This article shows how much Administrators in grade AD5 step 1 can expect to earn in the European Commission. The information directly applies also to the European Parliament, European Council, EU agencies and all other EU institutions. The article presents the full remuneration package: not only the basic salary, but also allowances and other benefits. It also shows the impact of location and the Correction Coefficient on your take-home pay.
Basic salary vs. full remuneration package
The monthly ‘basic salary’ for Administrators AD5 in the European Commission and other EU institutions ranges from EUR 5011 to 5669. The starting basic salary will always be the lower number, but you can get ‘reclassified’ or get promoted.
‘Reclassification‘ is the automatic advancement through the European Commission salary scales by one step every two years (see table below to assess the financial impact on your basic salary). ‘Promotion‘ based on good professional performance in the EU context means that you not only get a good evaluation in the annual ‘appraisal’ process, but are also made to skip several salary scale steps or even a grade at once. Promotion has the most significant impact on your income, if you remain in the same job.
At the same time, knowing your ‘basic salary’ in most cases does not tell you much about your final take-home pay. There are two reasons for this.
Firstly, the basic salary in most cases constitutes between 50-100% of your total remuneration package depending on whether you entitled to the various allowances. This is especially so if you have children, a spouse or/and are an expat.
Secondly, the country you are employed in has a significant impact on your total salary due to the ‘Correction Coefficient‘. Brussels is used as reference and there the Correction Coefficient is 100% of basic salary as quoted below. If you work for an EU agency in Scandinavia, your salary and allowances will upped by 18-31% to compensate for higher living costs. Conversely, if you will work for the EU in Bulgaria, you will get only 55% of what your Brussels colleague doing the same job gets.
Administrators’ remuneration by family and residence status
Below is a sample salary and take-home pay approximation of an Administrator in grade AD5 step 1 who is living in Brussels, Belgium, with four typical personal/family situations.
| Situation 1 | Situation 2 | Situation 3 | Situation 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Belgian national with no children | Married Belgian national with two children | Single Italian national with no children | Married Italian national with two children |
| Administrator AD5 salary EUR |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Pay | 5011 | 5011 | 5011 | 5011 |
| Household allowance | 0 | 296 | 0 | 296 |
| Dependent child allowance | 0 | 858 | 0 | 858 |
| Expatriation allowance | 0 | 0 | 987 | 987 |
| Pension contribution | -506 | -506 | -506 | -506 |
| Health insurance contribution (JSIS coverage) | -85 | -85 | -85 | -85 |
| Accident insurance contribution | -5 | -5 | -5 | -5 |
| Tax | -166 | -166 | -166 | -166 |
| Special levy | -59 | -59 | -59 | -59 |
| Correction coefficient | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| TOTAL REMUNERATION | 4190 | 5344 | 5177 | 6331 |
N.B. These calculations are only indicative as they are based on public sources. Only your institution’s HR department will be able to calculate a 100% accurate figure once you provide all necessary documents.
On top of the above, any children would either be guaranteed a place in the local European School, or an Education Allowance for each child. The expat family would also get around 1000 EUR annually per family member as a Travel Grant considering the distance to Rome.
European Commission 2022 salary scale for Administrators AD5
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 6 414,44 | 6 683,99 | 6 964,85 | 7 158,63 | 7 257,53 |
| 6 | 5 669,29 | 5 907,53 | 6 155,76 | 6 327,03 | 6 414,44 |
| 5 | 5 010,72 | 5 221,27 | 5 440,67 | 5 592,05 | 5 669,29 |
Impact of Correction Coefficient on AD5 basic pay
The below table shows you the actual Administrators AD5 basic pay according to the correction coefficient by location of your institution. You should also read a dedicated article about the Correction Coefficient to understand the details.
| Location | EU institution | Correction Coefficient | Adjusted basic salary EUR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam, Netherlands | EMA | 111.4 | 5582 |
| Barcelona, Spain | F4E | 96.3 | 4826 |
| Berlin, Germany | EU Delegation | 101.4 | 5081 |
| Bilbao, Spain | EU-OSHA | 96.3 | 4826 |
| Bratislava, Slovakia | ELA | 79.9 | 4004 |
| Brussels, Belgium | European Commission, European Parliament, European Council, EDA, SRB | 100 | 5011 |
| Bucharest, Romania | ECITRCC | 68.5 | 3433 |
| Budapest, Hungary | CEPOL, EIT | 76.1 | 3813 |
| Cologne, Germany | EASA | 96.9 | 4856 |
| Copenhagen, Denmark | EEA | 134.2 | 6725 |
| Dublin, Ireland | EUROFOUND | 133.6 | 6695 |
| Frankfurt am Main, Germany | ECB, EIOPA | 96.9 | 4856 |
| Hague, Netherlands | Eurojust, Europol | 111.4 | 5582 |
| Helsinki, Finland | ECHA | 118.6 | 5943 |
| Heraklion, Greece | ENISA | 85.2 | 4269 |
| Karlsruhe, Germany | JRC | 96.9 | 4856 |
| Lefkosia, Cyprus | EU Delegation | 82.2 | 4119 |
| Lisbon, Portugal | EMSA, EMCDDA | 91.4 | 4580 |
| Ljubljana, Slovenia | ACER | 84.9 | 4254 |
| Luxembourg City, Luxembourg | European Commission, Eurostat, CDT, Court of Auditors | 100 | 5011 |
| Madrid, Spain | EU Delegation | 96.3 | 4826 |
| Munich, Germany | n/a | 113.4 | 5682 |
| Parma, Italy | EFSA | 91.2 | 4570 |
| Paris, France | EBA, ESMA | 119.9 | 6008 |
| Prague, Czechia | EGSA | 88.1 | 4415 |
| Riga, Latvia | BEREC | 80 | 4009 |
| Rome, Italy | EU Delegation | 95.2 | 4770 |
| Sofia, Bulgaria | EU Delegation | 61.7 | 3092 |
| Stockholm, Sweden | ECDC | 130.3 | 6529 |
| Tallinn, Estonia | eu-LISA | 86.3 | 4324 |
| Thessaloniki, Greece | CEDEFOP | 85.2 | 4269 |
| Turin, Italy | ETF | 91.2 | 4570 |
| Valletta, Malta | EUAA | 94 | 4710 |
| Varese, Italy | n/a | 91.2 | 4570 |
| Valenciennes and Lille, France | ERA | 119.9 | 6008 |
| Vienna, Austria | FRA | 109.6 | 5492 |
| Vigo, Spain | EFCA | 96.3 | 4826 |
| Vilnius, Lithuania | EIGE | 80.1 | 4014 |
| Warsaw, Poland | Frontex | 70.6 | 3538 |
| Zagreb, Croatia | EU Delegation | 78.3 | 3924 |
Take into account that your allowances will also be adjusted by the Correction Coefficient. If you will work not in Brussels, but in another EU location, you should multiply the grand total values in the “four personal/samily situations table” to get the approximate actual figure.
RELATED ARTICLES:
* Salary of Administrators AD6
* Salary of Administrators AD7
* Salary of Administrators AD8
* Salary of Administrators AD9
* Salary of Administrators AD10
* Salary of Administrators AD11
* Salary of Administrators AD12
* Salary of Administrators AD13
* Salary of Administrators AD14
* Salary of Administrators AD15
* Salary of Administrators AD16
Allowances and other benefits for EU institutions staff
Several allowances and other benefits can quite significantly boost an EU official’s income. This largely depends on whether the person is an expat and has a spouse and/or children. When considering a job at an EU institution, people too often do not take these benefits into account. Important – these benefits are available to Administrators in grades AD 5-16, Assistants in grades AST 1-11, Secretaries and Clerks in grades AST/SC 1-6, and Contract Agents in grades FG I-IV.
- Travel costs on taking up duties
- Daily subsistence allowance (during probation period)
- Installation allowance and coverage of removal costs (one-time payments)
- Expatriation allowance or Foreign Residence allowance
- Household allowance
- Dependent child allowance
- European School enrollment for children or Education allowance if there is no local EU school
- Healthcare costs reimbursement to a level of 80-85% through the EU’s Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS) for the employee and any direct family members and dependents. 100% reimbursement of costs in case of a serious illness
- Accident insurance
- Annual travel compensation
- Birth grant
- Parental leave
- Unemployment allowance
- Removal expenses when leaving your home country and again when leaving your EU institution
- EU pension, survivors and orphan’s pensions, invalidity allowance
- Lump sum payments in case of permanent invalidity or death
- Lump sum funeral expenses, up to EUR 2350
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Sources
This article is based on the European Commission Staff Regulations and other publicly available information such as EU institutions’ vacancy announcements. As the EU legal documents and even information on the various websites is hard to understand, this article is one from a series that tries to make information about employment in the European Commission and other EU institutions more accessible.
Do you have question or suggestion for this article? Please share in a comment below and let’s make this resource better for you and other readers!
18 responses to “What is the salary of Administrators AD 5?”
Hello, I have a question about other add-ons. Do EC officials also receive commemorative bonuses e.g. related to holidays or festivities or the outcome of the completion of an important project as an incentive allowance?
No.
Hello all,
I have two questions: one related to salary and one related to internal competitions.
I have been offered a position as temporary Staff. The percentages of the deductions from the salary provided in the offer and Staff Regulations are higher than on the calculations on this website.
For example: according to the contract offer and staff regulations there is a 6% solidarity levy and at least 8% tax.
In the case of calculation for AD6 on this website, TAX and solidarity levy are €216 and €89 respectively. Which corresponds to 216/5,669 (basic pay) = 3.8% and 89/5,669 = 1.6%. A lot less than the 8% and 6% in staff regulations and the contract offer.
Are the (optimistic) numbers on this website incorrect, or am I missing something?
Second question: as a temporary agent (3 year contract), do you have access to internal competitions, in other words, is there a possibility to obtain a permanent contract?
Thank you!
What I find otrageous is that they pay 5100 net to 50 jpp per year who have never passed any competition and get 3 years contract as AD5 thanks to their connections and socioeconomic status. The jpp also have access to exclusive internal competition excluding much more qualified and talented contract agents (7000+CAST).
Life’s not fair. I wish I would have known about the Junior Professionals Programme before I became too old to qualify.
Hi. may you know what are the usual timetable for an ‘office based’ AD role at Brussels and if they have any policy for teleworking in place?
Hi, I was wondering about the procedure for advancement to higher AD grades (e.g. in the Commission) – is it through promotion, or internal competitions? Or both? Is there a difference?
Many thanks!
Yes, there’s a difference. Through internal competitions you usually get the grade that’s advertised for the post.
However, if it’s an “internal mobility” post, then you get the job, but keep your current grade.
Through promotion you are usually allowed to “skip” one grade, not more. If you win a competition, you can theoretically jump from FG positions to AD positions or from AD5 to AD7.
Hi All,
I am an established official in grade SC II (Secretaries/Clerks)
I have a question: can I participate in the internal AD competitions and become Administrator or in purpose to pass from SC to AD I have first to win an external(available for all EU citizens) EPSO AD Competition and only then being placed to reserve list look for AD positions?
Hi Ben,
Thanks for the article and Q&A, great work!
On the promotions – it this genuinely based on good performance only? Or do they have additional requirements e.g. need to have been in the role for at least x years etc.
Cheers,
Michiel
Hi! My experience is that it directly depends on your immediate superior and manager one more level up. Of course, the decision to “reclasify” is often takend by the head of the institution, but this is a formal decision as the input has to come from someone who recommends staff fro promotion.
I have been looking for the tax scales applied on EU salaries but haven’t been able to find any details on this (other than statements that it is between 8 and 45%). Any idea where to find the detail?
Thanks!
This indeed seems to be something elusive. However, it is clear that it proportionally increases with every grade from AD/AST 5 up to AST16/AD11.
If you find a good source, please share, will gladly update the general article as this is of interest to many people.
After a tedious research I found that the “income tax” is regulated by Regulation (EEC, Euratom , ECSC) No 260/68 of the Council of 29 February 1968 (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A01968R0260-20021003).
And for an AD5 salary (at 2023) my calculations for the tax would be 28,88%; way far more than it says here and in other calculators (such as https://eutraining.eu/salary-calculator).
But still a good salary for a spanish guy
Omar, thanks for sharing back with us! This inspired me to finish an article on taxes on EU officials’ salaries. You can read it here: https://euemployment.eu/do-eu-officials-pay-tax/
Let me know if I should add something.
Hi,
Thanks for this very thorough explanation. However, I have a question regarding the calculation of the net salary for a single belgian citizen. The numbers don’t really match the % of taxes in each field, and the EU salary calculator gives a net salary of 3600 EUR. Is there a reason for a higher amount in your calculations? Maybe there has been changes since? Thanks a lot for your reply.
Best,
Jaf
Hello! First of all, thank you so much for the job you are doing in this blog.
I would like to know about the schedule of the employers (level AD5) in the different institutions and if it is a job in which you can enjoy of a good family conciliation.
Thank you so much.
Hi! Generally, AD5 is an entry level position, the first grade for officials, where one would usually be supervised by someone else with grade AD7 or higher. However, due to the “squeeze” by member states after the 2008-9 financial crisis, it is still common that AD5 would actually be assigned more responsibility than historically was the case.
So, in general, as AD5 are usually not managers, you can expect good work and private life balance but that depends on individual institution and the unit/department you land in with. As an example, if you are currently dealing with anything Belarus-related, don’t expect a calm life.