Minimum wage in Uganda 2026: what the law says and what you can actually rely on

Can my employer pay me whatever they like?

On the amount, nothing in the law we opened sets a floor, so your wage is what you and your employer agree. That's why it's worth getting the figure in writing before you start. But an employer can't ignore the rest of the Employment Act just because there's no minimum wage. Your contract can give you more than the law, never less.

The Act assumes your wage covers a 48 hour week. Without a written agreement to the contrary, extra hours are paid at no less than 1.5 times your hourly rate on normal days and 2 times on gazetted public holidays. That means the hours behind your pay matter as much as the amount.

What protects you when there's no minimum wage

If you normally work 16 hours a week or more, annual leave builds up at seven days for every four months of continuous service, once you've served six months. Maternity leave is sixty working days on full pay. Paternity leave is four working days a year. Since June 2026, sick pay runs at full wages for the first two months and half pay for the next four, and severance, where it's due, is one month's salary for each year worked.

NSSF applies to employers of any size. Your employer must deduct 5% of your gross wage and add 10%. If you're owed money, a labour officer can take your complaint. Our guide below explains how, and keeping your payslips and a record of your hours makes that much easier.

A useful number: what low pay really leaves you

On low pay, the main deduction you'll see is NSSF, because the first UGX 335,000 a month has no PAYE. A worker on UGX 200,000 pays 10,000 to NSSF and takes home 190,000 in a month without Local Service Tax. On UGX 300,000, take-home is 285,000. On UGX 400,000 you pay PAYE as well: 13,000 in tax and 20,000 to NSSF leave 367,000.

Local Service Tax is on top for pay above 100,000 a month. It's UGX 5,000 a year at 100,001 to 200,000 and UGX 10,000 a year at up to 300,000, and it's collected in the first four months of the financial year, July to October.

How to ask for a better wage without a legal minimum

Use what's public. Government scales are published: support staff with UCE on U8 Lower are on UGX 187,660 to 213,832, with additional requirements on U8 Upper it's UGX 209,859 to 237,069, and entry posts without additional training on U7 Lower are on UGX 268,143 to 289,361. Very few private adverts print pay. When we counted on 2 November 2026, one of the 355 open vacancies on work.co.ug did, and our page of employers that publish salary shows it.

Then work out what you need to take home and turn it into a gross figure with our What salary to ask for tool, linked at the bottom of this page. Ask for a written offer that states gross pay, hours and any allowances.

Will Uganda get a minimum wage soon?

We can't say, and nor can anyone selling a date. The Office of the President's report of January 2026, on a campaign rally in Buikwe, has the President saying government is planning a minimum wage but hasn't implemented it. He says it must first bring down the cost of electricity, transport and bank loans, so that a wage floor doesn't push investors out. The report gives no date.

We'll update this page when an official order is published. If you see a claim that a new figure has started, look for a gazette notice or a statement from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development before you rely on it.

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