What is the minimum wage in Argentina?

Last verified: 27 Oct 2026 · Status: Changing

Short answer. The national minimum wage (SMVM) is ARS 391,200 a month for a full time monthly paid worker in October 2026, or ARS 1,956 an hour for hourly paid workers. It rises to ARS 398,800 (ARS 1,994 an hour) on 1 November 2026 and keeps rising monthly to April 2027. Most employers must pay more: their collective agreement scale.

As of 26 Oct 2026. Rules in force at that date.

Key rules

What it is. The salario mínimo vital y móvil (SMVM) is the lowest cash pay a worker without dependants must receive for a legal full working day (Labor Contract Law 20.744, art. 116). It can be set as a monthly, daily or hourly amount, and family allowances are paid on top (art. 118). No pay below it is allowed, except reductions for apprentices and for reduced working hours (art. 119).
Who sets it. The tripartite National Council for Employment, Productivity and the SMVM fixes it periodically (Law 24.013, arts. 135 and 139). Decisions need a two thirds majority; if none is reached after two sessions, the Council's president decides alone (art. 137). Any sector may ask for a change (art. 138). It covers Labor Contract Law employees, agricultural workers and the national public administration (art. 140); art. 141 was repealed by Law 26.598. A new SMVM applies from the first day of the month after publication, or exceptionally from the day after (art. 142).
Current figures. No agreement was reached at the 28 August 2026 meeting, so the alternate president fixed the schedule alone (Council Resolution 4/2026, dated 1 September 2026, BO 2 September 2026, art. 1):

From	Monthly, full time (ARS)	Hourly (ARS)	Monthly US$
1 Sep 2026	383,800	1,919	245.41
1 Oct 2026	391,200	1,956	250.14
1 Nov 2026	398,800	1,994	255.00
1 Dec 2026	406,400	2,032	259.86

Later steps: ARS 414,200 (Jan 2027), 422,000 (Feb), 429,600 (Mar) and 437,000 (Apr 2027), with hourly rates of ARS 2,071 to 2,185. US$ at the dólar MEP of ARS 1,563.90 on 23 Oct 2026 (unconfirmed). Res. 4/2026 was the latest SMVM resolution in an Infoleg search on 26 Oct 2026 (unconfirmed).

Part time. Part time (LCT art. 92 ter) and reduced hours (art. 198) workers get the SMVM "in due proportion" (Res. 4/2026, art. 1). Each hourly figure equals the monthly figure divided by 200 (our arithmetic, not stated in the resolution).
What it is used for. Unemployment benefit: 75% of the best monthly net pay of the last 6 months, never below 50% or above 100% of the SMVM (Res. 4/2026, art. 2). Garnishment: monthly pay is protected up to one SMVM (LCT art. 120; Decree 484/1987, art. 1). Labor fines: 25% to 2,000% of the SMVM in force when the breach is found (Law 25.212, Annex II, art. 5).
Why the CCT usually binds. Where an industry collective agreement (CCT) covers the job, its category wage is binding and, as the example shows, can sit far above the SMVM. The SMVM is the floor; the CCT wage is the real minimum. See the parent page.

What changes the answer

The month. The SMVM steps up on the 1st of every month to April 2027 (Res. 4/2026, art. 1).
Hours worked. Part time and reduced hours workers get a proportional SMVM (art. 1).
Regime. Domestic workers (Law 26.844) have their own pay scales, not covered here (unconfirmed).
CCT coverage. A worker whose job falls outside every CCT is protected only by the SMVM and the individual contract.

Worked examples

A shop hires a full time maintenance worker under Commerce CCT 130/75, category Maestranza A, no seniority, in October 2026. Its basic wage, the lowest in the July 2026 table, is ARS 1,233,585 (DNRYRT Disposition 550/2026, annexed scales "Julio de 2026 a Marzo de 2031") (unconfirmed). US$ at the dólar MEP of ARS 1,563.90 (23 Oct 2026, from some secondary summaries) (unconfirmed); see /data/mep/.

Step or item	Time	Cost ARS	Cost USD
1. SMVM, full time monthly	October 2026	391,200	250.14
2. SMVM, hourly	October 2026	1,956	1.25
3. Commerce Maestranza A basic	From July 2026	1,233,585	788.79
4. Gap: CCT basic minus SMVM	Monthly	842,385	538.64
5. SMVM for a half time worker	October 2026	195,600	125.07
6. Pay protected from ordinary creditors	Monthly	391,200	250.14

The legal floor is ARS 391,200 (Res. 4/2026, art. 1(b)).
The CCT requires ARS 1,233,585, 3.15 times the SMVM. Paying the SMVM would breach the CCT by ARS 842,385 a month.
Presentismo (CCT art. 40) and 1% per year of seniority (CCT art. 24) are added on top; the presentismo rate is not in the sources (unconfirmed).
Garnishment: the salary exceeds twice the SMVM (ARS 782,400), so up to 20% may be garnished (Decree 484/1987, art. 1(2)). The text does not say 20% of what. Read as 20% of gross pay, that is ARS 246,717 (US$ 157.76); read as 20% of the excess over one SMVM, ARS 168,477 (US$ 107.73) (unconfirmed). Child support claims are not capped (art. 4).

Cost to do it: no fee, no capital, no waiting time. Budget on the CCT: ARS 1,233,585 a month basic (US$ 788.79) before presentismo, seniority and employer contributions. See /guide/taxes/payroll/.

Practical traps

Budgeting on the SMVM. If a CCT covers the job, the CCT scale is the minimum. Underpaying invites wage claims and fines.
Using the wrong month. Fines under Law 25.212 use the SMVM in force when the breach is found (Annex II, art. 5), so the amount rises each month.
Counting family allowances. The SMVM excludes family allowances (Res. 4/2026, art. 1; LCT art. 118); they cannot be used to reach the floor.

FAQ

Is the SMVM gross or net? The rules do not say expressly. Decree 484/1987 art. 2 uses gross cash pay for garnishment; treat the SMVM as gross, before employee withholdings (unconfirmed).

Does the SMVM apply to foreign employees? Yes. It applies to all workers under the Labor Contract Law (Law 24.013, art. 140), whatever their nationality.

How often does it change? Whenever the Council meets; Res. 4/2026 set eight monthly steps from September 2026 to April 2027.

How much is the unemployment benefit? 75% of the best monthly net pay of the last 6 months, kept between 50% and 100% of the SMVM (Res. 4/2026, art. 2): ARS 195,600 to 391,200 in October 2026.

Can a CCT set a wage below the SMVM? No. No pay may be lower than the SMVM (LCT art. 119; Law 24.013, art. 140).

Published 27 Oct 2026 from our research draft. Points marked (unconfirmed) have not yet been checked against the official text; rely on the primary sources linked below.