What is the minimum wage?
€620.20 a month. From 1 January 2026 the minimum wage in Bulgaria is €620.20 a month (about BGN 1,213) for full-time work, and the minimum hourly rate is €3.74. That is a rise of roughly 12.6% on 2025 (BGN 1,077). Note: following euro adoption, all employment pay in Bulgaria is now set and paid in euro, with contracts in leva converted at the official fixed rate of 1.95583. The minimum wage is fixed by a mechanism — 50% of the average gross wage over a defined preceding period — so it rises automatically with average earnings. An employer may not pay below it, and on a breach owes the difference for the whole period going back.
📋 The rules
- Minimum wage 2026: €620.20 a month (≈BGN 1,213)
- Minimum hourly rate: €3.74
- Pay is now set and paid in euro
- Mechanism: 50% of the average gross wage
- The employer may not pay below the minimum
🔓 Exceptions
- On part-time work pay is proportional, but never below the minimum hourly rate
- The minimum insurable income for some occupations can be higher than the minimum wage
- Your contract may give more — the minimum is a floor, not a ceiling
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Paying below the minimum wage breaches employment law. The Labour Inspectorate can sanction the employer and require them to pay the difference for the whole period. The worker can also claim the sums due in court, with interest. Paying cash in hand below the minimum does not relieve the employer of liability — on the contrary, concealing social contributions is a separate breach and can bring criminal liability. Watch the minimum insurable income by occupation too: for some roles it is higher than the minimum wage, which means contributions are owed on a larger sum than you are actually paid.
📎 Official sources
❓ Frequently asked
What is the minimum wage in 2026?
€620.20 a month for full-time work (about BGN 1,213), and the minimum hourly rate is €3.74. That is a rise of roughly 12.6% on 2025, when it was BGN 1,077.
Are wages paid in euro now?
Yes. From 1 January 2026, following euro adoption, all employment pay in Bulgaria is set and paid in euro. Contracts denominated in leva are converted at the official fixed rate of 1.95583.
Can my employer pay less?
No. The minimum wage is a statutory floor. Paying below it is a breach, sanctioned by the Labour Inspectorate, and the employer owes the difference for the whole period going back.
How is the minimum wage set?
By a mechanism tying it to 50% of the average gross wage over a defined preceding period. That means it rises automatically with average earnings, rather than being negotiated politically each year.
What about part-time work?
Pay is proportional to the hours worked, but the hourly rate may not fall below the minimum of €3.74. Part-time working is no ground for a lower hourly rate.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “minimum wage bulgaria 2026”
- “bulgaria minimum wage euro”
- “minimum hourly rate bulgaria”
- “bulgaria salary in euro 2026”
- “bgn 1213 minimum wage”
- “minimum wage increase bulgaria”