What Is the Minimum Wage?
Definition
Minimum Wage: The lowest pay an employer may legally give a worker for a month or an hour of work. The law or a government body sets it, and other payroll limits and exemptions are often tied to it.
The minimum wage is the lowest pay an employer may legally give a worker for a period of work. The law or a government body sets it and updates it. Payroll calculators use it as the floor for the gross salary, and other limits, such as social insurance floors or tax exemptions, are often tied to it.
Where it appears in the formulas
The gross to net salary calculator uses the minimum wage in three places: the gross salary cannot be below it, the income tax exemption is the tax on the minimum wage’s own base, and stamp duty is (gross − minimum wage) × stamp duty rate.
In Türkiye
The minimum wage is the lowest pay an employer in Türkiye may give a full-time worker. The Minimum Wage Determination Commission sets it and the decision appears in the Official Gazette (Labour Law 4857 art. 39). In 2026 the gross minimum wage is 33,030 TRY a month and the net minimum wage 28,075.50 TRY. The stamp duty rate is 7.59 per mille. The social security earnings floor is also 33,030 TRY a month in 2026 (SGK).