What must an employer do when the minimum wage rises in July 2026?

A minimum-wage increase does not apply itself. Every contract at the old level needs an addendum, and the change must be reported in REGES-ONLINE within a short deadline, or a fine follows independently of any pay shortfall.

Short answer

The gross minimum wage is 4,325 lei from 1 July 2026, up from 4,050 lei in the first half of the year.
The employer signs an addendum to every individual employment contract below the new level.
The change is reported in REGES-ONLINE within 20 working days of occurring, i.e. by 28 July 2026.
Late reporting is fined 5,000 to 8,000 lei.
July payslips are recomputed on the new base, and the July D112 return carries the new figures.

What the law says

The gross minimum wage for the second half of 2026 is set by Government Decision 146/2026.
The deadline for reporting a pay change in REGES-ONLINE is 20 working days, under Decision 295/2025 art. 5 para. (4).
The penalty for failing to report is set by Decision 295/2025 art. 9 para. (3) lit. a) at 5,000 to 8,000 lei.
Paying below the minimum wage is a separate offence, fined 3,000 to 5,000 lei per employee, capped at 200,000 lei in total.
The contributions are unchanged: 25% pension, 10% health and 10% income tax withheld from the employee, plus a 2.25% employer levy.

How it is done, step by step

Identify every contract with a base salary below 4,325 lei gross as at 1 July 2026.
Draw up an addendum for each, effective 1 July 2026.
Sign the addenda with the employees and keep a copy in the personnel file.
Report the changes in REGES-ONLINE by 28 July 2026.
Recompute the July payslips and check any allowances calculated as a percentage of base pay.
File the July D112 with the new contribution bases, by 25 August 2026.

Practical examples

An employee at 4,050 lei gross moves to 4,325 lei: the 275 lei difference flows into contributions and tax, so the employer's total cost rises by more than 275 lei.
An employee at 5,500 lei gross needs no addendum — already above the new minimum.
An allowance of 10% of base pay rises with the base; if it was set as a fixed amount it stays unchanged.

Common mistakes

Recomputing the payslip without signing the addenda: the contract still shows the old salary, a non-compliance at inspection.
Missing the REGES-ONLINE deadline, which is 20 working days, not one month.
Forgetting percentage-based allowances, which must be recomputed on the new base.
Using the new 4,325 lei minimum for sole traders' contribution thresholds, which are pegged to the 1 January level instead.

How 4conta helps

4conta finds the contracts left below the new minimum, generates the addenda in bulk and recomputes payslips, including allowances set as a percentage of base pay.

The 20-working-day REGES-ONLINE deadline enters the obligations calendar with the exact date computed from the day of the change, and that month's D112 is prepared on the new bases.