We consider the strong solution of the 2D Navier–Stokes equations in a torus subject to an additive noise. We implement a fully implicit time numerical scheme and a finite element method in space. We prove that the space-time rate of convergence is the “optimal” one, namely, η∈[0,1/2) in time and 1 in space. Let us mention that the coefficient η is equal to the time regularity of the solution with values in L2. Our method relies on the existence of finite exponential moments for both the solution and its time approximation. Unlike previous results, our main new idea is the use of a discrete Grönwall lemma for the error estimate without any localization.