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Minimum wage in Colombia 2026: COP 1,750,905 a month, transport allowance, integral salary and how the rate is set

Last verified: 2026-10-26 · Status: Changing

Colombia's 2026 monthly minimum wage is COP 1,750,905 (about US$554.36), up 23 percent from COP 1,423,500 in 2025, set by government decree after the tripartite commission failed to agree; the decree was suspended by the Consejo de Estado in February 2026, replaced by an identical transitional decree, and reinstated in July 2026 while the annulment case continues. Workers earning up to two minimum wages also receive a COP 249,095 monthly transport allowance (a connectivity allowance for teleworkers). Many other thresholds are pegged to the minimum wage, including the integral salary floor of 13 minimum wages (COP 22,761,765), apprentice pay and fines.

USD figures use the TRM (tasa representativa del mercado) of COP 3,158.43 per US dollar, valid 24 to 26 October 2026, from the official TRM series published by the Superintendencia Financiera on the national open data portal (datos.gov.co). Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Monthly minimum wage 2026	1750905 COPDecreto 1469 de 2025 art. 1, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Monthly minimum wage 2026 in US dollars at the TRM of COP 3,158.43 (24 to 26 October 2026)	554.36 USDDecreto 1469 de 2025 art. 1, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Minimum wage increase for 2026	23 %Decreto 1469 de 2025, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Monthly minimum wage 2025	1423500 COPDecreto 1572 de 2024 art. 1, as of 2026-10-26 · repealed
Daily minimum wage 2026 (monthly divided by 30)	58364 COPDecreto 1469 de 2025 art. 1, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Monthly transport allowance 2026, workers earning up to two minimum wages	249095 COPDecreto 1470 de 2025 art. 1, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Transport allowance eligibility ceiling	2 minimum wagesDecreto 1470 de 2025 art. 1, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Minimum integral salary 2026 (13 minimum wages)	22761765 COPCST art. 132; Decreto 1469 de 2025, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Cap on non salary payments excluded from the pension and health base	40 %Ley 1393 de 2010 art. 30, as of 2026-10-26 · in force

The rule

1. The minimum wage from 1 January 2026 is COP 1,750,905 a month, a 23 percent increase on the 2025 amount of COP 1,423,500.
Cost to do it: COP 1,750,905 a month (US$554.36); COP 58,364 a day (US$18.48).
Example: Annual base pay at the minimum wage: COP 21,010,860. / About US$6,652.31 a year.Decreto 1469 de 2025; Decreto 1572 de 2024 (2025 amount, repealed), Decreto 1469 art. 1 and 2; Decreto 1572 art. 1, 2025-12-29 official text · verified 2026-10-26 · changed: Raised from COP 1,423,500 (Decreto 1572 de 2024) to COP 1,750,905 from 1 January 2026 by Decreto 1469 de 2025 of 29 December 2025 (Diario Oficial 53.350).

2. The Consejo de Estado provisionally suspended Decreto 1469 de 2025 by an order of 12 February 2026 in annulment case 11001-03-25-000-2026-00004-00, deferring the suspension until a new reasoned decree was issued. The government issued Decreto 159 de 2026 on 19 February 2026 fixing the same COP 1,750,905 transitionally. The suspension was lifted in July 2026 and the official compilation records that Decreto 159 has served its purpose; the merits ruling is pending.Decreto 159 de 2026, Art. 1 and considerations, 2026-02-19 official text · verified 2026-10-26 · changed: February 2026 suspension of Decreto 1469 and transitional Decreto 159 de 2026 at the same amount; suspension lifted July 2026; annulment ruling pending.

3. Workers earning up to two minimum wages (COP 3,501,810 in 2026) are owed a transport allowance of COP 249,095 a month, paid for the days actually worked.
Cost to do it: COP 249,095 a month (US$78.87) per eligible worker.
Example: Minimum wage worker: COP 1,750,905 plus COP 249,095, COP 2,000,000 a month. / About US$633.23 a month.Decreto 1470 de 2025, Art. 1, 2025-12-29 official text · verified 2026-10-26

4. The minimum wage is set each year by consensus in the tripartite Permanent Commission for Wage and Labor Policy Coordination, which must decide by 15 December. If there is no consensus the government sets it by decree by 30 December, taking into account the central bank's inflation target for the next year, productivity, the contribution of wages to national income, GDP growth and the consumer price index.Ley 278 de 1996 (subrogating CST art. 147 num. 2), Art. 8 and paragraph (Diario Oficial 42.783 of 10 May 1996), 1996-05-10 official text · verified 2026-10-26

5. A worker earning over 10 minimum wages may agree in writing an integral salary that pays in advance for overtime and surcharges, the service bonus, severance and its interest, but not vacation. It cannot be less than 10 minimum wages plus a benefits factor of at least 30 percent, that is 13 minimum wages, COP 22,761,765 a month in 2026. Social security is paid on it in full, while the SENA, ICBF and family fund contributions are reduced by 30 percent.
Cost to do it: Minimum integral salary 2026: COP 22,761,765 a month (US$7,206.67).Código Sustantivo del Trabajo, as amended by Ley 50 de 1990 art. 18, Art. 132, 1990-12-28 official text · verified 2026-10-26

6. Payments that are occasional and by mere liberality (occasional bonuses, profit sharing), payments to do the job (representation expenses, transport, work tools) and extralegal benefits the parties expressly agree are not salary do not count as salary for benefits. For pension and health contributions, however, non salary payments above 40 percent of total remuneration are added to the contribution base.
Example: Total pay of COP 10,000,000 split COP 5,000,000 salary and COP 5,000,000 non salary benefits: COP 1,000,000 of the non salary part exceeds the 40 percent limit (COP 4,000,000) and is added to the contribution base, which becomes COP 6,000,000. / About US$3,166.10 of total pay; US$316.61 is added to the base.Código Sustantivo del Trabajo (art. 128 as amended by Ley 50 de 1990 art. 15); Ley 1393 de 2010, CST art. 128; Ley 1393 art. 30, 2010-07-12 official text · verified 2026-10-26

7. Teleworkers earning less than two minimum wages receive a connectivity allowance equal to the transport allowance instead of it, never both. It is not salary but counts for calculating benefits for workers earning up to two minimum wages.Ley 1221 de 2008, as added by Ley 2466 de 2025, Art. 6A (Ley 2466 art. 53), 2025-06-25 official text · verified 2026-10-26

8. Apprentices receive monthly support rather than a salary: in dual training at least 75 percent of the minimum wage in the first year and 100 percent in the second; in traditional training 75 percent in the classroom phase and 100 percent in the practical phase; university students at least one minimum wage.
Cost to do it: 75 percent: COP 1,313,179 (US$415.77); 100 percent: COP 1,750,905 (US$554.36) a month.Código Sustantivo del Trabajo, as amended by Ley 2466 de 2025, Art. 81 (Ley 2466 art. 21), 2025-06-25 official text · verified 2026-10-26

Item	Multiple	COP	USD	Rule
Transport allowance ceiling	2	3,501,810	1,108.72	Decreto 1470 de 2025 art. 1
Pension solidarity surcharge starts	4	7,003,620	2,217.44	Ley 100 de 1993 art. 20
Health, SENA and ICBF exemption ends	10	17,509,050	5,543.59	Estatuto Tributario art. 114-1
Minimum integral salary	13	22,761,765	7,206.67	CST art. 132
Maximum contribution base	25	43,772,625	13,858.98	Decreto 1833 de 2016 art. 2.2.3.1.7
Apprenticeship quota monetization, per missing apprentice per month	1.5	2,626,358	831.54	Ley 789 de 2002 art. 34 (Ley 2466 art. 23)
Maximum labor inspection fine	5,000	8,754,525,000	2,771,796.43	CST art. 486 (Ley 1610 de 2013 art. 7)

Selected 2026 amounts pegged to the minimum wage (COP 1,750,905). USD at COP 3,158.43.

Worked example

A retailer pays 40 cashiers the minimum wage in 2026. Each costs COP 1,750,905 plus COP 249,095 transport allowance a month, COP 2,000,000 (about US$633.23), before benefits and social security. The 23 percent increase raised the monthly payroll for these 40 workers by COP 13,096,200 on salary alone (about US$4,146.43).
An executive is hired on an integral salary of COP 25,000,000 a month (about US$7,915.33). It clears the COP 22,761,765 floor, so no separate service bonus, severance or interest is owed, but 15 working days of paid vacation still are.

Step by step

1. Update payroll to COP 1,750,905 from 1 January 2026 and the transport allowance to COP 249,095 for everyone earning up to COP 3,501,810.
2. Recheck every threshold pegged to the minimum wage (integral salary, exemptions, solidarity surcharge, apprentice support) each January when the new decree is issued, normally by 30 December.
3. For integral salaries, put the agreement in writing and confirm the amount is at least 13 minimum wages after each annual increase.
4. Document which benefits are agreed as non salary and monitor the 40 percent limit for the social security base.
5. Watch the Consejo de Estado annulment case on the 2026 wage decree (11001-03-25-000-2026-00004-00) and the December 2026 negotiation for 2027.

Common traps

Integral salary falling below the floor. After a large minimum wage rise an integral salary agreed at the old 13 minimum wages becomes invalid unless raised; it must be at least COP 22,761,765 in 2026 (CST art. 132).
Paying transport allowance to teleworkers and also connectivity. Only one is due (Ley 1221 art. 6A).
Assuming the court suspension cut the wage. The amount never changed: Decreto 159 de 2026 kept COP 1,750,905 during the suspension.
Labeling too much pay as non salary. Above 40 percent of total pay it enters the pension and health base anyway (Ley 1393 art. 30), and the UGPP audits PILA contributions.

Sources

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