Raise of French Minimum Salary by 2.22% as of 1 May 2023: new hourly rate set to € 11,52
The raise of the French SMIC, ‘salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance’, is based on the increase of the consumer price index. It is the second raise in 2023 and the fourth re-evaluation within a 12-months period. The last raises of the SMIC occurred in May 2022, August 2022 and January 2023.
New SMIC as of 1 May 2023
For a working time of 35 hours per week, the new minimum salary per month is € 1747,20.
| As of 1st May 2023 | Hours per month (35 hrs/week) | Hourly rate | Monthly gross salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum salary | 151,67 | € 11,52 | € 1747,20 |
Historic of French minimum salary SMIC 2021 to 2023
Since 1 January 2021, the hourly French minimum salary increased by 12,39 % from € 10,25 to € 11,52.
| Effective date | Minimum hourly gross salary | Minimum monthly gross salary for a full-time position |
|---|---|---|
| 01/05/2023 | € 11,52 | € 1747,20 |
| 01/01/2023 | € 11,27 | € 1709,28 |
| 01/08/2022 | € 11,07 | € 1678,95 |
| 01/05/2022 | € 10,85 | € 1645,58 |
| 01/01/2022 | € 10,57 | € 1603,12 |
| 01/10/2021 | € 10,48 | € 1589,47 |
| 01/01/2021 | € 10,25 | € 1554,58 |
Verification of the French minimum salary
To verify whether an employee is paid the minimum salary Smic, all elements corresponding to the actual work must be considered.
This includes for instance:
– fix salary;
– commissions;
– benefits in kind;
– A bonus based on objectives.
This excludes for instance:
– bonuses that do not directly remunerate the work carried out by the employee but other elements (e.g. seniority bonus to reward the employee’s loyalty)
– surcharges intended to compensate for the deprivation of rest time (surcharge for overtime hours, for night work, work on sunday or public holidays)
Sanctions in case of non-respect
An employer who does not respect the minimum salary risks a fine corresponding to a 5th class offense: 1500 € – applying as many times as there are employees concerned.
Compliance with the minimum wage is assessed on a monthly basis. A regularisation after the infringement will not abolish it. In addition to a salary back payment, the employee can claim damages.