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UMA, UDIS, INPC and the FIX rate: the units Mexican law is written in

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

Most fines, caps and thresholds in Mexican law are written in UMA (Unidad de Medida y Actualización), not pesos: MXN 117.31 a day, MXN 3,566.22 a month and MXN 42,794.64 a year from 1 February 2026, published by INEGI each January. The minimum wage is now only a wage floor (MXN 315.04 a day in general and MXN 440.87 in the northern border zone in 2026); UDIS are an optional inflation indexed unit for contracts and a few tax thresholds; the INPC drives tax inflation updates. Foreign currency amounts are converted at the FIX rate Banco de México publishes in the DOF: the prior day's rate for taxes and the rate published the banking day before payment for dollar debts payable in Mexico.

USD figures use MXN 18.5026 per US dollar, the noon buying rate in New York for 16 October 2026 published by the Federal Reserve Board (H.10) and shown on FRED, series DEXMXUS, the most recent official observation reachable when this page was verified. UMA based amounts use the daily UMA of MXN 117.31 in force from 1 February 2026. Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Daily UMA (Unidad de Medida y Actualización), reference unit for fines and caps	117.31 MXNINEGI publication DOF 9 January 2026; Ley para Determinar el Valor de la UMA art. 5, as of 2026-02-01 · in force
Monthly UMA	3566.22 MXNINEGI publication DOF 9 January 2026, as of 2026-02-01 · in force
Annual UMA	42794.64 MXNINEGI publication DOF 9 January 2026, as of 2026-02-01 · in force
Increase in the UMA from 2025 to 2026	3.69 %IMSS agreement DOF 6 February 2026, as of 2026-02-01 · in force
General minimum wage per day from 1 January 2026	315.04 MXNCONASAMI 2026 table; LFT art. 94, as of 2026-01-01 · in force
Northern Border Free Zone minimum wage per day from 1 January 2026	440.87 MXNCONASAMI 2026 table, as of 2026-01-01 · in force
UDI value publication schedule	Banco de México in the DOF by the 10th (days 11 to 25) and by the 25th (days 26 to 10) textCFF art. 20-Ter; Decree DOF 1 April 1995, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
INPC publication	INEGI in the DOF within the first 10 days of the following month textCFF art. 20, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Exchange rate for tax purposes when currency was not acquired	Banco de México rate published in the DOF the day before the tax accrues textCFF art. 20, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Rate for settling dollar obligations payable in Mexico	FIX published in the DOF the banking day before payment textBanco de México Circular 3/2012 art. 172; Ley Monetaria art. 8, as of 2012-03-02 · in force

The rule

1. The UMA replaced the minimum wage as the unit of account. INEGI calculates the value of the UMA, which is used as the unit of account, index, base, measure or reference for amounts owed under federal and state laws. Obligations stated in UMA are treated as fixed amounts and are paid by delivering their equivalent in pesos. From the reform's entry into force, every reference to the minimum wage as a unit of account in federal and state laws is read as a reference to the UMA; contracts in force at that date that used the minimum wage as a reference were not changed unless the parties agreed.
Cost to do it: Fines and caps written in UMA, or in old minimum wage multiples, cost the UMA value in force on the relevant date.
Example: A fine of 250 to 5,000 UMA, such as the Federal Labor Law fine for failing to keep electronic time records once that duty applies, is MXN 29,327.50 to MXN 586,550 at the 2026 UMA. / About USD 1,585 to USD 31,701.Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (CPEUM); decree on deindexation of the minimum wage, DOF 27 January 2016, CPEUM art. 26, section B, sixth and seventh paragraphs; decree transitory articles Second, Third and Seventh, 2016-01-27 official text · verified 2026-10-26

2. How the UMA is set and when it changes. Each year the daily value equals the prior year's daily value multiplied by one plus the annual change of the national consumer price index (INPC) for December of the prior year; the monthly value is the daily value times 30.4 and the annual value is the monthly value times 12. INEGI publishes the three values in the DOF within the first ten days of January and they apply from 1 February. INEGI published the 2026 values in the DOF on 9 January 2026: MXN 117.31 daily, MXN 3,566.22 monthly and MXN 42,794.64 annual, up 3.69 percent from the 2025 daily value of MXN 113.14.
Cost to do it: Every UMA based fine, fee or cap rose 3.69 percent on 1 February 2026.
Example: A cap of 30 annual UMA, used for the summary trial before the Federal Administrative Court, is MXN 1,283,839.20 in 2026 (30 x MXN 42,794.64). / About USD 69,387.Ley para Determinar el Valor de la Unidad de Medida y Actualización, DOF 30 December 2016; IMSS agreement ACDO.AS2.HCT.270126/9.P.DIR, DOF 6 February 2026 (reproducing the INEGI publication), Law arts. 4 and 5; IMSS agreement, recitals, 2026-01-09 official text · verified 2026-10-26 · changed: From 1 February 2026 the daily UMA rose from MXN 113.14 to MXN 117.31 (3.69 percent), the monthly UMA to MXN 3,566.22 and the annual UMA to MXN 42,794.64, as published by INEGI in the DOF on 9 January 2026.

3. The minimum wage is a wage floor only. Minimum wages are fixed by a national tripartite commission (CONASAMI). From 1 January 2026 the general minimum wage is MXN 315.04 a day and the minimum wage in the Northern Border Free Zone is MXN 440.87 a day, with higher professional minimum wages for 61 listed trades outside the border zone. Because of the 2016 deindexation, these figures set pay floors but no longer measure fines or legal thresholds.
Cost to do it: At least MXN 315.04 a day (MXN 440.87 in the border zone) per worker before benefits and contributions.
Example: A full time worker on the general minimum wage costs at least MXN 9,577.08 in base pay for a 30.4 day month (MXN 315.04 x 30.4). / About USD 518 a month in base pay.Ley Federal del Trabajo (LFT), last reform DOF 14 May 2026; CONASAMI table of minimum wages in force from 1 January 2026, LFT art. 94; CONASAMI 2026 table, 2026-01-01 official text · verified 2026-10-26 · changed: From 1 January 2026 the general minimum wage rose 13.0 percent, from MXN 278.80 to MXN 315.04 a day, and the border zone minimum wage rose 5.0 percent, from MXN 419.88 to MXN 440.87 a day.

4. UDIS: an optional inflation indexed unit. Peso payment obligations in financial operations, credit instruments other than checks and commercial contracts may be denominated in Unidades de Inversión (UDIS). They are treated as fixed amounts and are paid in pesos by multiplying the UDI amount by the UDI value on the payment day. The UDI tracks the INPC. Banco de México publishes the daily value in the DOF: by the 10th of each month for days 11 to 25, and by the 25th for days 26 to the 10th of the next month. Some tax thresholds are written in UDIS, for example the income tax exemption for an individual's sale of their home up to 700,000 UDIS when formalized before a notary.
Cost to do it: No cost; the peso value of a UDI obligation rises with inflation.
Example: A lease of 10,000 UDIS a month is paid in pesos at the UDI value Banco de México published in the DOF for the payment day. / The USD equivalent moves with both Mexican inflation and the exchange rate.Decree establishing the obligations that may be denominated in Unidades de Inversión, DOF 1 April 1995; CFF, last reform DOF 9 April 2026; LISR, last reform DOF 1 April 2024, Decree arts. 1 to 3; CFF art. 20-Ter; LISR art. 93, fraction XIX, inciso a), 1995-04-01 official text · verified 2026-10-26

5. INPC: the index behind tax inflation updates. INEGI calculates the national consumer price index and publishes it in the DOF within the first ten days of the following month. Taxes and refunds are updated by a factor equal to the INPC of the month before the most recent month of the period divided by the INPC of the month before the oldest month, with no update for fractions of a month and a minimum factor of 1. Peso amounts written in the Federal Tax Code are updated from 1 January of the year after cumulative inflation since the last update exceeds 10 percent, and some amounts are updated every January.
Cost to do it: Late taxes carry the inflation update in addition to surcharges.
Example: The revenue threshold for the mandatory audited tax report is updated each January; for 2026 it is MXN 2,013,710,870 (CFF art. 32-A). / About USD 108,833,941.CFF, Arts. 17-A and 20, second paragraph; art. 32-A, third paragraph (annual update), 2021-11-12 official text · verified 2026-10-26

6. Exchange rate for taxes. Taxes are calculated and paid in pesos. Foreign currency amounts are converted at the rate at which the currency was acquired; if it was not acquired, at the rate Banco de México publishes in the DOF the day before the tax accrues, or the last rate published before that if none was published. Other currencies are converted through the monthly table of dollar equivalents Banco de México publishes in the first week of the following month. Customs duties use the same published rate.
Cost to do it: No cost; exchange differences are taxed or deducted under the income tax rules.
Example: Interest of USD 10,000 accrued on a day for which the prior day's published rate was MXN 18.5026 is MXN 185,026 for tax purposes. / USD 10,000.CFF, Art. 20, first, third, fifth and sixth paragraphs, 1981-12-31 official text · verified 2026-10-26

7. Dollar debts payable in Mexico and the FIX rate. Foreign currency is not legal tender in Mexico unless a law says otherwise. Foreign currency obligations to be performed in Mexico are discharged by paying the peso equivalent at the exchange rate prevailing at the place and date of payment, determined under Banco de México rules. Banco de México determines the FIX rate each banking day from market quotes taken between 9:00 and 12:00 and publishes it in the DOF on the next banking day; dollar obligations payable in Mexico are settled in pesos at the rate published in the DOF on the banking day before payment.
Cost to do it: No fee; the payer bears exchange rate movement until the payment date.
Example: A USD 100,000 supplier invoice payable in Mexico may be paid with MXN 1,850,260 if the rate published the prior banking day was MXN 18.5026. / USD 100,000.Ley Monetaria de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, last reform DOF 19 January 2026; Banco de México Circular 3/2012, DOF 2 March 2012, compiled through Circular 11/2017, Ley Monetaria art. 8; Circular 3/2012 arts. 165, 171 and 172, 2012-03-02 official text · verified 2026-10-26

8. Federal fees (derechos) are updated each year. The amounts in the Federal Duties Law are updated for inflation, and the SAT publishes the updated amounts each year in Annex 4 of the Resolución Miscelánea Fiscal, showing both the exact amount and the rounded amount payable. Annex 4 is for orientation and does not create obligations beyond the law.
Cost to do it: Example for 2026: the duty for a CNIE request (LFD art. 72, fraction I) is MXN 10,448.32, payable as MXN 10,448.
Example: MXN 10,448 CNIE request duty in 2026. / About USD 565.Ley Federal de Derechos (LFD), last reform DOF 7 November 2025; CFF; RMF 2026 Annex 4, DOF 28 December 2025, LFD art. 1o., fourth and sixth paragraphs; CFF art. 17-A; Annex 4 heading, 2025-12-28 official text · verified 2026-10-26

Unit	Set and published by	When it changes	Used for	2026 value	Source
UMA	INEGI, in the DOF	Yearly, in force 1 February	Fines, caps, thresholds, social security ceilings	MXN 117.31 daily; MXN 3,566.22 monthly; MXN 42,794.64 annual	CPEUM art. 26 B; LDVUMA arts. 4 and 5
Minimum wage	CONASAMI	Usually yearly, from 1 January	Pay floor only	MXN 315.04 general; MXN 440.87 border zone (daily)	LFT art. 94; CONASAMI 2026 table
UDI	Banco de México, in the DOF	Daily, published twice a month	Optional indexation of contracts and credit; some tax thresholds	Published daily in the DOF	Decree DOF 1 April 1995; CFF art. 20-Ter
INPC	INEGI, in the DOF	Monthly	Tax inflation updates and CFF amounts	Published monthly in the DOF	CFF arts. 17-A and 20
FIX exchange rate	Banco de México, in the DOF	Each banking day	Tax conversions and settling dollar debts payable in Mexico	Published daily in the DOF	CFF art. 20; Circular 3/2012 arts. 171 and 172

The units, who sets them, when they change, and what they are used for.

Worked example

A foreign owned company reviews three numbers in its 2026 budget.
Fines: a Federal Labor Law fine of 250 to 5,000 UMA is MXN 29,327.50 to MXN 586,550 (about USD 1,585 to USD 31,701) at MXN 117.31 per UMA (LDVUMA art. 5; INEGI, DOF 9 January 2026).
Payroll floor: a minimum wage worker in Monterrey (outside the border zone) costs at least MXN 315.04 a day; in Tijuana, MXN 440.87 (CONASAMI 2026 table).
Dollar invoices: a USD 100,000 import invoice payable in Mexico can be paid with MXN 1,850,260 if the FIX published the prior banking day was MXN 18.5026 (Ley Monetaria art. 8; Circular 3/2012 art. 172), and for tax purposes the same amount is booked at the rate published the day before the tax accrues unless the dollars were actually bought (CFF art. 20).

Step by step

1. Each January, take the new UMA from INEGI's DOF publication and update fine, cap and social security calculations from 1 February.
2. Each December or January, take the new minimum wages from CONASAMI and check every salary against the right zone.
3. For contracts indexed to inflation, decide between UDIS (published by Banco de México) and an INPC formula, and write the source and date into the contract.
4. For dollar contracts performed in Mexico, specify whether payment is in dollars through a bank transfer from abroad or in pesos at the FIX rate.
5. For tax, keep proof of the rate at which foreign currency was actually bought; otherwise use the Banco de México rate published the day before.

Common traps

Reading an old fine as minimum wages. Since 27 January 2016, minimum wage references in laws mean UMA, which is lower than the 2026 minimum wage (MXN 117.31 against MXN 315.04 a day).
Applying the new UMA in January. The new value applies from 1 February; January still uses the prior year's value (LDVUMA art. 5).
Assuming a dollar debt can be forced in dollars. A foreign currency debt payable in Mexico can be discharged in pesos at the published rate unless an exception applies (Ley Monetaria art. 8).
Using a bank's rate for tax. Unless the currency was acquired at a known rate, the tax rate is Banco de México's published rate of the prior day (CFF art. 20).
Copying old fee amounts. Federal duties are updated every year; check the current Annex 4 before paying.

Sources

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