Minimum wage in Russia: federal and regional

Pay for a worker who has worked the full monthly norm cannot be below the minimum. Russia has two: the federal minimum wage (MROT) and a regional minimum where the region sets a higher one. The app checks the monthly calculation and a salary when you enter it, and warns if pay is below the minimum at the place of work.

What you need to start#

• A Russian employer company in Payroll.
• People’s place of work: locations with addresses, separate divisions or the company address marked as a place where people work.
• For employees — a salary or rate and the share of full time (full, half and so on).

Federal MROT#

From 1 January 2026 the federal MROT is 27,093 ₽ a month (Federal Law No. 82-FZ as amended by Federal Law No. 429-FZ). It applies wherever there is no higher regional minimum. Other thresholds are also counted from the federal MROT, not the regional one: the minimum sick pay and the boundary of the reduced small business contribution rate (1.5 MROT).

Regional minimum#

A region can set its own minimum by a regional agreement (Art. 133.1 of the Labour Code). It cannot be lower than the federal one. The agreement applies to a company if, within 30 days of the publication of the proposal to join, it did not send a reasoned written refusal. The regional minimum does not apply to civil (GPH) contracts or to organisations financed from the federal budget.

Place of work, not registered address#

The minimum follows the region where a person works. The app looks for it in this order:

1. the place of work set for the employee personally (remote, travelling, on-site work) — with an explanation;
2. the location or separate division where they work;
3. the company address — only if it is marked as a place where people work.

If the place is unknown or the employee’s locations are in different regions, the app uses the federal MROT and says where to set the region. The app only suggests a region from an address — you confirm it. Where it is in the app: the “Workplace and minimum wage” button in the monthly calculation.

Share of full time and an incomplete month#

The minimum is set for the full norm. For part-time work it is reduced proportionally: at half time — half the minimum. If a person did not work the whole month (hired mid-month, sick, on leave), the minimum is compared with the share of the norm worked. When the norm or the hours are unknown, the app says “not checked” and why, rather than inventing a result.

Which payments count#

• Count: salary or rate, piecework earnings, regular bonuses.
• Do not count: overtime, night work, work on weekends and holidays (Arts. 152–154 of the Labour Code).
• In Moscow and Saint Petersburg the agreements also exclude supplements for harmful conditions and for combining duties (Arts. 147, 151 of the Labour Code).

If the nature of a pay line is unclear, the app flags it separately — check the line with your accountant.

Four regions verified for 2026#

For other regions the regional minimum is not yet verified in the app: it compares with the federal MROT and says that the regional minimum has not been checked yet. If the minimum in your region is higher, enter it manually with its basis (agreement number and date) in the “For the accountant” block of the “Workplace and minimum wage” window; it cannot be lower than the federal MROT. The verification covers 2026: for later dates the app again uses the federal MROT with a warning.

What to do when you see a warning#

1. Check the person’s place of work: is the region right?
2. Check the share of full time and the days worked.
3. See whether all regular payments are in the calculation.
4. If pay really is below the minimum — raise the salary or add a supplement. The app does not accrue anything by itself.
5. If the agreement does not apply to the company (a reasoned refusal was sent, financing from the federal budget), record this with the document in “For the accountant”.

Sick pay and other federal thresholds#

The regional minimum affects only the pay check. Minimum sick pay is counted from the federal MROT, as is the 1.5 MROT boundary of the reduced small business contribution rate: the regional amount is not used there.

Limitations#

• No automatic top-up to the minimum and no recalculation of approved months.
• Only four regions and only 2026 are verified.
• The app does not determine the region from an address without your confirmation; nor does it derive Far North areas from the region — they are marked separately.
• The minimum check does not apply to civil (GPH) contracts or the self-employed.

FAQ#

The company is registered in Moscow, but the café is in the Moscow Region. Which minimum applies? The Moscow Region one: what matters is the region where people work.

A half-time employee in Moscow earns 15,000 ₽. Is that a breach? The comparison is with half the Moscow minimum — 19,865 ₽, so pay is below the minimum and the app will warn.

Can night and holiday pay make up the minimum? No, they are not included in the comparison.

Related sections#

• Getting started: company → people → month → payout → report
• Words of the Russian Payroll section
• Five payroll reports