Ghana's 2026 minimum wage is GH₵21.77 a day. Here's what it means for payroll
How to turn the daily minimum wage into a monthly figure, why GH₵587.79 keeps appearing in payroll rules, and what casual and temporary workers are owed.
Frank Oppong Konadu2 min read
Figures checked against official sources on 17 October 2026.
The National Tripartite Committee set Ghana’s 2026 national daily minimum wage at GH₵21.77, up 9% from GH₵19.97, from 1 January 2026. It is a daily figure, but most people are paid monthly, so the first question is always how to convert it.
From a daily rate to a monthly one
The Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) answers this for temporary and casual workers in section 76, and it’s the method most payrolls use:
| Working pattern | Monthly minimum | 2026 figure |
|---|---|---|
| Weekdays only | Daily wage × 27 | GH₵21.77 × 27 = GH₵587.79 |
| Every day of the week | Daily wage × 365 ÷ 12 | GH₵21.77 × 365 ÷ 12 = GH₵662.17 |
So a full-time employee who works weekdays should not be paid less than GH₵587.79 a month in basic pay.
Why GH₵587.79 keeps showing up
You’ll see almost the same number in three different places in a Ghanaian payslip, and it isn’t a coincidence:
- Minimum wage: GH₵587.79 a month, as above.
- SSNIT: the 2026 minimum insurable earnings is GH₵587.79, so the smallest Tier 1 contribution is about GH₵79.35.
- PAYE: from September 2026, the first GH₵588 of monthly chargeable income is taxed at 0%. Minimum wage earnings are also exempt from income tax.
In other words, a worker on the minimum wage pays SSNIT but no PAYE.
Casual and temporary workers
The Labour Act gives casual and temporary workers specific protections that are easy to miss:
- Equal pay for work of equal value for each day worked (section 74).
- Overtime pay under the same rules as permanent staff (section 74).
- A full day’s minimum pay for each day they turn up, even if bad weather stops the work and you can’t find them something else to do (sections 74 and 76).
- Absence: a weekday-only casual worker can lose 1/27 of the monthly minimum for each day they’re absent (section 76).
- Six months turns them permanent. A temporary worker employed continuously by the same employer for six months or more must be treated as a permanent worker (section 75).
- Minimum wage, hours of work, rest periods, paid public holidays, night work and sick leave rules all apply to temporary workers (section 75).
That six-month rule catches a lot of employers out. If you have “temporary” staff who have been with you for a year, they are permanent workers in the eyes of the law, with permanent workers’ leave and termination rights.
A checklist for January each year
- Update the daily rate as soon as the Tripartite Committee announces it, and check every contract that pays at or near the minimum.
- Recalculate monthly minimums for both weekday-only and seven-day workers.
- Update SSNIT’s minimum insurable earnings and maximum ceiling at the same time.
- List your temporary workers by start date, and review anyone approaching six months.
- Make sure casual workers who attend are paid for the day, rain or shine.
How Eban handles it
Eban supports monthly, daily and hourly contracts. For daily-paid and casual staff, pay can be worked out straight from attendance: days and hours clocked in become basic pay, with holiday and overtime rates from the work schedule. Contract start dates sit on every employee record, so temporary staff nearing the six-month mark are easy to spot.
