Last updated on 26 October 2026

Executive summary

The net salary of Ursula von der Leyen is ~EUR 28,816 per month or ~EUR 345,790 per year. The figures include standard monthly allowances and such deductions as EU taxes and social contributions. As other EU institutions staff, the European Commission President does not pay national taxes from her EU salary.

Main salary components:

• Basic Monthly Salary: EUR 35,860.91 (EUR 430,330.92 / year)
• Total Monthly Allowances: + ~EUR 7,755.64 (Residence, Household, and Entertainment allowances)
• Total EU Taxes & Deductions: – ~EUR14,800.73 / month
• Estimated Net Take-Home Pay: ~EUR 28,816 / month (~EUR 345,790 / year)

Comparison with other top political leaders

This section shows how the European Commission President’s salary compares to salaries of top political leaders. Unlike national heads of state or government, however, the Commission President does not receive a free state residence or full household staff. Ursula von der Leyen has to cover her living and representational expenses from her salary and allowances.

The German Federal Chancellor receives a statutory base salary (Amtsgehalt) of ~EUR 20,675.42 per month (~EUR 248,105 per year), which increases to ~EUR 23,069.10 per month (~EUR 276,829 per year) when standard executive allowances (local, job, and official expense allowances) are included, excluding any Bundestag member remuneration. Meanwhile, the President of the United States earns a nominal gross salary of USD 400,000 per year (around EUR 370,000, plus a USD 50,000 expense account), and the President of France receives a gross monthly salary of ~EUR 16,038.54 (~EUR 192,462 per year).

Monthly salary breakdown

Calculating remuneration in EU institutions is not simple because several statutory allowances and internal deductions affect the final take-home figure. The table below summarizes every monthly component applicable to the President of the European Commission under current EU rules.

College of Commissioners (2025-2029). Source: European Commission

Salaries of EU Commissioners in von der Leyen’s 2nd Commission (2024–2029)

Every member of the College of Commissioners receives a remuneration package calculated from the same civil service baseline, though at lower percentage multipliers than the President. Click on any Commissioner below to see their specific salary breakdown, or view the short biographies of each Commissioner on Politico.eu.

Basic salary

When examining how salaries of EU officials are calculated, the starting point is always the basic salary. However, the actual take-home remuneration package consists of several additional components and varies depending on an official’s family status and relocation to Brussels.

Ursula von der Leyen is entitled to a monthly basic salary of 138% of the top EU civil service grade, which equals EUR 35,860.91. This 138% multiplier is applied to the basic salary of an official on the third step of grade AD 16.

Grade AD 16, Step 3 represents the highest basic salary possible for non-political civil service posts in EU institutions, such as Directors-General in the European Commission. Following the annual remuneration update effective from 1 July 2025, this highest EU civil servant basic salary is EUR 25,986.17 per month.

Source: Article 66 of the EU Staff Regulations | See the full European Commission salary grid

Allowances and other monthly payments

As President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen is entitled to several additional monthly allowances. These payments compensate for relocation to Belgium, and representational duties. EU officials with dependent children would also receive some additional allowances, which we believe do not apply to Ursula von der Leyen.

Residence allowance

High-level EU public office holders receive a Residence Allowance equal to 15% of their basic salary for the duration of their mandate. For the European Commission President, this adds EUR 5,379.14 per month and functions similarly to the expatriation allowance paid to regular EU staff.

Household allowance

Married office holders receive a Household Allowance equal to EUR 241.21 plus 2% of their basic salary. For Ursula von der Leyen, this allowance amounts to EUR 958.43 per month.

Entertainment allowance

Members of the College of Commissioners receive a flat-rate monthly payment officially named the Entertainment Allowance. This allowance covers the costs of work-related hospitality, diplomatic lunches, and representational expenses.

The statutory payment ranges from EUR 607.71 for regular Commissioners and EUR 911.38 for Vice-Presidents to EUR 1,418.07 per month for the European Commission President.

Dependent child and education allowances

EU office holders are also entitled to a Dependent Child Allowance of EUR 527.06 per month per eligible child and an Education Allowance of up to EUR 357.62 per month for children in full-time education. Because Ursula von der Leyen’s seven children are already adults, neither allowance is included in her remuneration calculation.

Taxes and deductions

Exemption from national income taxes

Like all officials and servants of the European Union, the President of the European Commission does not pay national income taxes on her EU salary or allowances. This exemption is established under Protocol No 7 on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union to prevent double taxation and ensure equal net pay across nationalities.

EU Community Tax

Instead of national taxes, high-level EU office holders pay the EU Community Tax directly into the EU budget. This tax ranges from 8% to a maximum rate of 45%.

The top 45% rate applies to all monthly taxable income above EUR 9,814.62. The monthly Community Tax deduction for Ursula von der Leyen is EUR 11,644.97.

Solidarity Levy

High-level office holders also pay the Solidarity Levy. While regular EU staff pay a 6% levy, officials whose basic salary is at or above Grade AD 15, Step 2 are subject to a 7% rate, which deducts EUR 2,510.26 per month from the President’s pay.

Health insurance (JSIS)

Members of the College of Commissioners are also covered by the EU institutions’ Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS). The mandatory Health Insurance Contribution is 1.70% of the basic salary, which equals EUR 609.64 per month.

Accident coverage

Public office holders are also covered against occupational disease and accidents. The Accident Coverage Contribution is 0.10% of the basic salary, which deducts EUR 35.86 per month.

Pension and post-mandate payments

EU pension entitlement

Commissioners are entitled to a lifelong EU pension upon reaching the statutory pensionable age, which is currently set at 66 years. Unlike regular EU staff—who must complete at least 10 years of service and pay a 10.10% monthly pension contribution—Commissioners qualify from their first day in office and make no monthly pension contributions, as their pensions are funded directly from the EU budget.

How Ursula von der Leyen’s pension is calculated

A Commissioner’s pension accrues at twice the annual rate applicable to regular EU officials under Article 77 of the Staff Regulations (1.80% x 2=3.6%) of their final basic salary for every full year in office. In practice, this means Ursula von der Leyen has accrued a pension of 18% (EUR 6,454.96 per month) after her first five-year term, which will rise to 36% of her last basic salary (EUR 12,909.93 per month) if she completes her full 10 years in office in 2029.

You can read more about how these rules compare to standard civil service retirement benefits in our guide to regular pension benefits for staff of EU institutions.

Transitional allowance after leaving office

Instead of standard unemployment insurance, Members of the College of Commissioners receive generous transitional allowances after leaving office. The duration of this monthly payment equals the length of their period of service, subject to a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 2 years.

The payment ranges from 40% to 65% of the basic salary they received when leaving office, depending on years served. After completing one 5-year term, the entitlement is 50% (EUR 17,930.46 per month for two years), and after two 5-year terms totaling 10 years, it increases to 55% (EUR 19,723.50 per month for two years).

If a former Commissioner takes up new paid employment during those two years, any amount by which their new gross salary plus the transitional allowance exceeds their former Commissioner remuneration is deducted from the allowance. You can read more about standard staff coverage in our guide to regular unemployment benefits for staff of EU institutions.

Office and living arrangements in Brussels

The 13th floor of the Berlaymont

The European Commission’s headquarters is the Berlaymont building at Rue de la Loi 200 in Brussels, Belgium. The President’s office is located on floor 13, the top floor of the Berlaymont, placing the President at the physical top of the European Commission’s hierarchy.

A modest office with a private retreat

Official photographs show that the interior of the European Commission President’s office is relatively modest compared to the state residences of national heads of government. Each incoming Commission President selects the office artwork and furniture from existing institutional collections.

When Ursula von der Leyen took office in 2019 and announced that she would live in the Berlaymont during working weeks, public reports highlighted an adjacent 25-square-meter private room attached to her office. Known among Commission staff as a “personal retreat,” this private space includes a bedroom and a shower.

Background information and legal sources

Basic salary coefficients for high-level office holders

The table below shows the statutory basic salary multipliers for members of the European Commission and other EU institutions. These percentages are applied directly to the Grade AD 16, Step 3 basic salary (EUR 25,986.17).

Source: Article 2 of Council Regulation (EU) 2016/300 of 29 February 2016 determining the emoluments of EU high-level public office holders

Official documentation and data sources

• Emoluments of EU High-Level Public Office Holders: Governed by Council Regulation (EU) 2016/300 of 29 February 2016, which establishes the salaries, allowances, transitional payments, and pensions of the European Commission President, Commissioners, and EU Court judges.
• 2025/2026 EU Salary Grid Update: Official Journal of the European Union, C/2025/6564 (11 December 2025), updating the basic monthly salaries and family allowances under the EU Staff Regulations from 1 July 2025.
• International Executive Salaries: German Chancellor figures are sourced from Section 11 of the German Federal Ministers Act (Bundesministergesetz) and Attachment IV to the Federal Law on Salaries of Officers (Bundesbesoldungsgesetz); French President figures from the Projet de loi de finances / Decree No. 2012-983; US President figures from the US Code (3 U.S.C. § 102).