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Average net earnings amounted to HUF 546,000, representing an 11.3% increase compared to March 2025. The faster rise in net earnings was partly due to the expansion of the family tax allowance and tax allowances for mothers.
The statistical office said net wage growth was significantly affected by the higher family tax allowance introduced in two steps, from July 1, 2025, and Jan. 1, 2026. It was also influenced by the personal income tax exemption introduced from Oct. 1, 2025, for mothers raising three children, the exemption introduced from Jan. 1, 2026, for mothers under 40 raising two children, and the expansion of the tax allowance for mothers under 30.
Regular average gross earnings, excluding premiums and one-month bonuses, stood at HUF 706,900 in March, 9% higher than in the same month of the previous year.
In the business sector, regular gross earnings reached HUF 703,100, up 8.9% year-on-year. In the budgetary sector, they amounted to HUF 708,300, rising by 9.5%, while in the nonprofit sector they reached HUF 738,200, an 8.3% increase. The above-average wage growth in the public sector was explained by pre-scheduled wage increases.
Real earnings rose by 9.3% year-on-year, supported by wage growth and a 1.8% increase in consumer prices over the same period.
Median earnings also showed strong growth. Median gross earnings reached HUF 609,000, 10.7% higher than a year earlier, while median net earnings amounted to HUF 432,100, up 13.2% compared to March 2025.
The data points to continued strong wage growth in Hungary, with net earnings outpacing gross wage increases as tax allowances play a larger role in household income developments.
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