Your wage
You must be paid in money, on time, and never below the legal minimum.
Your wage is not a favour — it is a legal debt the employer owes you for every hour worked. Croatian law sets a minimum, requires written proof, and protects your pay even if the employer is angry with you or you decide to leave.
Key facts
- There is a legal minimum wage (gross about €970/month in 2025), updated each year.
- Pay must come on time, in money, to a bank account — not "later" or in cash only.
- You must receive a written payslip (platna lista) showing hours and deductions.
- Overtime, night work and Sunday work are paid at a higher rate.
- Unpaid wages stay owed to you even after you leave the job.
In detail
How and when you must be paid
Wages are paid at least once a month, by the date in your contract, into your bank account. The employer must give you a written payslip so you can see your hours, your gross pay and what was deducted for tax and contributions. If money is missing or the payslip never comes, that is a problem you can report.
Deductions, debts and "fines"
An employer may only deduct what the law allows — tax, contributions, and rent only if you agreed to it in writing. They cannot invent "fines", charge you for tools or small mistakes, or take your wage to repay a recruitment debt. Your pay is yours.
- Legal deductions: income tax and social contributions.
- Rent only if you signed an agreement for it.
- Never legal: invented fines, "deposits" kept forever, recruitment debt.
Warning signs
- Your pay is always "late" or comes in random amounts.
- You are paid only in cash with no payslip.
- Money is taken for "fines", tools, or a recruitment debt.
- You are paid less than was written in your contract.
What you can do
- Save every payslip and write down your hours yourself.
- Keep proof of what was promised (contract, messages).
- Report unpaid wages to the Labour Inspectorate — it is free.
- A union can claim unpaid wages for you, even after you leave.