Is the minimum hourly rate fixed for the whole year?
It is not — and that surprises a great many people. From 1 January 2026 the minimum monthly wage for normal working time is €780 gross (previously €740). But Latvia does not fix a minimum hourly amount. It is calculated by dividing €780 by the normal working hours in that particular month — so a shorter month produces a higher hourly minimum than a longer one. Normal working time is generally no more than 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. A part-time employee is entitled to the minimum in proportion to the hours worked — the full €780 does not follow automatically. On piece rates, if the calculation for normal working time falls below the minimum, the employer must top it up.
📋 The rules
- From 2026: €780 gross a month
- It was previously €740
- The hourly rate is not fixed — it is calculated
- Divide €780 by that month's normal hours
- Part-time: in proportion to hours worked
🔓 Exceptions
- A generally binding sector agreement may set a higher sector minimum
- Adolescents may have shorter normal hours, but pay for them may not fall below the minimum
- For work with special risk, normal hours can be reduced to seven a day
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Failing to ensure the minimum wage is expensive. A natural-person employer faces €430–570, and a legal entity €850–7,100. And the fine does not erase the debt: the employer still owes the unpaid wage difference on top of the administrative penalty. The employee has time to claim. A wage claim generally expires after two years, but where the employer failed to provide the required written wage calculation, the period is three years. One more caution: government plans for 2027 mention €820, but that appears in a planning document, not in the binding regulation — until a new regulation is adopted it is a plan, not a guarantee.
📎 Official sources
❓ Frequently asked
What is the minimum wage in 2026?
Seven hundred and eighty euros gross a month for normal working time, from 1 January 2026. It was previously €740, which is why older articles still quote the wrong figure.
What is the minimum hourly rate?
Latvia does not fix one. It is calculated by dividing €780 by the normal working hours in the relevant month — so a shorter month yields a higher hourly minimum than a longer one.
Does part-time work earn the full €780?
No. A part-time employee is entitled to the minimum wage in proportion to the agreed and actually worked hours. The full monthly sum does not follow automatically from part-time employment.
What happens on piece rates?
If the calculation for normal working time comes out below the applicable minimum, the employer must supplement the wage up to that minimum. Piece rates are not a way around the minimum wage.
What penalty does an employer face?
A natural person faces €430–570 and a legal entity €850–7,100. The fine does not erase the debt — the unpaid wage difference must still be paid to the employee on top of it.
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