Minimum wage in Germany

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Minimum wage in Germany is €13.90 per hour, pre-tax since 1 January 2026. The legislation (German: Gesetz zur Regelung eines allgemeinen Mindestlohns) was introduced on 1 January 2015, by Angela Merkel's third government, a coalition between the SPD and the CDU. The implementation of a minimum wage was the SPD's main request during the coalition's negotiations as its central electoral promise during the 2013 federal election campaign. Previously, Germany had minimum wages only in specific sectors, negotiated by trade unions, and some were below the minimum wage level introduced in 2015. The initial minimum wage was €8.50 per hour, pre-tax. Since then, Germany's Minimum Wage Commission (Mindestlohnkommission) regularly proposes adjustments to the minimum wage level. It was last increased to 12 euros per hour pre-tax in October 2022. Due to inflation, in December 2022 this wage was worth as much as €9.80 were worth in January 2015. A €12 wage implies a gross nominal monthly salary of €2,080...

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