Czech minimum wage 2026 and the employee card contract

Throughout 2026 the Czech minimum wage is CZK 22,400 a month or CZK 134.40 an hour for a 40 hour week. The employment contract filed with an employee card application must, under § 42g(2)(b) of Act No. 326/1999 Sb., state monthly pay of at least that amount.

What changed and who is affected

The 2026 amount was announced by MPSV in Communication No. 356/2025 Sb. under § 111 of the Labour Code, Act No. 262/2006 Sb. Since 1 January 2025 the minimum wage is no longer set by a one off regulation but by a valorisation mechanism introduced by Act No. 230/2024 Sb.: a government coefficient multiplied by a forecast average wage.

The change affects every employer filing or renewing an employee card application. A contract drafted on the previous year's amounts and lodged in January 2026 with monthly pay below CZK 22,400 fails the § 42g(2)(b) condition. If pay falls below the minimum after hiring, the employer owes a monthly top up and faces labour inspection exposure.

How MPSV calculated the amount

The calculation has four inputs, all of them publicly available.

MPSV targets a minimum to average wage ratio of about 43.4 percent in 2026, rising stepwise to 47 percent by 2029. Details are published on the MPSV minimum wage page.

Employee card contract checklist

Before filing, we recommend checking the following points in the contract:

1. Monthly pay is stated as a specific amount of at least CZK 22,400 for a 40 hour week.
2. For shorter hours the minimum is prorated: at an employer with a 40 hour week, a 20 hour week carries a minimum of CZK 11,200 a month.
3. Weekly working time is at least 15 hours in each employment relationship of the card holder, as § 42g(2)(b) requires.
4. Pay is not tied to performance in a way that could take it below the minimum. If that happens, the employer pays the difference regardless of the employee's performance.

The consolidated residence act is available in the collection of laws. Government programme quotas build on the wage condition, as set out in the piece on the Qualified Employee programme and its 2026 quotas.

Inspection and penalty exposure after hiring

Minimum wage compliance is checked by the State Labour Inspection Office (SÚIP) and the regional labour inspectorates under Act No. 251/2005 Sb., on labour inspection. For employers of foreign nationals this means two checks: the authority reviews the contract pay when the application is filed, and the inspectorate verifies the pay actually paid.

The monthly top up to the minimum wage is mandatory. It is not a voluntary payment and cannot be offset against weaker performance. Payroll should therefore run a monthly check for every employee card holder that pay for the hours worked reaches the minimum.

Outlook for 2027

During 2026 the government sets the coefficients for 2027 and 2028, and MPSV then announces the 2027 minimum wage by communication. Contracts signed late in 2026 for a start in 2027 are best drafted so that they need no rework once the new amount is announced. Consulate capacity for filing applications is covered in the piece on consulate quotas for the employee card. Current vacancies are listed on the Werklist job board.