2027 (confirmed)
€14.94
an hour, from 1 January
2026 (now)
€14.15
an hour
Full-time week
€582.66
39 hours, gross
Full-time month
€2,525
39 hours, gross
Confirmed by the government on Budget Day, 6 October 2026. Take-home figures are PayMetric Labs' own modeled estimates at the announced 2027 rates.
Work out your own take-home
Enter your annual pay to see income tax, USC and PRSI line by line, at 2026 or 2027 rates.
How the 2027 minimum wage is decided
Each summer, the Low Pay Commission recommends a new rate to the Minister for Enterprise. This year it proposed €14.94, a 5.6% rise (RTÉ). The government announces its decision on Budget Day, and the new rate starts on 1 January.
On Budget Day, 6 October 2026, the government set the 2027 rate at €14.94, accepting the recommendation in full. Business groups had asked it to hold back, pointing to labour costs in retail and hospitality (RTÉ).
Behind all this is the delayed living wage. The government has pushed the switch to a wage set at 60% of median hourly earnings back to 2029, saying the original timetable would have needed a jump of 8% to 9% in a single year (Irish Examiner). Annual rises of around this size are how it gets there.
Minimum wage 2027: what you take home
Single person on PAYE, PayMetric Labs' own modeled estimate. The 2026 column uses 2026 rates and the 2027 column uses the rates announced in Budget 2027.
| €14.15 (2026) | €14.94 (2027) | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39 hours, gross a year | €28,696 | €30,298 | +€1,602 |
| 39 hours, take-home a year | €25,347 | €26,734 | +€1,386 |
| 39 hours, take-home a week | €487.45 | €514.11 | +€26.66 |
| 20 hours, take-home a week | €280.81 | €296.29 | +€15.48 |
A full-time worker keeps about 87% of the rise. Income tax at 20%, USC and PRSI take the rest (the same marginal-rate maths as any pay rise). On 20 hours a week you keep almost all of it: pay stays under the income tax credits and the PRSI threshold, so only a small amount of USC applies.
If you're 23 to 60 and earn €20,000 or more across your jobs, My Future Fund auto-enrolment also takes 1.5% of gross, about €454 a year at the 2027 full-time rate. Your employer adds the same, so it is pay you keep, just not in your pocket.
Minimum wage 2027 by hours worked: week, month and year
Gross pay at €14.94 an hour from 1 January 2027, with take-home a month as PayMetric Labs' own modeled estimate at the announced 2027 rates (single person, one job). A month here is 52 weeks divided by 12, which is how most payroll software spreads a weekly wage.
| Hours a week | Gross a week | Gross a month | Gross a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | €224.10 | €971.10 | €11,653 | €971.10 |
| 20 | €298.80 | €1,294.80 | €15,538 | €1,283.92 |
| 25 | €373.50 | €1,618.50 | €19,422 | €1,566.61 |
| 30 | €448.20 | €1,942.20 | €23,306 | €1,798.88 |
| 35 | €522.90 | €2,265.90 | €27,191 | €2,037.17 |
| 39 | €582.66 | €2,524.86 | €30,298 | €2,227.79 |
| 40 | €597.60 | €2,589.60 | €31,075 | €2,274.80 |
Up to about 23 hours a week you pay no income tax and no PRSI on this rate: your tax credits cover the tax and weekly pay stays under the €352 PRSI exemption, so only a little USC comes off. That's why take-home barely drops below gross on short weeks. Two part-time jobs are different: your credits are usually split between employers, so check how Revenue has allocated them in myAccount. Contract cleaning has its own legally binding sector rate, set by an Employment Regulation Order, which can be higher.
Youth rates and what counts as pay
| Age | Share of adult rate | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 and over | 100% | €14.15 | €14.94 |
| 19 | 90% | €12.74 | €13.45 |
| 18 | 80% | €11.32 | €11.95 |
| Under 18 | 70% | €9.91 | €10.46 |
Basic pay, shift allowances, and board and lodging your employer provides (within set limits) all count toward the minimum. Tips, service charges, overtime premiums, Sunday premiums and expenses don't. To check a salaried job, divide your gross pay by the hours you actually worked (Citizens Information).
For employers: the PRSI threshold to watch
Employer PRSI has two rates, and the switch point is a weekly pay threshold, currently €552. At €14.15, a 39-hour week is €551.85, just under it, so full-time minimum-wage staff are on the lower rate. At €14.94, the same week is €582.66, over the current threshold.
Budget 2027 set the threshold at €600 a week for 2027. A 39-hour week at €14.94 is €582.66, which stays under it, so full-time minimum-wage staff remain on the lower employer rate.
Our employer cost calculator shows the full cost per role.
What to do before 1 January
- Workers: check your January payslip applies the new hourly rate to every hour worked from 1 January.
- Under-20s: your rate steps up at 18, 19 and 20. Check it changes on your payslip after each birthday.
- Employers: update rates in payroll for 1 January, and check the employer PRSI threshold that applies for 2027.
- Recruiters and agencies: quote 2027 hourly rates for temp roles starting in January, and reprice client margins that assume the old rate.
Minimum wage Ireland 2027: questions
What will the minimum wage be in Ireland in 2027?
€14.94 an hour from 1 January 2027, up 79c from €14.15. The government confirmed the rate on Budget Day, 6 October 2026. It accepted the Low Pay Commission's recommendation in full.
How much is €14.94 an hour per week and per year?
For a 39-hour week, €582.66 a week before tax, or €30,298 a year. After income tax, USC and PRSI at the announced 2027 rates that is about €514.11 a week (PayMetric Labs' own estimate, single person).
How much of the 79c rise will I actually keep?
On a full-time 39-hour week, the rise adds €1,602 a year gross and about €1,386 after tax at the announced 2027 rates, so you keep roughly 87%. Part-time workers keep more of each extra euro, because they pay little or no income tax or PRSI.
Why does my minimum wage payslip look wrong?
Check three things. Your age: under-20 rates are lower. Deductions for board or lodging provided by your employer, which can count toward the minimum within set limits. And whether you've been auto-enrolled in My Future Fund, which takes 1.5% of gross pay if you earn €20,000 or more and are aged 23 to 60. Tips, service charges and most premiums (overtime, Sunday, unsocial hours) do not count toward the minimum wage.
What are the youth minimum wage rates for 2027?
At the usual percentages, €10.46 under 18 (70%), €11.95 at 18 (80%) and €13.45 at 19 (90%). From 20, you get the full adult rate. The plan is to phase these youth rates out as the living wage comes in.
How much is the 2027 minimum wage a month?
€2,524.86 a month before tax for a 39-hour week (52 weeks divided by 12), or about €2,227.79 after income tax, USC and PRSI at the announced 2027 rates (PayMetric Labs' own estimate, single person). On 20 hours a week it is €1,294.80 gross a month.
Do contract cleaners get a higher minimum wage?
They can. Contract cleaning has its own Employment Regulation Order, a legally binding minimum rate for the sector, last revised in October 2025. It can sit above the national minimum but never below it, and it changes on its own dates rather than every 1 January. A few other sectors have similar orders. Check the order in force for your sector with the Workplace Relations Commission before assuming the national rate applies.
What happened to the living wage?
The government has pushed the move to a living wage, set at 60% of median hourly earnings, back to 2029. It said hitting the original 2026 target would have meant a single-year rise of around 8% to 9%. Until then, the minimum wage is set each year on the Low Pay Commission's recommendation.
Does the minimum wage apply to me if I'm paid a salary, not hourly?
Yes. Divide your gross pay for a period by the hours you worked in it. If the average comes out below the minimum hourly rate, you are being underpaid. You can raise it with your employer and then with the Workplace Relations Commission.
Methodology and limits
The recommended rate and timing come from the Low Pay Commission and RTÉ's report of its July 2026 recommendation. Current and youth rates are from Citizens Information, and the living wage timeline from the Irish Examiner. Pre-Budget reporting on the government's position is from the Irish Times (28 September 2026) and RTÉ (26 September 2026). The confirmed 2027 rate, USC band and employer PRSI threshold are from the Minister for Finance's Budget 2027 statement, checked on 6 October 2026.
Take-home figures use PayMetric Labs' 2026 Irish engine: single PAYE worker, 20% income tax with €4,000 of credits, 2026 USC bands and the blended 2026 PRSI rate. The 2027 column applies the band, credits and USC ceiling announced in Budget 2027 and the legislated 2027 PRSI rate. Figures don't include auto-enrolment or other credits. 2027 youth rates assume the current percentages carry over. This is general information, not tax or legal advice.