Minimum wage in France 2026: SMIC at EUR 12.31 an hour

Who earns the SMIC and the lower rates

The EUR 12.31 rate covers adult employees in mainland France and the overseas departments, except Mayotte, which has its own lower SMIC of EUR 9.56 an hour (EUR 1,449.93 a month for 35 hours). Young workers can be paid less only while they lack experience: an employee aged 17 with under six months in the branch may be paid 10% less (EUR 11.08 an hour), and one aged 16 or under 20% less (EUR 9.85). After six months in the branch the full rate applies.

Many French employees are also covered by a branch collective agreement with its own pay grid. The grid can never fall below the SMIC, so when the SMIC jumps, the lowest grades of many grids are pulled up with it.

Other minimum wage rates in France

Why the SMIC rose twice in 2026

The SMIC is revalued every January 1 by a formula (inflation for the lowest-income households plus half the gain in workers' real hourly wages, plus any extra the government chooses). On top of that, French law triggers an automatic rise whenever inflation since the last revaluation tops 2%. That happened in 2026: after the January revaluation, prices crossed the threshold and the SMIC rose another 2.41% in mid-2026. Payroll teams in France plan for one change a year and should be ready for two.

Monthly, annual and net SMIC

The monthly figure assumes the 35-hour legal week: 12.31 x 35 x 52 / 12 = EUR 1,867.02 gross a month, and 12 months come to EUR 22,404.20 a year (about $25,211). Service-Public.fr gives indicative net figures of EUR 9.74 an hour and EUR 1,477.93 a month after employee contributions. Hours above 35 are paid on top, so a 39-hour contract at the SMIC pays more than EUR 1,867.02.

What an employer pays on top of the SMIC

At full rates French employer contributions are heavy: health 13%, family allowances 5.25%, old-age insurance 8.55% (capped) plus 2.11%, unemployment 4%, Agirc-Arrco supplementary pension 4.72% plus 1.29%, and smaller items. For eligible employers, health falls to 7% on pay up to 2.396 times the SMIC and family allowances to 3.45% up to 3.3 times the SMIC. On a EUR 35,546 salary, about 1.6 times the SMIC, those reduced rates give 31.79% in our data, before the work-accident rate, training levy, apprenticeship tax, transport levy and the employer share of the health plan. The general reduction in employer contributions (RGDU), which from January 1, 2026 covers pay up to 3 times the SMIC, then cuts the bill further.

The exact net rate at the SMIC depends on headcount, work-accident rate and the RGDU formula, which our data does not compute, so treat any single percentage you see for France at minimum wage with care. Leave and benefit rules are on the French maternity leave page and salary levels on the France average salary page.

Employing someone in France at or near the SMIC

Without a French entity, you can hire through an employer of record, which registers with URSSAF, applies the right collective agreement and handles both SMIC changes. EOR providers that publish prices charge $99 to $699 per employee monthly (October 2026 check). Deel lists $599, which is about 29% of the gross monthly SMIC in dollars. Our France employer of record guide covers notice and dismissal costs, the EOR rankings compare providers, and the employer cost index lines France up against Germany and Spain.