The recent rise in the Minimum Interprofessional Wage (SMI) will not have a uniform impact on all workers, as the final amount received will directly depend on the working hours. Both full-time and part-time employees will see this adjustment reflected in their monthly income.

The Ministry of Labor, under the minister's direction, and trade unions, agreed on a 3.1% increase in the SMI compared to 2025. This increase will be applied retroactively from January 1, 2026, meaning that the February payslip should already include the new amounts and the corresponding arrears for January.

For full-time workers earning the minimum wage, the increase translates into an approximate rise of 37 euros per month over 14 payments, reaching 1,221 gross euros per month. Annually, this represents a total of 17,094 gross euros. For part-time work, the amount will be adjusted proportionally to the hours worked.

The law stipulates that the SMI must be applied proportionally to the working day. This means that, even for working weeks of less than 40 hours, there is a legal minimum wage that companies are obliged to respect. For example, for a 10-hour work week, the SMI is set at 356.13 euros per month (over 12 payments), while for 35 hours per week it amounts to 1,246.44 euros monthly.

A relevant aspect is the taxation of this increase. Although it has been announced that the new SMI will be exempt from IRPF taxation, this exemption must be explicitly confirmed in the Official State Gazette (BOE). If the exempt minimum is not adjusted, part of the increase could be reduced by Treasury withholdings, thereby diminishing the real impact on workers' net salaries.