Fourteen salaries in Greece (2026): turning an annual offer into monthly pay
Private-sector employees in Greece receive fourteen payments a year: twelve monthly salaries, a Christmas bonus, an Easter bonus and a leave allowance.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy
Greek private-sector pay comes in fourteen instalments: twelve monthly salaries plus a Christmas bonus worth about one month, an Easter bonus worth about half a month and a leave allowance of up to half a month. So the monthly gross on a contract is the annual figure divided by fourteen. A €42,000 offer means €3,000 gross a month, not the €3,500 you would get dividing by twelve, and €2,072 net per payment for an employee over 30 without children. The split does not change the tax: Greece taxes employment income annually, so the same €42,000 paid in twelve instalments would also leave €29,003 net over the year. What changes is cash flow. December brings almost a double salary, the Easter month half as much again, and the month your summer holiday starts another half. Spread over twelve months, €42,000 is worth €2,417 a month net, the figure to compare with a salary from abroad. The calculator below runs the comparison for your own annual figure.
14 or 12 payments: the same year?
Net per year
€16,307
| Net per payment over 14 | €1,165 |
| Net per payment over 12 | €1,359 |
| Gross per payment over 14 | €1,500 |
Annual offers converted, with net pay
| Annual gross | Monthly gross (÷14) | Net per payment | Net per year | Net per month, 12-month basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €25,000 | €1,786 | €1,351 | €18,910 | €1,576 |
| €32,000 | €2,286 | €1,663 | €23,277 | €1,940 |
| €42,000 | €3,000 | €2,072 | €29,003 | €2,417 |
| €55,000 | €3,929 | €2,559 | €35,828 | €2,986 |
| €70,000 | €5,000 | €3,118 | €43,659 | €3,638 |
| €90,000 | €6,429 | €3,812 | €53,362 | €4,447 |
Every row assumes a full year with one employer, fourteen payments, no dependent children and an age over 30. The fourth column is the number to keep in mind when you weigh a Greek offer against one from London, Berlin or Dubai: it is what reaches your account over twelve months. The last column simply divides it by twelve. If you are 30 or younger, or have children, your tax is lower; the main calculator handles both.
What the two extra payments are
Greeks call them the doro Christougennon (Christmas gift), the doro Pascha (Easter gift) and the epidoma adeias (leave allowance). Despite the word “gift”, they are compulsory for every private-sector employer and the Labour Inspectorate enforces them. The Christmas bonus covers work between 1 May and 31 December and equals one month’s pay; the Easter bonus covers 1 January to 30 April and equals half a month; the leave allowance equals up to half a month and comes with your annual leave. Both holiday bonuses are topped up by a 4.17 % leave-allowance share, which is why a year of Greek pay is in fact slightly more than fourteen salaries.
The detailed rules, including the pro-rata formulas for anyone who started or left during a reference period, are on the pages for the Christmas bonus, the Easter bonus and the leave allowance. This page is about the shape of the year.
A year of payslips on €2,000 gross
| Month | Gross paid | Approximate net |
|---|---|---|
| January – March | €2,000 | €1,484 |
| April or May (Easter) | €3,042 | €2,258 |
| Month your summer leave starts | €3,000 | €2,227 |
| Other months | €2,000 | €1,484 |
| December (Christmas) | €4,083 | €3,031 |
The net figures apply the same average deduction rate as the monthly salary, which is how Greek payroll treats a bonus: the annual tax is spread in proportion to each payment, so a bigger payment carries a bigger deduction but not a higher rate. Where exactly the leave allowance falls depends on when you take your main holiday; for many employees that is July or August, so summer often brings a heavier payslip as well.
For budgeting, the practical rule is to set fixed costs against the ordinary monthly net and earmark the three bonus months for annual bills: the car’s road tax, insurance, school fees, the property tax. A rent of €900 that looks comfortable against a twelve-month average can feel tight in October, when no bonus is due.
Your fourteen payments, one by one
Gross per year
€19,687
| 12 salaries | €16,800 |
| Christmas bonus | €1,458 |
| Easter bonus | €729 |
| Leave allowance | €700 |
Negotiating: the three questions to ask
First, ask whether a figure is “times fourteen” or “times twelve”. Greek recruiters usually quote monthly gross, international firms often quote an annual package, and the two can be confused in the same conversation. Second, ask whether the annual figure includes a performance bonus; a discretionary bonus is not one of the fourteen payments and carries no guarantee. Third, ask what the gross means in your situation: the same €3,000 gives a different net depending on your age and children, as the Greek salary calculator shows.
If you are working backwards from what you need to live on, decide first whether your target is per payment or per month averaged over the year, then use the net-to-gross calculator. Confusing the two is the most common reason newcomers end up asking for less than they meant to, or, less often, pricing themselves out of an offer.
When you do not get fourteen
In your first calendar year, fourteen is rarely exactly fourteen. Start in June and that year’s Easter bonus is not yours, while the Christmas bonus is prorated from your first day. Leave in September and you receive the share of the Christmas bonus earned since 1 May, plus pay for any annual leave you had not taken. Day workers count bonuses in daily wages rather than months, 25 for Christmas and 15 for Easter, which our daily wage guide converts into euros. Part-time staff are paid in proportion to their agreed hours, and their leave allowance follows the same reduced pay.