Minimum Wage in Argentina: The 2026 Employer Guide

The minimum wage in Argentina (Salario Mínimo Vital y Móvil, SMVM) is approximately ARS 322,000 per month as of January 2026 for full-time employees aged 18 and above, equivalent to roughly $245 USD at the MEP exchange rate. The SMVM is set by the Consejo Nacional del Empleo, la Productividad y el Salario Mínimo, Vital y Móvil and adjusted on a published schedule under Resolution 9/2025, with quarterly increases scheduled through 2026 to track inflation.

However, the SMVM is rarely the binding floor for skilled or professional roles. Most Argentine employees are covered by sector-specific Convenios Colectivos de Trabajo (CCTs) that set minimum wages substantially higher than the national SMVM. The CCT framework, the post-reform Ley 27.802 (Modernización Laboral) foreign currency authorization, and quarterly inflation indexation make the Argentine minimum wage system structurally different from most other Latin American markets.

This guide covers the current SMVM rate, the quarterly indexation schedule, sector-specific CCT minimums (Comercio, Construcción, Petroleros, Sanidad, SUTEP), employer contribution costs on top of the minimum wage, the post-reform foreign currency salary authorization, the mandatory aguinaldo, and what foreign employers need to know when budgeting against Argentine wage floors in 2026.

As of January 2026, Argentina’s national minimum wage is approximately ARS 322,000 per month gross for full-time employees aged 18 and above working a standard 48-hour week. The hourly equivalent is approximately ARS 1,610. The SMVM is set monthly rather than annually, with scheduled increases under Resolution 9/2025 reflecting the persistent inflation environment.

The SMVM applies to all employees aged 18 and above. Employees aged 16 to 18 receive the SMVM less a small statutory deduction, and apprentices may earn a percentage of the SMVM as set by the relevant CCT. Part-time employees receive the proportionate fraction based on hours worked relative to the 48-hour full-time standard.

Scheduled increases under Resolution 9/2025 are subject to revision by the Consejo Nacional del Empleo. USD equivalents at projected MEP rates.

The SMVM is set by the Consejo Nacional del Empleo, la Productividad y el Salario Mínimo, Vital y Móvil, a tripartite body composed of representatives from the federal government, the largest trade union confederations (CGT, CTA), and employer organisations. The Consejo meets at least quarterly to review the SMVM rate, with adjustments published through Ministry of Labour resolutions.

Resolution 9/2025 (issued late 2025) established the indexation schedule for 2026, with quarterly increases tied to projected CPI inflation. The Consejo can convene additional sessions outside the scheduled cycle if inflation accelerates, although this has been less common since the post-reform Ley 27.802 framework reduced the historic urgency of mid-quarter revisions.

The SMVM serves as the absolute floor for the formal labour market.

Sector-specific CCTs negotiate higher minimums on top of this floor, reflecting the economic reality that the SMVM is rarely competitive for skilled or professional roles. The national average salary in Argentina sits at approximately ARS 1,850,000 per month, around 5.7 times the SMVM, illustrating just how far above the wage floor most formal-sector employment actually pays. The relationship between SMVM and CCT minimums is one of the most distinctive features of the Argentine wage system compared with other Latin American markets.

Convenios Colectivos de Trabajo (CCTs) are sector-specific collective bargaining agreements that establish minimum wages, working time arrangements, end-of-year bonuses, and other terms for the employees they cover. There are approximately 600 active CCTs in Argentina, ranging from broad sectoral agreements (Comercio covers around 1.5 million workers) to narrow specialty agreements covering specific job categories within an industry.

The CCT minimum wage applies as the contractual floor for all employees in scope, regardless of whether their individual employment contract sets a higher or lower figure. A contract setting a wage below the applicable CCT minimum is not enforceable as drafted, and the CCT minimum applies by law. The figures below show 2026 minimum wages for entry-level (Categoría A or equivalent) positions in major CCTs.

Higher CCT classifications (skilled, supervisor, technical specialist) attract substantially higher minimums, often 2 to 4 times the entry-level Categoría A figure. Foreign employers should always verify the specific category classification with the applicable CCT before setting compensation, since misclassification is a common compliance failure.

Employer contributions on top of the minimum wage in Argentina total approximately 30 to 32 percent of gross salary, plus the mandatory aguinaldo equal to one full month annually, plus the new Fondo de Asistencia Laboral (FAL) contribution from June 2026. Total employer cost runs approximately 130 to 135 percent of the gross minimum wage.

For an SME employer (with the higher 2.5% FAL rate from June 2026), total monthly cost runs slightly higher at approximately ARS 424,000 to 440,000 on the same SMVM base. ART rates vary materially by sector. Construction, oil and gas, and mining can push the total cost above 140% of gross.

Ley 27.802 (March 2026) explicitly authorised salary payment in foreign currency for the first time in Argentine history. For minimum wage employees, this is operationally relevant in two ways: employers can denominate or pay the SMVM equivalent in US dollars subject to documented agreement, and the calculation of CCT minimum wage compliance must remain in ARS regardless of whether payment is made in foreign currency.

In practice, dollar-denominated payment is rare at the SMVM level since the operational complexity of FX conversion exceeds the value of insulating low-wage employees from peso volatility. Dollar-denominated salaries are common at senior professional and technology levels (typically $2,500+ USD per month), where the FX-loss exposure for employees on peso-paid dollar-equivalent compensation was historically a real problem.

For minimum wage budgeting purposes, foreign employers should treat the SMVM and CCT minimums as ARS-denominated requirements and convert to USD only for internal cost-tracking purposes. The ARS-equivalent of any dollar-paid wage must remain calculable for AFIP tax compliance and CCT-floor verification.

The Argentine standard full-time working week is 48 hours, distributed over 8 hours per day across 6 working days. Many CCTs reduce this to 40 or 44 hours per week as the contractual standard, while still allowing 8-hour daily shifts. The post-reform Ley 27.802 introduced a banco de horas (hours bank) mechanism allowing voluntary worker agreement to extra hours that can be balanced with reduced hours later, without overtime premium.

Overtime outside the banco de horas framework attracts statutory premiums: 150 percent of normal salary on weekdays and Saturday before 13:00, and 200 percent on Saturdays after 13:00, Sundays, and public holidays. The annual statutory overtime cap is generally 30 hours per month and 200 hours per year, although CCTs can adjust this. Night work (21:00 to 06:00) attracts additional premiums or shorter equivalent shifts under most CCTs.

For minimum wage employees, the SMVM hourly equivalent of approximately ARS 1,610 applies to standard hours; overtime hours attract the 150 or 200 percent premium calculated against the regular hourly rate. Banco de horas arrangements must be documented and require employee consent under the post-reform framework.

Argentine minimum wage compares meaningfully with neighbouring Latin American markets, although FX volatility produces wider spreads when measured in USD than in local currency. The comparison below uses MEP exchange rates as of January 2026.

Foreign employers hiring Argentine workers at or near the minimum wage face several distinctive compliance considerations. Misclassification under the wrong CCT is the most common compliance failure, since the wrong CCT means the wrong wage floor and the wrong benefits package, with retroactive correction costs that can significantly exceed any payroll savings from initial classification errors.

Monotributo contractor misclassification is the highest-stakes compliance risk for foreign employers. The Monotributo regime allows independent contractors to operate under simplified taxation, but Argentine labour courts routinely reclassify Monotributo contractors as employees when the relationship has employment characteristics (regular hours, exclusive client, supervised work, fixed compensation). Reclassification triggers retroactive social contributions, full severance liability, statutory damages, and AFIP back-payment claims at minimum wage compliance levels.

Quarterly indexation of the SMVM means that compensation budgets must be revised at least quarterly to track Resolution 9/2025 increases. Wages set at SMVM in January 2026 will be approximately 26 percent below SMVM by October 2026 if not adjusted, exposing the employer to backpay claims and AFIP penalties. The post-reform framework reduced some of the historic registration-fine multipliers but did not eliminate the underlying wage-floor compliance risk.