The Minimum Interprofessional Wage (SMI) is the most important salary reference in the Spanish labor market. Each year, the Government sets the minimum amount that workers must receive for their work, and no company can pay a lower salary when it comes to a full-time job, regardless of the sector or applicable collective agreement.
During 2026, the SMI has increased again and affects millions of workers, especially in sectors with lower wages such as hospitality, commerce, agriculture, cleaning, or caregiving. However, there are still many doubts about how much is actually earned per month, what the difference is between 12 and 14 payments, or whether the published amounts are gross or net.
How much is the Minimum Interprofessional Wage in 2026
The Government has set the Minimum Interprofessional Wage for 2026 at 1,221 euros gross per month distributed in 14 payments, which means an annual salary of 17,094 euros gross.
In those companies where extraordinary payments are prorated, the worker will receive 1,424.50 euros gross per month for twelve monthly payments, although the annual amount will remain exactly the same.
This salary constitutes the legal minimum that a worker hired full-time can receive throughout the year and applies regardless of the activity performed.
Is the SMI gross or net?
One of the most frequent questions is whether the announced amounts correspond to the salary that actually reaches the bank account.
The answer is no. The Minimum Interprofessional Wage is always expressed in gross amount, so contributions to Social Security must be deducted from that amount and, when applicable, the withholdings for the Personal Income Tax (IRPF).
For this reason, the net salary can vary from one worker to another, as it will depend on factors such as the type of contract, family situation, personal circumstances, or the applicable tax withholdings in each case.
What happens if working part-time
The SMI for 2026 is calculated for workers who provide services full-time.
When the contract is part-time, the company must pay the salary proportionally to the number of hours contracted. This means that a worker with half a day will be entitled, at a minimum, to 50% of the Minimum Interprofessional Wage, without prejudice to the collective agreement establishing more favorable conditions.
The same rule of proportionality applies when the contract does not cover the entire year or has a duration of less than twelve months.
The minimum wage of temporary and household workers
The regulations also set specific amounts for certain groups.
In the case of temporary and seasonal workers whose services for the same company do not exceed 120 days a year, the minimum wage rises to 57.82 euros gross per legal working day, an amount that already includes the proportional part corresponding to weekly rest and extraordinary payments.
For their part, household employees hired by the hour cannot receive less than 9.55 euros for each hour actually worked, an amount that also includes the proportional part of extraordinary payments and vacations.
Can a company pay less than the SMI?
The answer is no.
The Minimum Interprofessional Wage acts as a mandatory wage floor, so no company can set a remuneration lower when it comes to a full-time worker.
If a collective agreement established a lower amount, the SMI must be applied, as labor legislation prevents any agreement from reducing this legal minimum.
Consequently, workers who receive a salary lower than this can claim the corresponding wage difference.
How the SMI affects the payroll
The increase in the minimum wage forces companies to review the remuneration of those workers whose salaries fall below the new threshold.
However, the regulations maintain the principle of compensation and absorption, which means that certain salary supplements may be counted to reach the minimum wage when allowed by legislation and the interpretation of the courts.
For this reason, the increase in the SMI does not always imply that the approved increase is fully transferred to the base salary reflected in the payroll.
This is how the Minimum Interprofessional Wage has evolved
The Minimum Interprofessional Wage has experienced a continuous increase over the last few years, consolidating an upward trend that has progressively increased the minimum remuneration of millions of workers.
In 2023, the SMI was set at 1,080 euros per month, a figure that increased to 1,134 euros in 2024 and reached 1,184 euros in 2025. With the update approved for 2026, the amount rises to 1,221 euros gross per month in 14 payments, which represents an increase of 37 euros per month compared to the previous year.
This evolution reflects the revaluation policy applied during the last few years with the aim of improving the purchasing power of workers with lower incomes.
The SMI sets the minimum wage, but not the usual wage
Although the Minimum Interprofessional Wage constitutes an essential reference of the labor market, it does not mean that all workers must receive exactly that amount.
Many collective agreements set wages above the legal minimum, so the SMI only acts as a guarantee to prevent remuneration from falling below the threshold established by the Government.
Therefore, knowing the current amount is essential both to check if the payroll complies with the legislation and to claim possible wage differences when the company has not correctly updated the remuneration.