site.btaMinimum Wage Rises to EUR 620.20, Poverty Line Up

As of January 1, 2026, the minimum monthly wage will be EUR 620.20 (BGN 1,213). This is a 12.6% increase compared with last year, when it was BGN 1,077. The increase was set by a decree of the Council of Ministers.

The minimum hourly wage will reach EUR 3.74 (BGN 7.31), according to the same government decision.

The higher minimum wage will increase the incomes of nearly 600,000 people. The rise is also expected to boost the pay of around 83,000 personal assistants who care for children and adults with disabilities. Salaries are also expected to increase for employees in state-funded social services, professional foster families, as well as for all workers employed under employment programs and measures financed by the state budget.

In 2026, the poverty line will be EUR 390.63 (BGN 764), according to another decision of the Council of Ministers adopted in September last year. It will increase by EUR 64.42, or 19.7%.

With its increase, social benefits and financial support paid under the Social Assistance Act, the Act on Persons with Disabilities, and the Child Protection Act will also rise.

On December 17, Parliament adopted the Collection of Revenues and the Execution of Expenditures for 2026 Act. The law will remain in force until the adoption of the State Budget Act for 2026, the Public Social Insurance Budget Act for 2026, and the National Health Insurance Fund Budget Act for 2026.

The budget extension act regulates the collection of revenues and the execution of expenditures in the coming year until the adoption of the state budget and the budgets of the National Health Insurance Fund and the Public Social Insurance for 2026, but for a period of no longer than three months, in compliance with the requirements of the Public Finance Act, the Social Security Code, and the Health Insurance Act. In implementing this law, the currency conversion rules set out in the Act on the Introduction of the Euro in the Republic of Bulgaria will apply.