Germany raised its statutory minimum wage (the gesetzlicher Mindestlohn) to €13.90 an hour on 1 January 2026, up from €12.82 in 2025. It is one of the larger single increases since the minimum wage was introduced in 2015, and a further rise to €14.60 an hour is already set for 1 January 2027. Around 6.6 million workers were on or near the old floor, so the change reaches a wide slice of the lower-paid workforce. Here is what the new rate means in practice, who it covers, and how to check whether your own pay measures up.
What the new rate is worth
The minimum wage is a gross hourly figure, before tax and social contributions. To turn it into a monthly amount, multiply by your weekly hours and by 13/3, the standard way of averaging 4.33 weeks into a month. At 40 hours a week that is about 173 hours a month, so €13.90 works out to roughly €2,409 a month gross. At 35 hours a week it is closer to €2,108. Those are gross figures: income tax, the solidarity surcharge where it applies, and social contributions for health, care, pension and unemployment insurance all come off before the money reaches your account.
You can see what the new rate leaves you after deductions with the Germany salary calculator, and check your hourly pay directly against the floor with the minimum wage calculator.
Monthly gross by weekly hours
The table below turns the hourly floor into a monthly gross figure for common working patterns, using the same 13/3 factor (weekly hours times 4.33 to average the month). It shows the 2025 rate you were on, the 2026 rate now in force, and the 2027 step already set, so you can see the staged rise in cash terms. All figures are gross, before tax and social contributions.
| Weekly hours | 2025 (€12.82) | 2026 (€13.90) | 2027 (€14.60) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 hours | €1,111 | €1,205 | €1,265 |
| 30 hours | €1,667 | €1,807 | €1,898 |
| 35 hours | €1,944 | €2,108 | €2,214 |
| 40 hours | €2,222 | €2,409 | €2,531 |
For a full-time 40 hour week, the 2026 rate adds about €187 a month gross over 2025, and the 2027 step will add roughly €122 more on top. Part-time workers see the same percentage lift on a smaller base: a 20 hour week gains about €94 a month in 2026.
The staged path to 2027
The independent Minimum Wage Commission (Mindestlohnkommission), made up of employer and union representatives, recommended a two-step rise in mid-2025, and the government adopted it. The path is €12.82 in 2025, then €13.90 from January 2026, then €14.60 from January 2027. Setting both steps at once gives employers time to plan and gives workers a clear view of where pay is heading. The commission reviews the figure on a regular cycle, so a fresh recommendation will follow for the years after 2027.
The mini-job ceiling rises with it
Germany’s minimum wage is tied to the mini-job threshold, the monthly earnings limit below which a job is largely free of the employee’s social contributions. The limit is not a fixed number; it tracks the minimum wage on a formula of ten hours a week. As the wage rose to €13.90, the mini-job ceiling rose from €556 a month in 2025 to €603 a month in 2026. That keeps the deal intact: a mini-jobber can still work about ten hours a week at the legal minimum without crossing the line. If you work a mini-job, it is worth confirming your hours still fit under €603 a month at the new rate.
Who is and is not covered
Most employees are entitled to at least the minimum wage. The main exceptions written into the Minimum Wage Act are people under 18 without a completed vocational qualification, trainees on a recognised apprenticeship (who are paid a separate training allowance), the long-term unemployed during their first six months back in work, and certain compulsory or short voluntary internships that form part of a course of study. Self-employed contractors are not covered either, since the minimum wage applies to employment, not to invoices.
How to check your own pay
Start with your gross hourly rate. If you are paid a monthly salary, divide it by your average monthly hours to get the hourly figure, then compare it against €13.90. The minimum wage calculator does this and shows the gap per hour, per week and per year. Watch for things that quietly pull effective pay below the floor: unpaid overtime, deductions for equipment, or hours worked beyond those on your contract. If you do paid overtime, the overtime pay calculator shows what the extra hours are worth on top.
It is also worth asking whether a rise to the minimum keeps pace with prices. German inflation cooled from its 2022 and 2023 peaks but has still eaten into real wages over recent years. The salary inflation calculator compares two salaries in real terms, so you can see whether this year’s higher floor is a genuine gain or just keeping up with the cost of living.
FAQ
What is the minimum wage in Germany in 2026? €13.90 an hour gross, in force from 1 January 2026. It rises again to €14.60 an hour on 1 January 2027.
Is the minimum wage before or after tax? Before. It is a gross hourly rate, so income tax and social contributions for health, care, pension and unemployment insurance come off before you are paid.
How much is the minimum wage per month? At 40 hours a week, about €2,409 a month gross, using the standard 13/3 monthly hours factor. Fewer weekly hours give a lower monthly figure.
What is the mini-job limit in 2026? €603 a month, up from €556 in 2025. The limit is linked to the minimum wage, so it rose when the hourly rate did.
Who does not get the minimum wage? The main exceptions are under-18s without a vocational qualification, apprentices, the long-term unemployed in their first six months back at work, and certain mandatory or short internships. The self-employed are not covered.
Sources: Mindestlohnkommission (Minimum Wage Commission), Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs: minimum wage. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.