€1,200 gross in Greece: what families and long-serving staff take home
€1,200 gross works out at €962 net per payment for a childless employee over 30, with fourteen payments a year.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy
At €1,200 gross a month a single employee over 30 takes home €962 per payment in 2026, after €160 of e-EFKA contributions and €77 of income tax, or €13,469 over the year's fourteen payments. This is the salary at which family status changes the payslip most visibly, though not always as parents expect. With two dependent children income tax does not disappear: €40 is still withheld each month, because the zero-tax zone for a two-child family ends at roughly €938 gross. With three children the withholding falls to €1, a rounding error, and vanishes completely below about €1,184. The figure also matters to long-serving staff on the statutory wage: three seniority steps take the minimum to €1,196, only €4 short of €1,200, so a new job at this level may pay little more than the floor you have already reached.
Net pay per payment
€962
€13,469 net a year · €1,122 a month on a 12-month basis
| EFKA contributions (13.37 %) | −€160 |
| Income tax withheld | −€77 |
| Scale tax per year | €1,811 |
| Article 16 tax reduction | −€726 |
| Marginal tax rate | 20 % |
| Employer cost per payment | €1,461 |
Private sector, package code 101 (main and auxiliary pension, health, DYPA). Tax is spread evenly over the year’s payments.
2026 rates from Greek law, e-EFKA and the Ministry of Labour · calculated in your browser, nothing is sent.
Why a two-child family still pays tax here
Children cut Greek income tax in two ways: a lower rate on the second band (18 %, 16 %, 9 % for one, two and three children instead of 20 %) and a bigger tax credit (€900, €1,120, €1,340). For two children at €1,200, the scale produces €1,629 of tax on taxable income of €14,554, while the credit, already trimmed because income passed €12,000, is €1,069. The gap of €560 a year is what gets withheld.
A third child changes the arithmetic: the second band drops to 9 % and the credit almost covers the scale, leaving €21 a year. From four children the first two bands are taxed at 0 %. The tax reduction for children page sets out every case.
Three seniority steps: the floor reaches €1,196
On the statutory minimum, each three-year block of service adds 10 %, capped at 3 blocks. After nine years the legal floor is €1,196 and stops rising with experience. Someone in that position who moves to a €1,200 job gains just €3 net per payment.
There is a second, less obvious trade-off. Pay linked to the minimum wage follows each official increase automatically, while a freely negotiated €1,200 only rises when your employer agrees. Before switching, ask how pay reviews work. Background on the floor itself is on the minimum wage page and the seniority increments guide.
€1,200 gross by number of children
| Children | ΕΦΚΑ | Tax | Net | Net per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | €160 | €77 | €962 | €13,469 |
| 1 | €160 | €62 | €977 | €13,683 |
| 2 | €160 | €40 | €1,000 | €13,994 |
| 3 | €160 | €1 | €1,038 | €14,533 |
| 4 | €160 | €0 | €1,040 | €14,554 |
€1,200 gross by age
| Age | Tax | Net | Net per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to 25 | €0 | €1,040 | €14,554 |
| 26 to 30 | €42 | €998 | €13,970 |
| 31 or older | €77 | €962 | €13,469 |