What is the current minimum wage in Greece in 2026?

From 1 April 2026, Greece implemented a new increase to the statutory minimum wage, raising it from 880 euros to 920 euros gross per month. The daily wage for blue-collar workers also increased, moving from 39.30 euros to 41.09 euros per day. This is the sixth consecutive increase since 2019 and affects approximately 700,000 private sector workers directly.

What are the 2026 income tax brackets in Greece?

Greece has 6 progressive tax brackets for 2026, reduced under Law 5246/2025: 9 percent on 0–10,000 euros, 20 percent on 10,001–20,000 euros, 26 percent on 20,001–30,000 euros, 34 percent on 30,001–40,000 euros, 39 percent on 40,001–60,000 euros, and 44 percent above 60,000 euros. Additionally, for young people up to 25 years of age, the tax rates for the first two income brackets (0–20,000 euros) are zero.

How much do I pay in EFKA social security contributions as a Greek employee?

As of 1 January 2025 (continuing through 2026), social security contributions amount to 13.37 percent at the level of the employee and 21.79 percent at the level of the employer — 35.16 percent in total. The monthly social security contribution cap for the primary social security fund (EFKA) is set at 7,761.94 euros from 1 January 2026. Above that cap, no further EFKA contributions are owed for that month.

How do I apply for OPEKA benefits in Greece?

OPEKA (the Organisation of Welfare Benefits and Social Solidarity) administers a full list of benefits. You can apply for the minimum guaranteed income, claim a housing benefit, get a child benefit, get a fostering allowance, and receive income support for residents of mountainous areas — all through the official services listed on gov.gr under the OPEKA section. Most applications require your TAXISnet credentials and are submitted through opeka.gr or gov.gr.

Greece 2026: The Greek Tax Refunds and Benefits Most Workers Never Claim

Q: What is the deadline to file my Greek income tax return in 2026, and what happens if I miss it?

Greek individual tax returns for the 2025 tax year are due by July 15, 2026, through AADE's online filing system. If you miss the deadline, you risk penalties and may lose your right to a refund for that year. Equally important: on April 16, AADE automatically finalizes all pre-filled returns that have not been manually submitted — meaning if your pre-filled return contained errors and you did not correct them before that date, you may have been assessed incorrectly. Always log in to myaade.gov.gr and verify your return well before any automatic processing date.

Over 519 million euros in income tax refunds were processed by the Greek tax authority AADE in the most recent filing season — and that number only covers the people who actually filed correctly. Hundreds of thousands of workers in Greece are leaving real money unclaimed every single year, not because they do not deserve it, but because nobody ever told them it existed. That changes today.

The Money Sitting in the System That You Never Collected

Here is what most people never find out: the Greek tax system is designed so that your employer withholds tax throughout the year based on a rough estimate of your annual income. If that estimate is higher than your actual taxable income — which happens more often than you think — the state owes you money back. Not a favour. Not a gift. Your own money, returned to you.

The same applies to OPEKA, Greece's Organisation of Welfare Benefits and Social Solidarity. OPEKA's scheduled payments cover a wide range of social and welfare benefits, including the Child Allowance, Housing Allowance, Minimum Guaranteed Income, disability benefits, Housing Support Allowance, Birth Allowance and several others. Most working families in Greece qualify for at least one of these. A significant portion never apply.

Why? Because the application windows are short, the platforms are in Greek, and your employer has absolutely no incentive to walk you through any of it. This is where workers get caught out — not through fraud or complexity, but through silence. Keep reading, because what follows could mean hundreds of euros back in your pocket this year.

What the Law Actually Says

Greece's personal income tax is governed by the Income Tax Code (Law 4172/2013, as substantially amended by Law 5246/2025 for the 2026 tax year). For tax years 2026 onwards, taxable income from employment and pensions is taxed according to a new, reformed scale. The crucial point for workers is this: the law requires AADE to issue you a refund if more tax was withheld from your salary than you actually owed. That refund does not arrive automatically unless you file — or unless your pre-filled return is correctly finalized.

The myAADE platform opened on March 16, 2026 for filing individual tax returns for tax year 2025. For the third consecutive year, returns are pre-filled and pre-calculated — 1,357,222 declarations covering 1,553,123 taxpayers are already available. That sounds convenient. But there is a trap buried in that convenience, and it catches thousands of workers every year.

On April 16, AADE automatically finalizes all pre-filled returns that have not been manually submitted. Without a correct IBAN on file, you will not receive any tax refund. You must check in myAADE under Registry and Contact → IBAN Account Declaration, and the account must be in your name. If you missed that window, your refund may be stuck — or worse, applied to a debt you were not even aware of.

The Real Numbers for 2026

Category	Figure	Source
Minimum monthly wage (white-collar)	920 euros gross (from 1 April 2026)	ypergasias.gov.gr
Minimum daily wage (blue-collar)	41.09 euros (from 1 April 2026)	ypergasias.gov.gr
Employee EFKA contribution rate	13.37 percent of gross salary	OECD Taxing Wages 2026 / e-EFKA
Employer EFKA contribution rate	21.79 percent of gross salary	OECD Taxing Wages 2026 / e-EFKA
Combined EFKA rate	35.16 percent	e-EFKA official schedule
Monthly EFKA contributions cap	7,761.94 euros (from 1 January 2026)	PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries 2026
Income tax — first bracket	9 percent on 0–10,000 euros	minfin.gov.gr / Law 5246/2025
Income tax — second bracket	20 percent on 10,001–20,000 euros	minfin.gov.gr / Law 5246/2025
Income tax — third bracket	26 percent on 20,001–30,000 euros	minfin.gov.gr / Law 5246/2025
Income tax — fourth bracket	34 percent on 30,001–40,000 euros	minfin.gov.gr / Law 5246/2025
Income tax — fifth bracket	39 percent on 40,001–60,000 euros	minfin.gov.gr / Law 5246/2025
Income tax — top bracket	44 percent above 60,000 euros	minfin.gov.gr / Law 5246/2025
Tax credit (base)	777 euros per year	minfin.gov.gr
Under-25 tax exemption	Zero tax on first 20,000 euros	minfin.gov.gr / Law 5246/2025
Special Solidarity Contribution	Abolished for private sector	minfin.gov.gr
OPEKA Housing Allowance	70–210 euros/month depending on household	gov.gr / opeka.gr
OPEKA Housing Allowance income cap (single person)	Maximum 7,000 euros/year (+ 3,500 per additional member)	mitos.gov.gr
Total AADE refunds (latest filing season)	519,093,353 euros across 2,269,098 beneficiaries	aade.gr

The 2026 tax reform under Law 5246/2025 cut all middle-bracket rates significantly. Crucially, the 44 percent top rate now starts at 60,000 euros — previously it kicked in at just 40,000 euros. For a worker earning between 40,001 and 60,000 euros, this is a direct, tangible saving. The Special Solidarity Contribution has also been abolished for private-sector income and pensions, meaning the total tax burden for most salaried employees in 2026 is the lowest it has been in years.

Use the EuroDuty salary calculator to see exactly what these brackets mean for your specific gross salary, including the EFKA deductions and the 777-euro tax credit applied to your situation.

What Your Employer Will Never Tell You

Your employer handles the payroll. That is where their responsibility ends. They are not going to sit you down and explain that you may be entitled to an OPEKA child benefit, a housing allowance, or a tax refund generated by deductions you never claimed. That is not cynicism — it is just the reality of how the system works.

Here are three things most workers in Greece never find out about:

First: The A21 child benefit. The child benefit (A21) is provided to families for every dependent child up to 18 years old — or 19 if enrolled in secondary education, and up to 24 if enrolled in higher education. Beneficiaries must permanently and constantly reside in Greece over the last five-year period. OPEKA is responsible for paying the benefit. The child benefit A21 application must be submitted once a year. If you have children and you have never submitted an A21 form, you may be owed back-payments. The application is submitted digitally through opeka.gr using your TAXISnet credentials.

Second: The Housing Allowance. The housing allowance is a non-contributory benefit granted following an assessment of assets and income sources of persons who are in a state of financial weakness and have no income or immovable property that can cover their housing needs. Financial support of 70 to 210 euros per month depending on household composition is available for eligible households, helping facilitate access to rented housing. If you rent your primary residence and your household income falls within the thresholds, you can apply at opeka.gr. Many working families who rent in Athens or Thessaloniki qualify and have no idea.

Third: The Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI). The Guaranteed Minimum Income is granted to households who simultaneously meet all of the income, asset, and residency conditions laid down by the law. The ceiling of the monthly guaranteed amount is 972 euros, regardless of the composition of the household. This is not just for the unemployed — working households with very low income can also qualify. Do not leave this money on the table. Check your eligibility directly at opeka.gr.

Greece vs The Rest of Europe

Let us put Greece's numbers in regional context so you understand exactly where you stand. Greece's minimum monthly wage rose to 920 euros gross starting April 1, 2026, marking the sixth consecutive increase since 2019. The increase of 40 euros per month — from 880 to 920 euros — brings the total cumulative rise over the period to 41.5 percent. That is genuine progress. But compare it with your neighbours in the broader European picture.

Starting January 1, 2026, the minimum monthly wage in Bulgaria rose to 620.20 euros (BGN 1,213.00) — still significantly below the Greek floor. Meanwhile, among EU countries with minimum wages below 1,000 euros per month, Romania sits at 795 euros as of the first 2026 Eurostat data. Greece, at 920 euros, is ahead of both immediate neighbours — but the gap between Greece and Western Europe remains vast. France's minimum wage from June 2026 stands at 1,867.02 euros per month, while Germany's from January 2026 reaches 2,343 euros. That is more than double the Greek minimum. Understanding that gap — and understanding every euro of tax relief and state support available to you — is not optional. It is survival.

Use the EuroDuty salary comparator to benchmark your current Greek salary against equivalent roles across all 27 EU member states.

How to Claim What You Are Owed

Register on myAADE at myaade.gov.gr. You will need to register on TAXISnet at aade.gr — the website for the Greek tax authority, AADE. If you are already employed in Greece, your employer likely registered you when you were hired. If you have credentials, go directly to myaade.gov.gr and log in.
Check and update your IBAN immediately. Before you do anything else, go to Registry and Contact → IBAN Account Declaration in myAADE. Without a correct IBAN on file, you will not receive any tax refund. The account must be registered in your name.
File or verify your E1 tax return before the deadline. The 2025 individual income tax return is due by July 15, 2026. File your annual return online through the government's TAXISnet or myAADE system with your personal username and password. The main form is E1 for income, E2 for rental details, and E3 for business or freelance profits. Do not just accept the pre-filled version without checking it — amounts can be wrong.
Apply for the A21 child benefit on opeka.gr. The starting date for application submissions each year is set by decision of the Governor of OPEKA (early March) and the deadline is January 15 of the following year. Log in with your TAXISnet credentials at opeka.gr and navigate to the A21 child benefit application. Submit it every year — it does not roll over automatically.
Check your eligibility for the OPEKA Housing Allowance. Visit opeka.gr and use the eligibility check for the housing allowance (Επίδομα Στέγασης). The total income must not exceed 7,000 euros for a single-person household, increased by 3,500 euros for each additional household member. For single-parent families, an additional supplement of 3,500 euros is set for the first minor member of the household. If you rent and your income falls within these thresholds, apply now.
Check for the Guaranteed Minimum Income if your income is very low. Apply through opeka.gr or visit your local KEP (Citizens' Service Centre — Κέντρο Εξυπηρέτησης Πολιτών) for in-person assistance if you struggle with the online platforms. If you do not have TAXISnet credentials, you can obtain them online via gov.gr or at a KEP.

Calculate your exact net salary and compare your rights across all 27 EU countries at EuroDuty — completely free.