Economy minister: a SMIC rise before 1 January is 'under discussion', nothing decided yet. How France's minimum wage works, and where it sets thresholds for foreign residents

What happened

On Wednesday 4 November 2026, Economy and Finance Minister Roland Lescure said on BFMTV that the SMIC — France's minimum wage — could go up before 1 January, possibly by more than inflation. In his words, both questions are open: how much and when. He expects an announcement 'in the coming days'; talks with the labour minister, unions and employers are continuing. The remarks came the day before the nationwide strike of 5 November.

Important: this is a minister's statement, not a decision. No amount or date has been given and there is no text. Current rates still apply.

What the SMIC is now

According to service-public.gouv.fr (page checked on 1 June 2026, rates set by the arrêté of 22 May 2026), for an adult worker in mainland France:

• €12.31 gross per hour (€9.74 net);
• €1,867.02 gross per month (€1,477.93 net);
• €22,404.20 gross per year (€17,735.19 net);
• in Mayotte, €9.56 gross per hour.

The SMIC is a minimum hourly rate: service-public defines it as the legal hourly minimum based on a 35-hour working week. The monthly and annual figures are derived from it.

How the SMIC changes: three mechanisms

Service-public describes three routes:

1. Every 1 January — mandatory. It is indexed to prices for the 20% of households with the lowest incomes, plus half the purchasing-power gain of the average hourly wage of manual and clerical workers.
2. Automatically during the year. If the consumer price index has risen by at least 2% since the last revision, the SMIC goes up by the same proportion without waiting for January.
3. At any time, by government decision. This extra increase is what the minister is now talking about.

So a revision on 1 January is provided for in any case; the question being discussed is whether there will be an increase beyond the formula and earlier than that date.

Who it applies to

Per service-public, the SMIC is due to every adult salarié, however they are paid — by the hour, by output, by the piece, on commission or with tips; travelling sales reps (VRP) are the exception. The page makes no distinction by nationality. Lower rates apply to minors with under six months' experience in their trade (€11.08 an hour at 17, €9.85 at 16 or younger), and a separate reduction applies to apprenticeship and professionalisation contracts. An employer paying below the SMIC faces a €1,500 fine and damages.

What to check once a new rate takes effect: the hourly rate on your fiche de paie for the first month after that date — it should not be below the new SMIC.

Where the SMIC affects a foreign resident even on a higher wage

Some residence rules use the SMIC as a yardstick. One example is regroupement familial (family reunification). Per service-public (checked on 1 June 2026), the applicant's average income over the 12 months before applying must be at least:

• the average monthly gross SMIC for a family of 2–3 people (€1,867.02);
• €2,053.72 for 4–5 people;
• €2,240.42 for 6 or more.

Family benefits, RSA, Aspa, ATA, ASS and AER are not counted. Recipients of AAH and Asi are exempt from the income condition. Algerian nationals have their own threshold: income at least equal to the SMIC, with no adjustment for family size.

Because the threshold is tied to the SMIC, it rises with every increase. An income that cleared it comfortably may end up only just above it. Before applying, it makes sense to check the figures against the current version of the service-public page rather than last year's calculations.

What next

The minister speaks of an announcement in the coming days. Until then, current rates stand. Like the current one, any new rate will be set by an official text, after which the service-public page will be updated.