The minimum wage will be R$1,621 from January 1, 2026. The value increased by 6.8%, a little more than R$100, and was stipulated through publication, this Wednesday (24), in the Official Gazette of the Union by the federal government. The previous minimum was R$1,518.
According to the rules, the value of the minimum wage must be updated annually by inflation measured by the National Consumer Price Index (INPC) accumulated in 12 months until November, plus the growth of the Brazilian economy from two years before, that is, from the year 2024, subject to the maximum limit of 2.5% per year, due to the spending ceiling.
The two components, together, guarantee a real increase in the minimum wage, different from the policy of previous governments for the minimum wage, by Michel Temer and Jair Bolsonaro, when the adjustment was made only by inflation.
“This model had adverse effects on purchasing power in a context of relatively high inflation,” said the Inter-Union Department of Statistics and Studies (Dieese), in a technical note about the new minimum.
“While prices advanced continuously, wage recovery occurred only once, in the annual adjustment, causing the real minimum wage to deteriorate.” The agency added that just replacing inflation between 2020 and 2022 was not enough to dilute the impact of food prices, which rose above average, weighing disproportionately on the income of poor families.
The minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that a formalized worker can receive in the country and must be sufficient to meet their own and their family’s basic vital needs, such as housing, food, health, leisure, hygiene and transportation, in accordance with the Federal Constitution.
With this intention, according to Dieese, the monthly minimum for a family of four people in Brazil should be R$7,067.18, in November 2025, equivalent to 4.3 times the new national minimum floor in January 2026.
According to the department, around 62 million Brazilians receive the minimum. With the adjustment to R$1.621, the increase in the economy will be R$81.7 billion.
