Costa Rica Minimum Wages 2026: Official List + Search Tool

Costa Rica Minimum Wages 2026: full official list, search tool, abbreviations, and approved increases

---

In this guide you’ll find the official 2026 minimum wage list with a search tool to filter by job title or abbreviations, plus a simple explanation of the abbreviation nomenclature (TONC, TOSC, TOC, etc.), the approved increase percentages, and quick payroll impact examples. If you need to confirm your team’s correct category or implement the update safely, AG Legal can help.

Approved increases for 2026

• General increase: +1.63% for the private sector (effective January 1, 2026).
• Domestic work: +3.96%.
• Specialized occupation (TOEG): +2.18%.
• Middle technician in diversified education (TMED): +2.50%.

MTSS estimates (monthly, full-time) indicate approximate increases of ₡5,983.87 (non-qualified occupation), ₡6,732.29 (skilled worker), and ₡10,650.86 (university bachelor). For the differentiated adjustments, in all cases, increases exceed ₡10,000 per month.

Mandatory compliance: MTSS reiterates the adjustment is mandatory for all workers earning the minimum wage.

Legal basis: how Costa Rica sets its minimum wage

Costa Rica’s minimum wage is not set administratively at MTSS’s discretion — it rests on a specific constitutional and statutory chain:

• Article 57 of the Political Constitution guarantees every worker the right to a periodically fixed minimum wage sufficient to provide well-being and a dignified existence.
• Law No. 832 (November 4, 1949) created the National Wages Council (Consejo Nacional de Salarios, CNS), the tripartite body — government, employer, and worker representatives — responsible for fixing minimum wages each year. Law No. 7510 (1995) later gave the CNS its current status as a maximum-deconcentration body within MTSS, with full legal autonomy to carry out this function.
• Articles 162, 163, and 177 of the Labor Code (Código de Trabajo) establish that wages may be freely agreed between employer and worker, but can never fall below the legally fixed minimum.

By law, the CNS must issue its annual wage-fixing resolution no later than November 1 each year, through a formal, reasoned decision signed by its members — which is exactly the process behind the October 27 approval and January 1, 2026 effective date covered in this guide.

Abbreviations (how to read the table)

Tip: Use the code that matches the job profile to quickly locate the minimum wage in the table.

In the table above, the salaries with the following codes show the hourly wage: TONC, TOC, TES, TOE, TOSC. Therefore, to obtain the monthly salary, you must multiply that amount by 8 (hours), and then multiply it by 30 (days).

Search tool + official 2026 minimum wage list

Type part of the job title or the code (for example: “cook” or “TOC”) to filter the list:

Quick payroll impact examples

• Non-qualified occupation: approx. +₡5,983.87 per month.
• Skilled worker: approx. +₡6,732.29 per month.
• University bachelor: approx. +₡10,650.86 per month.
• Differentiated adjustments: in all cases exceed +₡10,000 per month.

What counts as “wage” for compliance

A common payroll mistake is confusing the base minimum wage figure in the table with an employee’s full compensation. For minimum wage compliance purposes, what matters is the ordinary base salary corresponding to the worker’s category — not the total package including overtime, commissions, or in-kind benefits. However, the same base figure also anchors other calculations employers need to get right together with it:

• CCSS contributions are calculated on total gross reportable income, which is broader than just the base minimum wage — see the CCSS insured-worker portal for current contribution rules.
• Aguinaldo (Christmas bonus) is based on total gross salary earned over the December–November period, not just the base rate.
• Severance and notice calculations use average gross salary over the last six months, which may be higher than the minimum wage if the employee earned overtime or commissions.

In other words, the minimum wage table tells you the legal floor — it is the starting point for a payroll review, not the full picture of what an employer owes. To estimate the complete cost of employing someone in Costa Rica — including CCSS, aguinaldo, vacation accrual, and other mandatory charges on top of the base wage — see AG Legal’s Employer Cost Calculator.

Special categories: domestic work and generic occupations

Two categories in the 2026 adjustment deserve particular attention because they move differently from the general 1.63% increase:

• Domestic work (+3.96%): this is the largest percentage increase in the 2026 round, reflecting a policy priority to close the gap for one of the most historically underpaid labor categories in Costa Rica. Domestic workers are entitled to the same core labor rights as any other employee — vacation, aguinaldo, weekly rest, and CCSS coverage — calculated proportionally when work is by the hour or by the day.
• Generic occupational categories (the “G” suffix codes — TONCG, TOSCG, TOCG, TOEG): these apply to positions not tied to a specific named job in the official list, and are the categories most often misapplied in practice, since employers frequently default to a generic code instead of checking whether a more specific job title already exists in the table.

Penalties for paying below minimum wage

How minimum wage affects severance and termination pay

Minimum wage compliance and termination pay are directly connected: severance (cesantía), notice (preaviso), and the proportional Christmas bonus are all calculated from the employee’s average gross salary — so if the base wage used in payroll was ever below the legal minimum for that job category, every downstream termination calculation inherits the same error, magnified by years of service. This is one of the most common issues we see surface during an exit: a company discovers, only at termination, that a role was misclassified against the wrong wage category from day one.

If you need to estimate a specific termination payment — including cesantía, preaviso, vacation balance, and aguinaldo — AG Legal’s Costa Rica Severance Calculator walks through each component using the official MTSS method, starting from the correct base salary. Whether severance is owed at all also depends on how the termination is classified — see our guide on termination for cause in Costa Rica for the specific grounds that eliminate the severance obligation entirely.

Common mistakes we see in payroll audits

• Defaulting to a generic code (TONCG, TOSCG, etc.) when a more specific, and often higher, named job title already exists in the official table.
• Confusing hourly and monthly figures — several categories in the table are quoted per hour, not per month, and multiplying incorrectly under- or over-states the legal floor.
• Applying the previous year’s percentage increase uniformly, missing that domestic work and specific technical categories receive a different, higher adjustment than the general 1.63%.
• Not revisiting job classifications after a role changes — an employee promoted informally into more specialized work should be reclassified to the matching wage category, not left on their original code.
• Documenting cause for termination poorly — a wage dispute often surfaces alongside a termination, and cases like a worker fired for repeated late arrivals show how disciplinary documentation and correct wage classification need to hold up together, not just one or the other.
• Skipping a proper investigation before disciplinary action — when the underlying issue involves suspected misconduct rather than simple underperformance, see our guide on employee fraud investigations in Costa Rica for how to document findings without exposing the company to a wrongful termination claim.

How AG Legal helps

Nuestro servicio: AG Legal’s labor law practice supports employers — from single-employee households to multinational operations — on minimum wage compliance and the broader payroll picture, including:

• Classifying job positions against the correct official wage category.
• Auditing payroll history to identify and remediate underpayment exposure before it surfaces in a termination claim.
• Advising on the interaction between minimum wage, CCSS contributions, aguinaldo, and severance calculations.
• Representing employers and employees in wage disputes before MTSS and the labor courts.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the new minimum wage apply?

It applies starting January 1, 2026.

Is the adjustment mandatory?

Yes. MTSS states it is mandatory for all workers earning the minimum wage.

How do I confirm I’m using the correct category?

Match the job description to the code in the table. If you’re unsure, we can help you classify roles correctly.

Can an employer pay above the minimum wage?

Yes. The minimum wage is the legal floor; employers may pay more.

What is the legal basis for Costa Rica’s minimum wage?

Article 57 of the Political Constitution guarantees the right to a minimum wage; Law No. 832 created the National Wages Council (CNS), which is legally required to fix wages annually by November 1; and Articles 162–177 of the Labor Code set the floor employers cannot go below.

What happens if an employer pays below minimum wage?

The employee can file a claim with MTSS or the labor courts to recover the underpaid difference. A documented history of underpayment also increases exposure at termination, since severance and other benefits are recalculated using the wage the employee should have legally earned.

Does minimum wage include benefits like transportation or meals?

No. The figures in the table reflect the base ordinary salary for the category. In-kind benefits and allowances are generally separate from the base wage used for minimum wage compliance, though they may count toward other calculations like CCSS contributions.

Are domestic workers covered by a different minimum wage?

Yes. Domestic work received a +3.96% increase for 2026, higher than the general 1.63% private-sector adjustment, reflected in its own line in the official list.

Do foreign-owned companies have to follow Costa Rica’s minimum wage?

Yes. The minimum wage applies equally to any employer operating in Costa Rica, regardless of the nationality of ownership, and to any employee working legally in the country.

How do I convert an hourly minimum wage to a monthly figure?

For categories quoted per hour in the table (TONC, TOC, TES, TOE, TOSC), multiply the hourly rate by 8 hours, then by 30 days, to get the equivalent monthly amount.

How often does Costa Rica update its minimum wage?

Annually. The CNS is required by Law No. 832 to issue its wage-fixing resolution by November 1 each year, with the new figures typically taking effect January 1.

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or tax advice. Please consult a lawyer for your specific situation.

Recommended reading

• Costa Rica Labor Laws: Employer Guide
• Costa Rica Severance Calculator
• Employer Cost Calculator Costa Rica
• Termination for Cause in Costa Rica
• Worker Fired for Late Arrivals: A Case Study
• Employee Fraud Investigations in Costa Rica
• Return to Office Policies in Costa Rica