In short: Guatemala’s 2026 minimum wage is two-tier (set by Acuerdo Gubernativo 256-2025): CE1 (Guatemala Dept.) pays Q4,002.28/mo non-agricultural base, plus the Q250 bonificación = Q4,252.28 total; CE2 (rest of country) pays Q3,816.90 base. Workers also receive Aguinaldo (full month, half in December and half in January) and Bono 14 (full month, July) — so true annual pay is ~14 months. IGSS contributions: 4.83% employee, 10.67% employer (IGSS). Income tax (ISR) on salaries: a Q48,000/yr personal-expense deduction with no receipts needed, then 5% on taxable income up to Q300,000 and Q15,000 plus 7% above that (Decreto 10-2012, arts. 72-73). For local pay, the highest figures actually reported to Computrabajo are Q19,500 (architect) and Q19,000 (marketing manager) per month. We deliberately publish no figure for remote work for a US company: this page has no sourced figure for it, and the Q40,000 previously quoted here was unsourced. Minimum wage from Acuerdo Gubernativo 256-2025; salary figures retrieved 7 October 2026.
Guatemala’s Labor Market in 2026
Starting 1 January 2026, the minimum wage is set via Acuerdo Gubernativo 256-2025 and uses two economic zones: CE1 (all municipalities of Guatemala Department) pays higher than CE2 (the rest of the country). Within each tier, wages vary by sector: non-agricultural, agricultural, and maquila (export manufacturing).
Understanding Guatemala Salaries
Salary figures on this page are monthly gross amounts. In addition to the base salary, employers must provide:
- Aguinaldo – a full month’s ordinary salary for a year of service, paid half in the first half of December and half in the second half of January (Decreto 76-78, art. 2; an employer may pay it all in December)
- Bono 14 – another month’s ordinary salary, paid in the first half of July (Decreto 42-92, art. 3)
- IGSS – employee contribution 4.83% of salary and employer contribution 10.67%, 15.5% in total (IGSS, 3 October 2022)
- Vacaciones – at least 15 working days of paid vacation after each year of continuous work (Labor Code, art. 130)
- Indemnizacion – one month’s salary per year of continuous service on unjustified dismissal (Labor Code, art. 82)
This means the true annual compensation is approximately 14 months of the stated monthly salary, minus IGSS deductions.
Many Guatemalan families supplement local salaries with remittances from relatives in the US — according to the Banco de Guatemala (Cuadro 1, all origins), family remittances into Guatemala totalled US$25.53 billion in 2025. Two services to compare: Wise, which says it uses the mid-market exchange rate and shows its fees upfront, and Remitly, which lists Banrural among its Guatemala payout partners for cash pickup and bank deposit (both pages read 24 September 2026).
The Remote Work Advantage
Our salaries dataset carries no figure for US-paid remote workers (the value it once showed was unsourced and has been withdrawn), so we give no multiplier; compare an offer against the locally reported salaries in the table above, the cost of living and the internet connection where you will live.
If you work remote from Guatemala on US-side credentials and banking, a VPN on cafe / coworking WiFi protects your sessions, for example NordVPN.
Salary Negotiation Tips
- Ask for the full package in writing – base salary, bonificacion, and any allowance or insurance the employer offers
- Check the bonificacion – Decreto 37-2001 (art. 1) creates the Q250 bonificacion incentivo for private-sector workers, to be paid together with the monthly salary
- Check which minimum-wage zone applies – the 2026 minimum is higher in CE1 (Guatemala department) than in CE2 (Acuerdo Gubernativo 256-2025)
- Remote opportunities – check our internet guide to ensure your area has reliable connectivity for remote work
Understanding Your Take-Home Pay
Use the salary calculator above to see your actual take-home pay after deductions. Here is how the math works:
- IGSS deduction (4.83%) – withheld from your gross salary every month for social security
- ISR (income tax) – employees may deduct Q48,000 a year of personal expenses without receipts, plus up to Q12,000 credited for IVA on invoices (Decreto 10-2012, art. 72). The rate is 5% on taxable income up to Q300,000, then Q15,000 plus 7% on the excess (art. 73).
- Bonificacion incentivo (Q250/month) – paid on top of the base salary; Decreto 78-89 (art. 2) says it does not create taxable income for the worker
To see the take-home pay for a given salary after IGSS and ISR, use the net salary calculator. The two annual bonuses (Aguinaldo, paid half in December and half in January; Bono 14, paid in July) add two extra months of ordinary salary per year of service.
Compare salary purchasing power with our canasta basica tracker and cost of living calculator. Check today’s exchange rate for USD conversions. Curious what US dollars actually buy? See is $100 a lot in Guatemala?.
Related Resources
- Emergency Numbers & Directory – Every phone number you need in Guatemala
- Construction Costs – What it costs to build a house in Guatemala
- Banking Guide – How to open accounts and manage money
- Guatemala Consulates in the US – For diaspora needing documents
- Guatemala Statistics – Official wage, price and cost-of-living data in one citable page
Sources
- 2026 minimum wage: Acuerdo Gubernativo 256-2025, figures read on 8 October 2026 in the AGN note, the Diario de Centro America note and the EY Centroamerica tax alert. For CE2 maquila, EY prints Q3,221.10 a month and the AGN and DCA notes print Q3,321.10; the daily Q105.90 that AGN and DCA print × 365/12 = Q3,221.12, so this page uses Q3,221.10.
- Reported salaries: Computrabajo Guatemala salary pages for Arquitecto/a, Jefe/a de márketing, Programador/a, Médico/a and Abogado/a, read 7 October 2026 (Guatemala time).
- Aguinaldo: Decreto 76-78. Bono 14: Decreto 42-92. Vacation and severance: Labor Code, CENADOJ text, arts. 82 and 130.
- IGSS contributions: IGSS note of 3 October 2022.
- Income tax: Decreto 10-2012 (SAT), arts. 72-73. Bonificación: Decreto 37-2001 and Decreto 78-89.
- Food basket: INE, Canasta Básica Alimentaria, September 2026 figure.