Minimum wage in Latvia 2026: EUR 780 a month

One rate for the whole country

Latvia keeps it simple: there is one national minimum, with no regional, sector or youth rates in the sources we read. It applies to full-time employees working normal working time in every sector. The minimum hourly rate, which matters for part-time and hourly staff, is calculated from the monthly figure and the year's normal working hours. We did not find the 2026 hourly figure on an official page and leave it out.

The rate is decided by Cabinet regulation, usually during the budget cycle for the following year. We did not read the regulation itself; the EUR 780 comes from Eurostat and is consistent with the VSAA's minimum contribution base for 2026.

Latvia minimum wage history

Five years of increases

The rate has moved quickly. It was EUR 500 in 2022, then 620, 700, 740 and, for 2026, EUR 780. The jump in 2023 alone was 24%. The increases slowed to EUR 40 a year in 2025 and 2026. Nothing for 2027 was on the pages we read on October 18, 2026, so confirm the new figure before you run January 2027 payroll.

Annual pay and the employer's 23.59%

Twelve months at EUR 780 is EUR 9,360 a year. On top of gross pay the employer owes state mandatory social insurance (VSAOI) of 23.59%, and the employee has 10.50% withheld, for a combined 34.09%:

• Employer contribution: EUR 780 x 23.59% = EUR 184.00 a month, EUR 2,208.02 a year.
• Total cost to you: EUR 964.00 monthly and EUR 11,568.02 for the year.

Contributions apply up to a maximum base of EUR 105,300 a year in 2026, with pay above it subject to the solidarity tax, which only matters for senior hires. A per-employee business risk state fee also applies; we have not confirmed its 2026 amount. Compare Latvia's 23.59% with other countries in the employer cost index, or run your own salary in the international cost calculator.

How the minimum compares with Latvian pay

The minimum is 42.98% of the 2025 average gross wage of EUR 1,815 and 53.35% of the median of EUR 1,462, according to the Central Statistical Bureau. The gap is regional: Latgale's average of EUR 1,302 is much closer to the floor than Riga and Pieriga's EUR 1,990. Details are on the average Latvian salary page.

Paying Latvian staff through an EOR

Without a Latvian entity, an employer of record registers with the State Revenue Service, withholds the employee's 10.50% and pays your 23.59%. Probation can run up to three months (six under a collective agreement). Expect a monthly fee in US dollars on top of the EUR 964.00 payroll cost, somewhere between Native Teams (its help center says EUR 99) at $99 and Oyster's $699 at prices we read on October 16, 2026 (how EOR prices compare). Remote's EOR starts at $599 a month; startups pay no deposit, its pricing page said on October 16, 2026.

With a EUR 780 salary the fee can rival the wage, so an EOR makes most sense for skilled roles. See our Latvia EOR guide, our EOR rankings, and the Baltic neighbors: Lithuania's minimum wage and Estonia's minimum wage.