France SMIC 2026 FAQ: €12.02/h, €1,823/Month, and More

The SMIC — Salaire Minimum Interprofessionnel de Croissance — is the French statutory minimum wage. Effective 1 January 2026, the rates are €12.02/hour gross and €1,823.03/month gross at 35h/week, fixed by Décret n°2025-1228 du 17 décembre 2025. This FAQ answers the fifteen questions employers and employees ask most about the 2026 SMIC and its interaction with conventions collectives, overtime, part-time work, and youth rates.

1. What is the SMIC for 2026?

Source: Décret n°2025-1228 du 17 décembre 2025 — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000053042520

2. Does the SMIC apply across all of France?

The SMIC applies to métropole + Guadeloupe + Guyane + Martinique + La Réunion + Saint-Barthélemy + Saint-Martin + Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon.

Mayotte has its own SMIC under Code du travail art. L.3231-12 — typically lower than the métropole SMIC, set by separate decree.

3. How is the SMIC revalued?

Two mechanisms (Code du travail art. L.3231-2 and L.3231-4 to L.3231-9):

• 1 January each year — automatic revaluation based on (i) inflation excluding tobacco for the lowest income decile, and (ii) half of the increase in purchasing power of the basic hourly wage of workers and employees.
• Ad-hoc — the government may decide additional increases mid-year if inflation exceeds 2%.

A “Coup de pouce” (additional discretionary increase above the formula) is rarely granted. The 2026 increase of +1.18% follows the formula without coup de pouce.

4. What if my convention collective sets a higher minimum?

The convention collective minimum prevails when more favourable. Under Code du travail art. L.2253-3 (principe de faveur), the convention de branche always prevails over the statutory floor when it offers more advantageous terms.

Example: Syntec (IDCC 1486) sets €1,950 gross monthly minimum for position III.1. You cannot pay €1,823 SMIC. URSSAF will redress.

Find your convention collective and its grilles at https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/conv_coll/

5. How do I compute the SMIC for a part-time worker?

Pro-rata. A 20-hour-per-week part-timer earns at least 20 × €12.02 × 52/12 = €1,041.73 gross/month.

Plus all complementary hours rules:

• Maximum 1/3 of contracted hours (or as set by convention);
• Premium of +10% (or as convention provides) — Code du travail art. L.3123-29.

6. What about the SMIC for forfait jours?

The forfait jours regime (Code du travail art. L.3121-58) does not formally apply the SMIC hour-by-hour because it is paid by day, not by hour.

However, case law requires that the daily forfait, when divided by an estimated daily hours, produce at least the SMIC hourly equivalent. A forfait of 218 days × 8h average = 1,744 hours; if the gross annual salary divided by 1,744 falls below €12.02/hour, the forfait is requalified.

Practical floor for 218 days forfait: ≈ €20,955 gross/year. Most cadres are paid well above this, but check.

7. What is the SMIC for apprenticeship contracts?

Apprenticeship has a separate progressive scale, expressed as a percentage of SMIC by age and year of contract:

Source: Code du travail art. D.6222-26 et seq.

8. What about contrats de professionnalisation?

The professionnalisation contract pays:

• Under 21: at least 55% SMIC (65% if Bac+);
• 21-25: at least 70% SMIC (80% if Bac+);
• 26+: at least SMIC OR 85% of conventional minimum (whichever higher).

Source: Code du travail art. D.6325-14 et seq.

9. How does overtime interact with SMIC?

Overtime is on top of SMIC (or convention minimum):

• First 8 hours above 35h/week: +25% premium (art. L.3121-36) → €15.03/hour for SMIC workers;
• Beyond 8 hours: +50% premium → €18.03/hour;
• Branch agreement may modify down to +10% minimum;
• Maximum daily 10h, weekly 48h (art. L.3121-18, L.3121-20).

10. What does “SMIC + 1%” mean in job offers?

This phrasing means the offer is at SMIC + a 1% premium = €12.14/hour gross in 2026.

Common in entry-level retail, hospitality, and call-centre jobs. Calculation must be checked: SMIC × 1.01 = €12.1402, not €12.14 (close but technically lower).

11. Does the SMIC include benefits-in-kind?

Yes, with limits. Under Code du travail art. R.3231-7, benefits-in-kind (housing, meals, transport beyond the public-transport minimum) count toward SMIC compliance up to defined ceilings.

But the hourly cash component must be at least €12.02. If the contract is cash-only at SMIC + meal vouchers, the cash component is the relevant figure.

12. What is the SMIC for stagiaires (interns)?

Stagiaires are not subject to SMIC. Stages of more than 2 months in the same calendar year require the gratification de stage, fixed at 15% of the plafond horaire de la sécurité sociale = €4.35/hour for 2026 (= around €600/month for 35h/week).

This is a gratification, not a salary; no URSSAF cotisations on this minimum amount.

13. What if the employer pays below SMIC?

Three consequences:

• Employee can claim back-pay for up to 3 years (Code du travail art. L.3245-1 — prescription triennale);
• URSSAF redressement on social contributions difference;
• Criminal penalty under art. R.3232-1 — €1,500 fine per worker, doubled for repeat offenders.

If under-payment is intentional, the employer may face wage-theft proceedings (Code pénal art. 314-3 — though this is rare in practice).

14. How is the net SMIC computed from the gross?

The net SMIC depends on the sector (because of accident-du-travail rate variation) and on the URSSAF region.

For 2026 at the standard private-sector rate:

Source: https://www.urssaf.fr — barème cotisations

15. Where do I find the official SMIC values?

Bonus — Common Errors

• Treating SMIC as net — SMIC is always gross (€12.02/hour). Net is roughly 80%.
• Pro-rata-ing 1,823.03 by 4 weeks — wrong. Use 151.67h/month (35h × 52/12) or compute per actual hours.
• Ignoring convention minimum — convention often higher; URSSAF redresses.
• Forgetting the apprenticeship/professionnalisation scales — these are not SMIC.
• Counting benefits-in-kind beyond ceilings — only up to the ceilings of art. R.3231-7.

Bonus — Trajectory

The SMIC has increased every year since 1970. Cumulative increase 2010-2026: roughly +33%. With inflation moderating in 2026, the +1.18% revalution is the smallest since 2014 — but the formula remains automatic.

Convention collective minima typically lag SMIC indexation; many branches see their lowest classification grade fall below SMIC mid-year, which automatically triggers SMIC payment for those workers.

The SMIC is the floor, the convention is the next layer, the contract is the last. Get all three right at hire, and review at each January 1.

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Sources

1. Décret n°2025-1228 (SMIC 2026) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000053042520
2. Code du travail — Livre II — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/section_lc/LEGITEXT000006072050/LEGISCTA000006145393/
3. C. trav. art. L.1221-19 (période d’essai) — https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000019071113
4. URSSAF — barème — https://www.urssaf.fr
5. Service-public — CDI overview — https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1906