Minimum wage in Brazil
Brazil's minimum wage is R$ 1.621,00 a month since January 2026. Nobody with carteira assinada (formal employment, registered in the work card) can earn less than that for a full month of work.
It applies across the whole country and to everyone, Brazilian or foreign. The government changes it every year, almost always in January.
On the minimum wage, INSS (Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social, Brazil's social security) takes R$ 121,58 and R$ 1.499,42 reaches your account. That amount pays no income tax.
How much is the minimum wage per day and per hour?
Per day it is R$ 54,03, the monthly amount divided by 30. Per hour it is R$ 7,37, for the full workweek of 44 hours, which the law counts as 220 hours a month.
If your contract has fewer hours, you can get less than the monthly minimum. But your hour can never be worth less than R$ 7,37.
Can my state or my trade pay more?
Yes. Some states have a higher regional floor, such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.
Many trades also have their own floor in the union's collective agreement. Ask the union of your trade what the floor is and compare it with your contracheque, the monthly pay slip.
Which payments follow the minimum wage?
Many government payments use the minimum wage as a floor. No seguro-desemprego (unemployment insurance) installment is below R$ 1.621,00. Neither is an INSS retirement pension or sick pay.
On the minimum wage, the employer also deposits R$ 129,68 a month into your FGTS (Fundo de Garantia do Tempo de Serviço, a severance savings fund), on top of the salary. That money stays in a Caixa (federal savings bank) account in your name.
Do people paid by commission also get the minimum?
Yes. People paid by commission or by output are guaranteed the minimum wage in a slow month. If sales do not reach R$ 1.621,00, the employer makes up the difference.
The guarantee comes from art. 7º of Brazil's Constitution, which lists the rights of workers.
What the employer can and cannot do
The employer can
- Pay more than the minimum wage, by agreement with you or by the collective agreement of your trade.
- Pay a prorated amount if your contract has fewer hours than the full workweek.
- Deduct INSS and unexcused absences from the salary.
The employer cannot
- Pay less than R$ 1.621,00 for a full month of full-time work.
- Pay less than the minimum to someone on commission, in a month with few sales.
- Keep paying the old amount after the new minimum wage comes into force.