Minimum wage in Spain 2026: SMI of EUR 1,221 a month

One rate for all of Spain, paid 14 times

The SMI is the same in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville or the Canary Islands, and it applies to every sector. It is stated as a monthly amount paid 14 times a year: 12 ordinary months plus two extra payments (pagas extraordinarias). It is a floor, so a collective agreement or contract can pay more but never less.

Spread over 12 payments, the same floor is EUR 17,094 / 12 = EUR 1,424.50 a month. The figure the decree fixes either way is EUR 17,094 a year for full-time work.

Other minimum wage rates in Spain

Spain minimum wage history

Daily, hourly and special SMI rates

The decree also fixes a daily SMI of EUR 40.70. Temporary and seasonal workers on contracts of up to 120 days get at least EUR 57.82 per legal working day, which already includes their share of extra payments and holiday pay. Domestic workers paid by the hour (empleados de hogar) get at least EUR 9.55 an hour. The decree sets no general hourly SMI for other workers.

Late decrees and backdated raises

Spain often sets the SMI after the year has started. The 2026 decree was published on February 19, 2026 and came into force the next day, but its effect runs from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026. Employers who kept paying the old rate in January and February had to pay the difference. The 2026 rate is 3.1% above 2025, and the 2027 SMI had not been set as of October 2026, so plan for a decree early next year and possible back pay again.

Social security on an SMI salary

The employer pays 23.60% common contingencies, 5.50% unemployment on an open-ended contract (6.70% on fixed-term), 0.20% FOGASA, 0.60% vocational training, 0.75% intergenerational equity (MEI) and a work-accident premium (AT/EP) set by activity. Our data assumes 1.50% for office work, a rate the Seguridad Social page we read does not show; with it the total is 32.15%. Contribution bases include the prorated extra payments, so the monthly base at the SMI is EUR 1,424.50, just above the EUR 1,424.40 minimum base for groups 4 to 7.

On EUR 17,094 a year: 17,094 x 32.15% = EUR 5,495.72 (about $6,184), so the employer's total before any service fee is EUR 22,589.72. Leave rules, including the 19 weeks of birth leave per parent, are on the Spanish maternity leave page, and typical pay on the Spain average salary page.

Hiring at the SMI through an employer of record

A US company without a Spanish entity can employ through an EOR, which registers with Seguridad Social, applies the right collective agreement and handles the backdated SMI changes. The pricing pages we read in October 2026 put EOR fees between $99 and $699 per worker each month. Deel lists $599. At the SMI, $599 is about 37% of the 12-payment monthly gross of about $1,603, so compare providers in our EOR rankings, read the Spain employer of record guide for probation and dismissal rules, and run the numbers in the international cost calculator. The employer cost index shows how Spain compares with Portugal and France.