Minimum wage · Zambia
Minimum wage in Zambia 2026: every category for general workers, drivers and clerks
The lowest general minimum is K1,487 a month basic, or K7.15 an hour. A qualified clerk's is K2,861.36. This is the latest order we could find, checked on 2 November 2026.
The general minimum wage in Zambia runs from K1,487 to K2,861.36 a month in basic pay, depending on your job. On top of that, the employer owes a housing allowance of 30% of basic if it doesn't house you, K200 for transport if you live over 3 km away and get no transport, and K180 for lunch unless it gives you a free meal. So a general worker owed all three should get K2,313.10 a month. These figures come from Statutory Instrument 48 of 2023, in operation since 1 January 2024.
| Category and jobs | Per month | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| I: General worker, including in mining, construction, manufacturing and transport. Cleaner, helper, food preparation assistant, garbage and recycling collector, handy person, office orderly, service station attendant | K1,487.00 | K7.15 |
| II: Security guard | K1,487.00 | K7.15 |
| III: Assistant sales person, packer, book binder, printer, print finisher | K1,801.98 | K8.66 |
| IV: Driver, pump attendant, worker with a craft certificate for the job | K2,119.23 | K10.19 |
| V: Typist, receptionist, telephonist | K2,296.89 | K11.04 |
| VI: Sales person | K2,680.92 | K12.89 |
| VII: Qualified clerk, machine operator | K2,861.36 | K13.76 |
All figures are basic pay before allowances, and they exclude any amount paid in place of rations. We read them from the Gazette scan of 24 November 2023. Bus drivers, truck drivers, shop workers and domestic workers have their own orders.
Is there a new minimum wage for 2026?
Not one we could find. On 2 November 2026 the newest general order on the Ministry of Labour's publications page was still SI 48 of 2023. Bus and truck drivers did get a rise in 2025 under their own order. If a new general order is gazetted, these numbers will change, so check the Ministry's page before you rely on them in a dispute.
How much is a general worker paid in Zambia?
At least K1,487 a month in basic pay. With housing at 30% of basic (K446.10), transport (K200) and lunch (K180), that comes to K2,313.10. That total is our own addition from the order, not a figure the Gazette prints. If your employer houses you, feeds you or carries you to work, the matching allowance falls away.
The same sum for a Category IV driver gives K2,119.23 + K635.77 + K200 + K180 = K3,135.00. For a Category VII clerk it gives K2,861.36 + K858.41 + K200 + K180 = K4,099.77.
What else does the order give you?
If you work between 18:00 and 06:00, you get 15% more per hour for those hours. If you must bring your own tools, the employer owes at least K150 a month. A night away from home on the employer's business pays at least K390 in Zambia, or US$25 outside it.
If you're moved permanently to a town where you must live away from home, you get transport there and one month's full salary. If you leave a permanent job before retirement, separation pay is at least one month's basic pay for each completed year. On the death of an employee, a spouse, a registered child or a dependant, the employer provides a standard coffin and K1,500. Work that could harm you requires protective equipment.
Who doesn't this order cover?
Civil servants, local authority staff, domestic workers, people in management, and unionised staff whose pay is set by collective bargaining are all outside it. So are people on better terms than the order, and sectors with their own order.
Those other orders set different floors. Domestic workers have K1,100 a month or K5.29 an hour. Shop workers run from K1,487 to K3,142.26, and a cashier or supervisor is in the top category. The Ministry states a basic minimum of K3,000 for bus drivers and K4,000 for truck drivers.
What would I take home on the minimum wage?
On K2,313.10 you're well under the K5,100 line, so you pay no PAYE. NAPSA at 5% of gross would be K115.66 and NHIMA at 1% of basic would be K14.87, which leaves K2,182.57. NAPSA exempts people below a minimum earnings level set by the Minister. We couldn't confirm that amount from an official page, so check your payslip. To see the same sum on our take-home calculator, type K2,313.10 as gross and K1,487 as basic.
What can I do if I'm paid below the minimum?
Keep your payslips and your contract, and raise it with your employer in writing first. You can complain to the Ministry of Labour at [email protected] or on WhatsApp at +260958081088. In a 2025 statement about drivers' wages, the Ministry said non-compliance with minimum wage rules will lead to sanctions and that it will carry out inspections. The order also says it can't be used to cut pay or benefits you already had.
Sources
Checked 2 November 2026. Each figure keeps the period and scope of its source.
- Minimum Wages and Conditions of Employment (General) Order, SI 48 of 2023
- Ministry of Labour and Social Security: publications page, checked 2 November 2026
- Domestic Workers Order, SI 49 of 2023
- Shop Workers Order, SI 50 of 2023
- Ministry of Labour: statement on bus and truck drivers' wages, 11 April 2025
- ZRA: Pay As You Earn, 2026 bands