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Minimum hourly rate: is this price even legal?
The minimum hourly rate is the least one hour of work can cost. A cheap quote can be efficient work — or a sign that somebody is not being paid. This calculator works out the least one hour of work can cost when the worker gets the Finnish construction collective agreement's minimum wage and the employer pays the statutory contributions.
If a rate is below this, there is no way a legal wage is left for the person doing the work — let alone tools, travel, administration or margin.
Legal floor
€25.90 / h
Collective-agreement wages from 01/06/2026
Not included: personal pay component, overtime, sick pay, travel allowances, tools, vehicles, administration or margin.
What the floor is made of
| Minimum wage, pay group IV | €17.12 |
| + Holiday pay and holiday bonus 18.5 % | €3.17 |
| + Separate pay component (incl. public holidays) 7.7 % | €1.32 |
| = Worker's earnings in total (+26.2 %) | €21.61 |
| + Employer contributions on earnings 19.89 %TyEL 17.10 % · health 1.91 % · unemployment 0.31 % · accident 0.51 % · group life 0.06 % | €4.30 |
| = Floor per hour | €25.90 |
Assumptions
Floor by pay group
| Group | Minimum wage | Floor / h |
|---|---|---|
| I Beginner | €12.59 | €19.05 |
| II Some experience | €14.19 | €21.47 |
| III Beginning professional | €15.55 | €23.53 |
| IV Professional | €17.12 | €25.90 |
| V Experienced professional | €18.64 | €28.20 |
| VI Highly experienced professional | €19.93 | €30.15 |
Collective-agreement wages from 01/06/2026, default contributions. Calculated 20/10/2026.
Key facts
Updated
- Pay group IV (professional) from 1 June 2026
- €17.12/h(source)
- Holiday pay and holiday bonus
- 18.5 % of wages(source)
- Separate pay component (incl. public holidays)
- 7.7 % of wages(source)
- Employer TyEL pension contribution 2026 (avg.)
- 17.10 %(source)
- Health + unemployment insurance 2026
- 1.91 % + 0.31 %(source)
Frequently asked
What is included in the floor?
The pay group's collective-agreement minimum hourly wage, holiday pay and holiday bonus (18.5 %), the separate pay component (7.7 %), and the employer's pension (TyEL), health insurance, unemployment insurance, accident insurance and group life contributions. Contributions are levied on total earnings, i.e. on top of holiday pay.
What is NOT included?
The personal pay component, overtime, sick pay, travel allowances, tools, protective gear, vehicles, administration and margin. The real cost is always higher — the floor is the level a legal price cannot go below.
Which pay group should I pick?
Under the collective agreement a skilled construction worker belongs in pay group IV or higher. Groups I–II are for beginners and need a separate justification.
The rate is below the floor. What now?
Ask how the price is built: what wage the workers get, which collective agreement is applied, and whether the company's insurance and taxes are in order. Ask for the Contractor's Liability Act documents and run the subcontractor quick check.
Doing this every week?
Qypärä collects site hours by phone, works out overtime and pay under the collective agreement and invoices the client — with the same rules these tools use.