MTSS: Minimum Wage and How to Report an Employer

The Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social (MTSS) sets the minimum wage by job category and handles complaints from workers against their employers for labor law violations.

Minimum wage: it is set by the Consejo Nacional de Salarios, with adjustments typically taking effect on January 1 of each year. For 2026, a general increase of 1.63% was approved for the private sector, with differentiated adjustments by category (for example, 3.96% for domestic work, 2.18% for specialized occupations, 2.50% for mid-level technical education). The exact amounts in colones vary significantly depending on the job category — for the specific amount for a position, consult the official table in effect at mtss.go.cr, "Salarios Mínimos" section, "Decreto vigente" (do not use amounts from third-party sites, which may be outdated).

How to report an employer: if an employer does not pay the minimum wage, does not pay the year-end bonus (aguinaldo), does not pay overtime, does not register the worker with the CCSS, or commits another labor violation, a complaint can be filed with the Inspección de Trabajo of the MTSS. Inspections can also be initiated ex officio, but they are most commonly triggered by a worker's complaint.

What can happen after the complaint: the Inspección de Trabajo may visit the business, verify the situation, and order the retroactive payment of owed wage differences (plus legal interest), in addition to imposing administrative fines on the employer, which depending on the case can range from 1 to 23 base salaries (salarios base).

Note: the exact channel (in person, by phone, or online) to file a complaint with the Inspección de Trabajo was not confirmed in this verification, nor were the details of the MTSS job board service — confirm directly at mtss.go.cr.