Minimum wage Benin 2026: SMIG amount and rules

Minimum wage Benin: the SMIG (salaire minimum interprofessionnel garanti, the national guaranteed minimum wage) is 52,000 FCFA gross per month, in force since 1 January 2023 under decree no. 2022-692 of 7 December 2022. It replaced the 40,000 FCFA minimum set in 2014, a 30% increase. As of late October 2026 we found no later decree, so this amount remains the reference for 2026 payroll. This guide explains how to apply it per hour, to part-time staff and on the payslip, and what the employee takes home.

Minimum wage Benin in 2026: the figures

The decree only sets a monthly amount. The hourly and daily figures above are calculations, useful to check part-time and day workers; they have no regulatory force of their own.

What decree no. 2022-692 says

The text is short and has four articles:

• Article 1: the SMIG rises from 40,000 FCFA to 52,000 FCFA, a 30% increase, from 1 January 2023.
• Article 2: any breach exposes the employer to a fine under article 309 of the Labour Code (law no. 98-004 of 27 January 1998).
• Article 3: the ministers of Labour, Finance and Justice are responsible for applying it.
• Article 4: it repeals decree no. 2014-292 of 24 April 2014 and any earlier conflicting provisions.

The decree was adopted by the Council of Ministers on 7 December 2022, on the proposal of the Minister of Labour and Civil Service. It sets no separate agricultural rate, no hourly rate and no list of pay items that count: for those points you need the Labour Code.

Minimum wage Benin per hour

The legal working week is 40 hours in non-agricultural establishments (article 142 of the Labour Code). Over 52 weeks that is 2,080 hours a year, or 173.33 hours a month. Hence the hourly equivalent: 52,000 ÷ 173.33 = 300 FCFA gross.

In agricultural establishments, legal working time is 2,400 hours a year (article 143), an average of 200 hours a month. As the decree sets no separate agricultural minimum, the floor remains 52,000 FCFA for a full month; spread over 200 hours, that is 260 FCFA an hour. This is indicative only: the seasonal distribution of hours is set by implementing decrees.

Part-time staff, day workers and piece work

The SMIG covers a full-time month. For a part-time employee, the safe method is to compare the hourly rate with the 300 FCFA equivalent, rather than the monthly pay with 52,000 FCFA. An 8-hour day for a day worker should not be paid less than 2,400 FCFA gross.

Piece or task work must give a worker of average ability a wage at least equal to that of a time-paid employee doing similar work (article 212). Minimum wage rates must be displayed in the employer’s offices and where wages are paid (article 213).

Minimum wage Benin and the Labour Code

Article 210 of the Labour Code sets the rule: no wage may be lower than the SMIG, which is fixed by decree in the Council of Ministers on the report of the Labour minister, after the opinion of the National Labour Council. It adds that the SMIG may be reviewed every three years or when needed. That is an option, not a duty: three years after 1 January 2023, no new decree has been published to our knowledge.

Article 309 fines an employer who breaches article 210 between 14,000 and 70,000 FCFA, applied as many times as there are breaches found: ten underpaid employees means ten offences. On top of that comes back pay, which the employee can claim in court.

What counts towards the minimum

The decree does not say which pay items count when comparing with the SMIG. Article 207 of the Code defines wages as base pay and all other benefits paid in cash or in kind because of the job. In practice, the cautious reading is: base salary and fixed monthly allowances can count; expense reimbursements, overtime and discretionary bonuses should not be used to reach the minimum. If in doubt, have your method validated by the labour inspectorate or your adviser.

SMIG and collective agreement minimums

The SMIG is a national floor. Collective agreements set minimum wages by job category, at least equal to the SMIG and often higher. An employee whose category minimum exceeds 52,000 FCFA must receive that agreed minimum, even if already paid above the SMIG.

From gross to net: a minimum wage Benin example

Take, as an illustration, a cleaner in Cotonou paid exactly 52,000 FCFA gross, with no benefits in kind, in a month without the ORTB levy.

The SMIG sits below the first band of the ITS (impôt sur les traitements et salaires, the payroll income tax) scale, taxed at 0% up to 60,000 FCFA a month (article 125 of the General Tax Code): no tax is withheld. In March, the 1,000 FCFA ORTB levy (for the national broadcaster) brings net pay to 49,128 FCFA; the 3,000 FCFA levy taken in June is not due, as income does not exceed the first band. The CNSS (Caisse nationale de sécurité sociale, the social security fund) contribution applies to the whole gross salary, with no ceiling (rates in force since 1 January 2024 and applied in 2026).

For the employer, the same salary costs 10,608 FCFA more: pension 6.4% (3,328), family benefits 9% (4,680), occupational risks at the lowest rate of 1% (520) and the employer payroll tax VPS (versement patronal sur salaires) of 4% (2,080). Total cost: 62,608 FCFA a month. Rates are detailed in our guide to CNSS contributions in Benin, and the full method for other pay levels in net salary calculation in Benin.

Paying the minimum wage Benin: form and deadlines

Paying the right amount is not enough: the Labour Code also governs how wages are paid.

• Currency: wages are paid in legal tender; payment in kind is prohibited, except where the Code allows it (article 220).
• Frequency: at most every fifteen days for hourly-paid staff, monthly for salaried staff, who may ask for an advance of up to half their monthly base pay after fifteen days (article 221).
• Deadline: monthly pay is due no later than eight days after the end of the month worked; when a contract ends, wages and allowances are due as soon as service stops (article 222).

Enforcement remains a live issue: in July 2026, the government spokesman acknowledged that some companies still did not pay 52,000 FCFA and urged the employees concerned to report them to the CNSS. He also mentioned a possible review of the SMIG within three to five years, with no amount or timetable.

Common minimum wage Benin mistakes

• Using an outdated amount: the 40,000 FCFA figure, in force from 2014 to 2022, still circulates on many websites.
• Counting expenses or overtime to reach 52,000 FCFA: a transport allowance that reimburses a real cost is not wages.
• Reasoning monthly for part-timers instead of checking the hourly rate.
• Forgetting the collective agreement grid: paying the SMIG to an employee whose category has a higher minimum creates back pay.
• Withholding ITS on a SMIG salary, or taking the June 3,000 FCFA ORTB levy from an exempt employee.
• Paying day workers in cash without records: with no payslip or payroll register, nothing proves compliance during an inspection.

Preparing for the next increase

When a new decree is published, a short procedure avoids back pay and disputes:

1. Note the new amount and its effective date: in 2022, the decree adopted on 7 December took effect on the following 1 January.
2. List employees whose pay falls below the new floor, including part-timers, day workers and apprentices.
3. Check collective agreement grids and contract clauses linked to the SMIG.
4. Recalculate employer cost: CNSS and VPS follow the gross increase automatically.
5. Update hiring budgets and open job offers.

For field teams, checking the minimum depends on reliable hours: Socium time and attendance software links clock-in data to payroll, so you can check each day worker’s real hourly rate. To estimate the cost of a hire at the minimum, use the Socium payroll simulators. And to organise the full monthly cycle, our guide to payroll management in Benin sets out the CNSS, ITS and VPS deadlines.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wage Benin in 2026?

52,000 FCFA gross a month, under decree no. 2022-692 of 7 December 2022, in force since 1 January 2023. No later decree was found as of late October 2026.

Is the minimum wage Benin gross or net?

Gross. After the 3.6% CNSS contribution, an employee on the SMIG takes home 50,128 FCFA in our example; no ITS is due, as pay stays in the 0% band.

What is the hourly rate of the SMIG?

The decree sets no hourly rate. On a 40-hour week, or 173.33 hours a month, the equivalent is 300 FCFA gross an hour.

Does the SMIG apply to the private sector?

Yes. Article 210 of the Labour Code prohibits any wage below the SMIG for all employers covered by the Code, private and public.

Key takeaways

• Minimum wage Benin: 52,000 FCFA gross a month since 1 January 2023, about 300 FCFA an hour on 40 hours.
• No separate agricultural minimum in the decree; legal agricultural working time is 2,400 hours a year.
• At the SMIG, no ITS: net pay is 50,128 FCFA and employer cost about 62,608 FCFA.
• Fine of 14,000 to 70,000 FCFA per offence, on top of back pay.

Official text: decree no. 2022-692 of 7 December 2022 raising the guaranteed minimum wage, published by the General Secretariat of the Government. For your payslips, book a demo: we rebuild a SMIG payslip line by line.