Generally, the amount of pay you get for working is agreed between you and your employer. Pay negotiations normally happen when you get a job offer.
However, most employees are entitled to a minimum wage under the National Minimum Wage Act 2000.
Since 1 January 2024, the national minimum wage is €12.70 per hour. Some people get sub-minimum rates, such as people aged under 20 (see the ‘Rates’ section below).
The national minimum wage does not stop an employer from offering you a higher wage. You cannot agree to be paid less than the minimum wage or to do unpaid work unless you are employed by a close family relative or are on a recognised apprenticeship.
Employees in certain sectors have other minimum rates of pay, for example, the security and cleaning sectors. The rules for these sectors are set out in Employment agreements and orders made by Joint Labour Committees.
Even if the hourly pay rates are set out in an Employment Regulation Order (ERO), an employer must pay their employees at least the legal minimum wage.
For the minimum wage, your gross wage (your total pay before any money is deducted, such as tax or pension contributions) includes:
If you get food (known as board) or accommodation (known as lodgings) from your employer, the following amounts are included in the minimum wage calculation:
Employers must pay a minimum wage to work experience placements, work trials, internships and any other employment practice involving unpaid work or working for room and board.
Your hourly rate is calculated by dividing your gross pay by the total number of hours you have worked. This is set out in the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 Section 20.
However, it must be clear:
Your working hours are whichever is longer between:
Your working hours include overtime and travel time where this is part of the job. Time spent on training that your employer approved and during normal working hours, is also included.
Your working hours do not include the time you are:
Your employer selects the period, known as the pay reference period, to calculate the average hourly pay – for example, a week, fortnight, or month (but no longer than a month).
Your employer must include details of the pay reference period in your statement of employment conditions, as set out in the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994-2014 (as amended).
You can ask your employer for a written statement of your average rate of pay for any pay reference period within the last 12 months. The employer has 4 weeks to give you the statement.
When calculating the minimum wage, do not include:
You are not entitled to get the national minimum wage if you are:
Since 1 January 2024, the national minimum wage is €12.70 per hour.
Some people get sub-minimum rates, see rates below.
| Age group | Minimum hourly rate of pay | % of minimum wage |
| 20 and over | €12.70 | 100% |
| 19 | €11.43 | 90% |
| 18 | €10.16 | 80% |
| Under 18 | €8.89 | 70% |
If your employer cannot afford to pay the minimum wage due to financial difficulty, the Labour Court can give them permission, or exempt them from paying the minimum wage rate for between 3 months and one year. Only one exemption is allowed.
The employer must apply to the Labour Court for the exemption, and they must have the agreement of a majority of employees. The employer and the employees must all agree to follow the decision of the Labour Court.
The employer must show that they are unable to pay the minimum wage and that if they had to pay it, they would need to lay off or dismiss employees.
Employers can only be exempt from paying the full rate of the minimum wage. They cannot be exempt from paying the reduced rate (for example, to employees under 18).
If you ask your employer to pay the minimum wage, you are protected by law from victimisation or dismissal.
If you are dismissed for asking for the minimum wage, you can bring a claim for unfair dismissal. You can do this no matter how long you have worked for your employer or how many hours you work each week.
If you are due an increase under the National Minimum Wage Act, your employer may try to cut your working hours to avoid an increase in the overall cost of your pay. However, they cannot do this without also reducing your duties or the amount of work.
If you are not getting the minimum wage, you should speak with your employer first.
If you cannot resolve the problem with your employer, you can complete the online complaint form on workplacerelations.ie.
This form gives you 2 options, you can:
You cannot refer a complaint about the same dispute to both an adjudicator and an inspector. This is set out in the National Minimum Wage Act.
If you are alleging victimisation, you should ask your employer to bring back your working conditions to how they were before the victimisation occurred.
If your employer does not do this within 2 weeks of you asking, you can refer your case to the WRC adjudicator. You must do this within 6 months of the alleged victimisation (which may be extended to a maximum of 12 months).
A national living wage will replace the national minimum wage from 2026. The living wage will be set at 60% of the median wage in any given year.
The national minimum wage will remain in place until the 60% living wage is fully phased in. The national minimum wage will increase over the years as usual.
You can get more information on the national minimum wage from the Workplace Relations Commission’s Information and Customer Service.
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