Minimum wage in France (SMIC): how to check you are paid enough
The SMIC is the legal minimum hourly wage in France. It is raised at least every 1 January, sometimes during the year.
Updated on 13 October 2026
How to check
Divide your base gross salary by the number of hours paid (151.67 for a full-time 35-hour week). Compare the result with the current gross hourly SMIC published on service-public.fr.
What counts
Base salary and bonuses directly linked to your work count. Overtime premiums, seniority bonuses, expense refunds and transport allowance do not.
Exceptions
Employees under 18 with less than 6 months of experience in the sector (-20% under 17, -10% from 17 to 18), apprentices and professionalisation contracts, paid a percentage of the SMIC.
Collective agreement minimum
Your collective agreement often sets a higher minimum for your job level. That minimum applies.
Check your French payslip in seconds
PaieVerif reads your French payslip (bulletin de paie), compares it with the official rates and shows you what to double-check. Free, no account, your payslip stays on your phone. The app is in French.
Read next
- Mistake on your French payslip? How to check it and get paid
- Gross to net salary in France: what you actually take home
Also answers: smic france, french minimum wage hourly, paid below minimum wage france.
This guide gives general information about French employment law. It is not legal advice: your collective agreement (convention collective) or contract may give you more. If in doubt, ask your payroll department, an employee representative, the labour inspectorate or a lawyer.