Bulgaria minimum wage 2026: monthly and hourly rate

Working life · Last reviewed: 2026-08-23

The rates in force in 2026

Bulgaria publishes the minimum wage as two separate rates — monthly and hourly. The monthly rate applies to standard full-time work; the hourly rate is the yardstick for part-time work, shift patterns and any job where pay is calculated by the hour. A part-time employee is not entitled to the full monthly figure but to the proportional share of it.

What gross means for your bank account

The published 620.20 euro is a gross amount — the figure written into the contract before deductions. The employee's social security and health insurance contributions come off first, then income tax; what remains is the net pay. The employer pays its own share on top of the gross, so the true cost of the job is higher than the gross wage.

This is why clarifying whether a quoted number is gross or net matters more than the number itself. In Bulgaria the wage written into an employment contract is always the gross amount; the net figure appears on the payslip. A verbal promise of a net sum against a contract stating a gross sum is a classic source of later disputes.

Who is covered

• •Everyone on an employment contract, regardless of nationality.
• •Part-time staff, proportionally — the hourly rate is the measure.
• •Probation periods too — probation is not a reason to pay less.
• •Agreements below the floor do not bind the employee — the statutory rate still applies.

Relationships outside an employment contract follow different rules. A self-employed person invoicing for services, a contractor under a civil-law contract, or an owner billing through their own company is not measured against the minimum wage. The type of contract determines not only pay but also leave, notice periods and social security rights.

How the rate is set each year

1. 1

   Consultation with the social partners

   The rate is discussed in the tripartite cooperation framework that brings together the government, trade unions and employer organisations. The process continues even without agreement at the table.
2. 2

   Decree of the Council of Ministers

   The final decision rests with the Council of Ministers. The 2026 rate was adopted by Decree No. 243 of 13 November 2025.
3. 3

   Entry into force on 1 January

   Mid-year changes are the exception and are announced separately when they happen.
4. 4

   Effect on payrolls

   When the floor rises, every contract below it moves up automatically. Checking that the payslip reflects this is in the employee's interest.

Other thresholds tied to the minimum wage

The figure matters well beyond low-paid jobs. The minimum insurable income used for social security contributions is linked to it, and so is the sufficient-means test in residence applications: an applicant must show they can support themselves without drawing on the social assistance system, and that threshold cannot fall below the minimum monthly wage.

Relation to the average wage

The minimum wage is a floor, not a typical salary. The national average gross monthly wage is considerably higher and varies sharply between districts. When judging an offer, compare it with the average for your sector and district rather than with the minimum. The national statistical office publishes the ratio of the minimum to the average gross wage as a separate indicator, which is a useful anchor for anyone tracking how the country's pay structure changes over time.

Where Bulgaria sits within the EU

Bulgaria is one of the EU member states with a statutory minimum wage set by government. The EU statistical office publishes comparative tables of national minimum wages, and that is the only sound basis for country-to-country comparison. Two traps are worth avoiding: nominal amounts say nothing about purchasing power, since rents and food prices differ widely; and several member states have no statutory minimum at all, setting floors through collective agreements instead, so they do not appear in those tables.

What this page deliberately does not state

• •A net equivalent — it depends on the insurable income base, tax reliefs and contract type.
• •Next year's rate — any figure circulating before the decree is a forecast.
• •Sector minimum rates — collective agreements may set higher floors in some industries; ask the employer or the union.

Frequently asked questions

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