not count toward it.

Most private-sector workers are paid under sector collective agreements (convenios colectivos) whose scales sit above the SMVM, so the SMVM mainly sets the floor for entry-level pay.

Other minimum wage rates in Argentina

Argentina minimum wage history

The monthly schedule through April 2027

Since late 2025 the rate has moved every month. Resolution 9/2025 covered November 2025 to August 2026, starting 2026 at ARS 341,000. Resolution 4/2026 continues the steps: ARS 383,800 in September, ARS 391,200 in October, ARS 398,800 in November and ARS 406,400 in December 2026, then ARS 414,200 in January, ARS 422,000 in February, ARS 429,600 in March and ARS 437,000 in April 2027. The October figure is 14.72% above January's. The hourly figure is always the monthly one divided by 200: 391,200 / 200 = ARS 1,956, then ARS 1,994 in November and ARS 2,032 in December.

If your payroll pays a fixed peso salary near the floor, set a monthly reminder; a salary that was legal in September can be below the minimum in October.

The aguinaldo on a minimum-wage salary

Argentina's 13th salary, the sueldo anual complementario or aguinaldo, equals one twelfth of annual pay, paid in two installments due June 30 and December 18. Each installment is 50% of the highest monthly pay in that half-year. For a worker on the SMVM all semester, December's ARS 406,400 is the highest month, so the second installment is 406,400 x 50% = ARS 203,200. Our aguinaldo explainer covers the rules in more detail.

Employer contributions in pesos

Employer social security contributions are 20.40% for large service and commerce employers and 18% for employers with a valid MiPyME (small business) certificate. A fixed deduction of ARS 7,003.68 per worker per month comes off the base first. For October:

• Large employer: (391,200 minus 7,003.68) x 20.40% = ARS 78,376.05.
• MiPyME: (391,200 minus 7,003.68) x 18% = ARS 69,155.34.

Add the aguinaldo accrual of 391,200 / 12 = ARS 32,600 a month, plus health insurance (obra social) and work-risk insurance (ART), whose rates are not confirmed in our data. A new labor assistance fund (Fondo de Asistencia Laboral) is also being introduced, and the sources we read disagree on its start date. Pay levels above the minimum are on the Argentina average salary page.

Running Argentine payroll from the US

Monthly minimum wage steps and union pay scales make Argentine payroll hard to run from abroad. An employer of record carries that work. Fees on EOR price lists we checked in October 2026 run $99 to $699 a month per hire. Deel lists $599, more than twice the dollar value of the October SMVM, so EORs suit skilled roles paid well above it. See our Argentina employer of record guide, the EOR rankings and the employer cost index, or compare Chile and Brazil.