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EFKA contributions — Greece’s social insurance, explained

EFKA (ΕΦΚΑ) is Greece’s unified social-insurance fund. For a standard private-sector employee, about 13.37% comes out of your gross pay and the employer adds about 21.79% on top. Contributions stop above a monthly earnings ceiling, and the minimum base is the minimum wage. The rates are the same whatever your nationality.

What it pays for

EFKA contributions fund your main pension, public healthcare, unemployment and related benefits. They’re split between several branches (pension, health in-kind and in-cash, unemployment) and shared between you and your employer.

The headline split (standard employee, 2026)

  • Employee: ~13.37% of gross, withheld from your pay.
  • Employer: ~21.79% of gross, paid on top (not deducted from you).
  • Combined: ~35%. Special categories (arduous/hazardous work — ΒΑΕ, construction) carry higher rates.

The exact branch-by-branch breakdown can vary slightly — for a definitive split, check the current e-EFKA contribution table.

The auxiliary pension is separate

new entrants also pay a 3% employee + 3% employer auxiliary contribution that runs through TEKA, the funded auxiliary pension — credited to your own account rather than the general fund.

The ceiling and the floor

  • Ceiling: earnings above roughly €7,762/month (the 2026 cap used in payroll) are not charged contributions — so very high salaries pay EFKA only up to that point. (A slightly different cap applies to the TEKA branch; confirm exact figures on e-EFKA.)
  • Floor: the minimum contribution base is the minimum wage (€920/month from 1 April 2026).

Foreigner lens

to be insured you need an AFM and an AMKA; non-EU workers need a residence permit with work rights first. EU citizens posted temporarily (with an A1 certificate) may stay in their home system. Contribution rates do not depend on nationality.

The self-employed difference

sole traders and freelancers don’t pay a percentage — they pick among fixed monthly contribution classes (decoupled from income), with a reduced “new professional” class for the first years. See employment forms.

How not to get cheated

your EFKA contributions are what earn you pension, healthcare and unemployment rights — so an employer who pays you “cash, off the books” is taking those rights from you, not doing you a favour. Check that you’re actually registered with EFKA (your AMKA should show the employment), and that contributions are being paid.

Related

gross to net pay · TEKA pension · employer cost · AMKA

This is general information, not payroll or tax advice. Rates, ceilings and branch splits change — confirm current figures at e-efka.gov.gr. WTP Finance is informational only.

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