SMIC hôtelier 2025: hourly rate, gross and net amounts
31 March 2025 · 4 min reading time
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See job offersSince the revaluation of the statutory minimum wage (SMIC) in November 2024, the HCR sector (Hotels, Cafés, Restaurants) maintains a specific minimum wage, often called the hotel SMIC, set at €12 gross per hour. This increase reflects the need to adapt pay to the branch’s constraints: 39 weekly hours, staggered schedules, and a 10 % supplement for overtime (from the 36th to the 39th hour).
In this article, we will see how this pay grid differs from the general SMIC, why it exists, and which companies are required to apply it.
What is the hotel SMIC?
The term “hotel SMIC,” although widely used, can be confusing. In reality, it is not a SMIC in the strict sense, but rather a conventional minimum wage established specifically for the Hotels, Cafés, and Restaurants (HCR) sector in France. This pay framework is the result of the national collective agreement IDCC 1979, which sets out remuneration terms suited to the particularities and constraints of this sector. Thus, this conventional minimum wage is designed to reflect the realities of HCR professions—such as variations in activity, specific working hours, and availability requirements—ensuring a minimum pay adapted to the various positions within HCR establishments.
This includes a wide range of trades: cooks and kitchen assistants, who prepare meals; waiters and head waiters, who provide table service; receptionists and room attendants, who welcome and assist hotel guests; barmen and barmaids, who prepare and serve drinks; and many other roles essential to the smooth running of HCR establishments.
What are the differences between the hotel SMIC and the general SMIC?
The general SMIC (Salaire Minimum Interprofessionnel de Croissance) is the minimum wage floor that all employers in France must respect for a basis of 35 hours a week. It is re-assessed at least once a year (last revaluation in November 2024) to take account of inflation and changes in living standards.
By contrast, the hotel SMIC concerns specifically the employees of the HCR sector. Instead of relying on 35 hours, it is based on 39 weekly hours, of which 4 are paid with a 10 % bonus. This model aims to compensate for the constraints often associated with the sector: staggered schedules, heavy evening or weekend activity, and a need for increased availability.
Thus, even if this dedicated SMIC may appear higher, it is mainly a different organisation of working time, negotiated in the HCR collective agreement, to better match the reality of the job.
What is the gross and net hotel SMIC amount in 2025?
What is the 2025 gross hotel SMIC amount?
As of 2025, the gross hotel SMIC stands at €12 per hour, and about €2 048 gross per month for 39 hours of work per week.
What is the 2025 net hotel SMIC amount?
In 2025, the net monthly hotel SMIC is €1 609 for 39 hours of work per week, with a net hourly rate of about €9.50 for 39 hours of work per week.
2025 hotel SMIC grid by step
Salary grid applicable in the Hotels, Cafés, Restaurants sector. Source: HR Infos.
Understanding the HCR salary grid
The grid divides employees into different levels, ranging from I to V, depending on their responsibilities and the skills required, as well as into steps representing their experience in the job.
Levels: There are 5 levels, I to V, corresponding to different sets of responsibilities and skills. The levels assess the qualification required for a given post, including education levels such as higher studies.
Steps: The steps reflect employees’ experience in their position. The higher the number of years of experience, the higher the step. There are usually three steps: beginner, confirmed, and mastery.
General allocation: Employees are generally placed in levels 1 to 3 according to their skill level and experience. Supervisory staff are placed at level 4, while executives—who have higher qualifications such as a university degree (BAC + 3) or significant professional experience—are in level 5.
This classification allows wages to be determined fairly, ensuring that workers are rewarded according to their skills and career path.
How is the hotel SMIC calculated?
To better understand the calculation of the hotel SMIC, let us take the fictitious example of Marie, a kitchen assistant classified Level I, Step 1 in the HCR grid, at an hourly €12 gross rate. Instead of working 35 hours a week, she works 39; the four overtime hours (from the 36th to the 39th) are paid with a 10 % bonus.
In practice, if we convert this to a full month, Marie works about 151.55 “normal” hours (35 h × 4.33 weeks) and 17.32 “overtime” hours (4 h × 4.33 weeks). For these latter hours, the hourly rate is raised to €13.20 (i.e., €12 plus 10 %). Thus, the base salary for the 35 hours comes to around €1 818.60, while the overtime hours add about €228.62, leading to a total gross monthly pay of about €2 047.22 before bonuses or benefits in kind (meals, lodging, etc.).
Which companies fall under the HCR collective agreement?
The HCR collective agreement (IDCC 1979) applies to all companies whose main activity is to welcome, feed or serve customers in a hotel, restaurant or beverage-service setting. This includes, for example:
- Hotels (with or without a restaurant)
- Traditional restaurants, brasseries and pizzerias
- Cafés, bars and drinking establishments, whether or not they offer food service
Certain leisure activities linked to catering (bowling alleys, night-clubs, caterers organising receptions, etc.)
To check whether your establishment falls under this agreement, start by consulting your NAF/APE code. If it matches the list covered by IDCC 1979, the agreement applies. Otherwise, or if your activity is mixed (part restaurant, part takeaway, etc.), it may be necessary to seek legal advice to determine precisely which collective agreement applies.
Here is a list of establishments covered by the HCR agreement and therefore by the hotel SMIC:
Hotels and similar accommodation:
- Hotel with restaurant(s): 55.1A
- Tourist hotel without restaurant: 55.1C
- Prefecture-rated hotel: 55.1D
Food service:
- Traditional restaurant with table service: 56.10A
- Self-service restaurant (cafeteria type): 56.10B
- Drinking establishments: 56.30Z
- Traditional-type restaurant: 55.3A
- Café-tabac: 55.4A
- Drinking house: 55.4B
- Caterers: 56.21Z
- Event caterer: 55.5D
Leisure linked to catering:
- Bowling alleys: 93.11Z
- Night-clubs: 92.3H
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