Last reviewed for accuracy 16 October 2026.
This guide explains how monthly net take-home pay is calculated for Contract Agents in Function Group III (FG III), covering entry-level Grade 8 through to senior Grade 12 positions across EU institutions and agencies. It breaks down how your nominal basic pay translates into the amount that lands in your bank account once statutory deductions, as well as allowances are applied. The article also demonstrates how duty station Correction Coefficients adjust your final earnings across different European locations.
Key Takeaways
- Basic gross pay for CA FGIII starts at €3,475.62 for entry-level Grade 8 Step 1, €3,932.44 for Grade 9 Step 1, and €4,449.30 for Grade 10 Step 1.
- However, monthly take-home pay for an entry-level FG III Grade 8 Step 1 contract agent typically ranges from approximately €2,965 (single local) to €5,025 (married expat with two children).
- Contract agents advance one step every two years automatically, while grade reclassification occurs through annual performance appraisals.
- If you work outside Brussels or Luxembourg, your basic pay and allowances are adjusted by the host country’s official Correction Coefficient (e.g. 82.3% in Warsaw, 113.2% in The Hague, and 130.5% in Copenhagen).
Contract agents’ remuneration by family and residence status
Below is a sample calculation of an FG III (Grade 8, Step 1) take-home pay (the standard starting benchmark for new recruits with under 5 years of experience) across four common personal scenarios in Brussels, Belgium (Correction Coefficient 100.0%).
If you enter at a higher grade or step, you can estimate your take-home pay by adding the difference in basic pay to these baseline figures.
| Remuneration Element | Situation 1: Single Local (No Children) | Situation 2: Married Local (2 Children) | Situation 3: Single Expat (No Children) | Situation 4: Married Expat (2 Children) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Pay (FG III, Grade 8, Step 1) | €3,475.62 | €3,475.62 | €3,475.62 | €3,475.62 |
| Household Allowance (€241.21 + 2%) | €0.00 | €310.72 | €0.00 | €310.72 |
| Dependent Child Allowance (2 kids) | €0.00 | €1,054.12 | €0.00 | €1,054.12 |
| Expatriation Allowance (16% / Statutory Floor) | €0.00 | €0.00 | €714.89 | €774.47 |
| Pension Contribution (13.1%) | −€455.31 | −€455.31 | −€455.31 | −€455.31 |
| Sickness Insurance (JSIS, 1.7%) | −€59.09 | −€59.09 | −€59.09 | −€59.09 |
| Accident Insurance (0.1%) | −€3.48 | −€3.48 | −€3.48 | −€3.48 |
| Unemployment Insurance (0.81%) | −€17.73 | −€17.73 | −€17.73 | −€17.73 |
| EU Community Tax (Indicative) | −€11.00 | €0.00 | −€11.00 | €0.00 |
| Special Solidarity Levy (6%) | €0.00 | €0.00 | €0.00 | €0.00 |
| TOTAL ESTIMATED TAKE-HOME REMUNERATION | €2,929 | €4,304 | €3,644 | €5,084 |
N.B. Please treat the above values as indicative. Only your EU institution’s HR department can calculate an exact figure based on your individual supporting documents and previous residence history.
On top of the above, dependent children are entitled to either guaranteed free enrolment in an accredited European School or a statutory Education Allowance.
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— Ben
Basic salary vs. full remuneration package
This article covers the topic of salary for Contract Agents in Function Group III (FGIII) (‘agent contractuel’ in French) in the European Commission. The information about FGIII salary also directly applies to staff of the European Parliament, European Council, EU agencies and all other EU institutions.
RELATED ARTICLES ON CONTRACT AGENT SALARIES:
* Salary of Contract Agents FGI
* Salary of Contract Agents FGII
* Salary of Contract Agents FGIV
ARTICLES ON ADMINISTRATORS AND ASSISTANTS SALARIES:
* Salary of Assistants AST4
* Salary of Administrators AD5
* Salary of Administrators AD7
When you accept an offer with an EU institution, HR will evaluate your verified professional experience to determine your entry grade within Function Group III.
If you have less than 5 years of relevant experience, you will be placed in Grade 8. Between 5 and 15 years of experience places you in Grade 9, while more than 15 years places you in Grade 10.
| Qualifications and professional experience | Grade & step | Starting basic salary |
|---|---|---|
| less than 5 years | 8/1 | EUR 3475,62 |
| between 5 years and 15 years | 9/1 | EUR 3932,44 |
| 15 years or more | 10/1 | EUR 4449,30 |
| Attainable through reclassification or promotion | 11/1 | EUR 5034,15 |
| Attainable through reclassification or promotion | 12/1 | EUR 5695,80 |
Important to note – if you start working for an EU institution with 4,9 and 14,9 years of experience, you will not be automatically ‘reclassified’ to a higher grade once you reach the 5 or 15 years threshold.
Grades 11 and 12 cannot be entered directly upon external recruitment; they are reached through internal career advancement:
- Biennial Step Advancement: By remaining in service, you advance automatically by one step in the salary scales every two years within your grade, provided your appraisal report is satisfactory.
- Reclassification: Through the annual appraisal and reclassification exercise, contract agents can move to the next grade (e.g. from Grade 8 to Grade 9, or eventually to Grades 11 and 12) with the corresponding salary increase.
Complete remuneration package
Knowing just your monthly basic salary alone gives an incomplete picture of your real purchasing power. There are two main reasons for this:
- First, basic salary can represent anywhere from 65% to 90% of your total net earnings. Family allowances and the statutory expatriation allowance add between €700 and €2,000+ per month, and are exempt from national taxes, but subject to an EU tax and several deductions.
- Second, your duty station fundamentally alters your take-home pay. Under Article 64 of the Staff Regulations, a Correction Coefficient applies to all salary and allowance components. While staff in Brussels and Luxembourg receive 100%, colleagues in Copenhagen receive 130.5%, and staff in Warsaw or Sofia receive 82.3% and 66.1% respectively.
European Commission salary scale for Contract agents FGIII
Below is the complete official monthly basic salary scale for Contract Agents in Function Group III across all grades and steps, pursuant to Article 93 of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants (CEOS):
| Function Group & Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FG III, Grade 12 | €5,695.80 | €5,814.24 | €5,935.17 | €6,058.57 | €6,184.54 | €6,313.16 | €6,444.44 |
| FG III, Grade 11 | €5,034.15 | €5,138.79 | €5,245.67 | €5,354.74 | €5,466.11 | €5,579.76 | €5,695.80 |
| FG III, Grade 10 | €4,449.30 | €4,541.83 | €4,636.29 | €4,732.72 | €4,831.11 | €4,931.59 | €5,034.15 |
| FG III, Grade 9 | €3,932.44 | €4,014.22 | €4,097.70 | €4,182.92 | €4,269.92 | €4,358.67 | €4,449.30 |
| FG III, Grade 8 | €3,475.62 | €3,547.90 | €3,621.70 | €3,696.99 | €3,773.89 | €3,852.34 | €3,932.44 |
Impact of Correction Coefficient on FG III Basic Pay
The tables below display the statutory basic pay for an entry-level Contract Agent at FG III, Grade 8, Step 1 (€3,475.62) adjusted for each EU Member State’s official Correction Coefficient.
Remember that the Correction Coefficient is applied to your final remuneration (basic salary plus eligible allowances minus deductions), so the actual impact on your total bank deposit will be proportional.
Sorted by Correction Coefficient Value
| Country / Duty Station | Correction Coefficient | Adjusted FG III Grade 8 Step 1 Basic Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 130.7% | €4,542.64 |
| Denmark | 130.5% | €4,535.68 |
| Sweden | 119.5% | €4,153.37 |
| France | 113.6% | €3,948.30 |
| Netherlands | 113.2% | €3,934.40 |
| Finland | 110.8% | €3,850.99 |
| Austria | 106.7% | €3,708.49 |
| Germany | 102.7% | €3,569.46 |
| Belgium (Baseline) | 100.0% | €3,475.62 |
| Luxembourg | 100.0% | €3,475.62 |
| Estonia | 95.0% | €3,301.84 |
| Spain | 92.4% | €3,211.47 |
| Malta | 92.4% | €3,211.47 |
| Portugal | 92.4% | €3,211.47 |
| Czechia | 91.2% | €3,169.77 |
| Italy | 87.5% | €3,041.17 |
| Lithuania | 87.4% | €3,037.69 |
| Greece | 87.0% | €3,023.79 |
| Slovenia | 86.6% | €3,009.89 |
| Slovakia | 85.1% | €2,957.75 |
| Croatia | 84.3% | €2,929.95 |
| Latvia | 84.3% | €2,929.95 |
| Poland | 82.3% | €2,860.44 |
| Cyprus | 79.0% | €2,745.74 |
| Hungary | 76.6% | €2,662.32 |
| Romania | 72.9% | €2,533.73 |
| Bulgaria | 66.1% | €2,297.38 |
Sorted Alphabetically by Country
| Country | Correction Coefficient | Adjusted FG III Grade 8 Step 1 Basic Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | 106.7% | €3,708.49 |
| Belgium | 100.0% | €3,475.62 |
| Bulgaria | 66.1% | €2,297.38 |
| Croatia | 84.3% | €2,929.95 |
| Cyprus | 79.0% | €2,745.74 |
| Czechia | 91.2% | €3,169.77 |
| Denmark | 130.5% | €4,535.68 |
| Estonia | 95.0% | €3,301.84 |
| Finland | 110.8% | €3,850.99 |
| France | 113.6% | €3,948.30 |
| Germany | 102.7% | €3,569.46 |
| Greece | 87.0% | €3,023.79 |
| Hungary | 76.6% | €2,662.32 |
| Ireland | 130.7% | €4,542.64 |
| Italy | 87.5% | €3,041.17 |
| Latvia | 84.3% | €2,929.95 |
| Lithuania | 87.4% | €3,037.69 |
| Luxembourg | 100.0% | €3,475.62 |
| Malta | 92.4% | €3,211.47 |
| Netherlands | 113.2% | €3,934.40 |
| Poland | 82.3% | €2,860.44 |
| Portugal | 92.4% | €3,211.47 |
| Romania | 72.9% | €2,533.73 |
| Slovakia | 85.1% | €2,957.75 |
| Slovenia | 86.6% | €3,009.89 |
| Spain | 92.4% | €3,211.47 |
| Sweden | 119.5% | €4,153.37 |
Function Groups and corresponding types of duties
The below table presents an overview of what kind of tasks each function group of contract agents is expected to carry out. Note the wording “under the supervision of officials or temporary staff”. In practice, the situation most often is different. Very often there is little difference between the tasks FG III and FG IV carry out, it’s a little bit of a lottery in which function group your position happens to fall. Also, once you start working in these two grades, you might soon notice that the tasks you carry out differ little from what temporary agents AD5 and AD6 perform. The main reason for this situation is the aftermath of the 2008-9 economic crisis when EU Member States exerted pressure on the European Commission to decrease costs. Someone came up with the “clever” solution to administratively “devolve” many positions and tasks from AD to CA positions, without much change to the substance of the tasks performed.
| Function group | Grades | Duties |
| IV | 13 to 18 | Administrative, advisory, linguistic and equivalent technical tasks, performed under the supervision of officials or temporary staff. |
| III | 8 to 12 | Executive tasks, drafting, accountancy and other equivalent technical tasks, performed under the supervision of officials or temporary staff. |
| II | 4 to 7 | Clerical and secretarial tasks, office management and other equivalent tasks, performed under the supervision of officials or temporary staff. |
| I | 1 to 3 | Manual and administrative support service tasks, performed under the supervision of officials or temporary staff. |
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. Paid during your initial onboarding period if you must change your residence to take up duties in Vilnius. Staff entitled to the household allowance (staff with a spouse or/and dependents) receive €55.40 per calendar day for up to 10 months (probation period plus one month). Staff without household allowance receive €44.68 per calendar day for 120 days.
- Installation allowance and coverage of removal costs (one-time payments). A lump sum granted upon completing your probationary period when moving your domicile. Single staff receive one month’s basic salary (minimum statutory floor of €937.77 for contract agents / €1,577.18 for temporary staff/officials). Staff relocating with family receive two months’ basic salary (minimum €1,577.18).
- Expatriation allowance or Foreign Residence allowance. Paid under Article 4 of Annex VII to officials who are not nationals of their host country and have not habitually resided or carried out their main occupation there during the five years ending six months before entering the service. It equals 16% of the sum of basic salary, household allowance, and dependent child allowances. Expats who are not entitled to the expatriation allowance get a foreign residents allowance that equals 4% of the basic salary amount.
- Household allowance. Calculated as a flat base of €241.21 plus 2% of basic salary for married officials, registered non-marital partners, or single parents with dependent children.
- Dependent child allowance. A flat payment of €527.06 per month per child, granted automatically up to age 18, or up to age 26 while the child is in full-time educational or vocational training.
- European School enrollment for children or Education allowance. Children of EU institutions staff enjoy free tuition at local European Schools. Where no European School is available, or for pre-school and university attendance, staff receive a statutory Education Allowance of €357.62 (subject to the correction coefficient). In certain cases, the education allowance is doubled to €715.24 per child per month.
- 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 grant. An annual flat-rate payment assisting expatriate staff and family members with travel to their official place of origin. Calculated based on kilometric distance (e.g., €268.04 for distances between 600 km and 1,200 km, and €536.00 for distances exceeding 1,200 km, with additional per-kilometre weighting).
- Birth & adoption grant.
- Parental leave allowance. Statutory leave grant of €1,289.65 per month (or €1,719.56 per month for single parents) during approved 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. Costs incurred upon the death of an official, their spouse, or dependent child are reimbursed up to a statutory ceiling of €3,365.18. If death occurs while on official mission, the costs of repatriating the body to the official’s place of origin are fully covered by the institution.
- Invalidity & Survivor Pensions: Comprehensive life, disability, and death social security/coverage. In case of accidental death related to duties, a lump sum of 5 times the annual basic salary is paid to eligible beneficiaries, with invalidity and orphan pensions ensuring partial income continuation.
This article is based on the European Commission Staff Regulations and other publicly available information such as EU institutions’ vacancy announcements.
I wrote this article to make it easier to understand the sometimes complex EU HR and administrative rules. However, your individual case might have unique angles due to prior work experience, family situation, or other factors.
Where to ask questions?
Rather than leaving a comment below, please bring your questions to our Jobs in EU Institutions Facebook Group. We have nearly 10,000 members there, including EU ‘insiders’, so you will receive a much faster and more thorough reply from me and the community.
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Best regards,
Ben
29 responses to “Contract Agents Function Group FG III salary”
Hello,
Which one could be the best option:
An 1 year FG III contract (more than 5 years of experience) at the Commission or an interim contract equivalent to FG IV in a EU Agency?
Additional question: Is it possible to live with a FG III salary (only with expatriation allowance) in Luxembourg?
Thanks
with 20 years experience , married, one child of 10 years what salary can I receive for the first job as FGIII at the Commission?
In determining whether you fall in either Grade 8 or Grade 9, does DG HR count the years of master studies ? Since master diplomas(and an university diploma of 3 years) are not needed to join as a FG III.
Thank you for the clarification !
Hello Ben,
I tried to find out but so far no luck, so I do hope you can help me on this matter.
Hired as a FGIII grade 10, with more than 15 year of experience (18 in fact) can I start in a step 2 like in the AST positions? What is the rule or common practice to start at the maximum step (2). Many thanks in advance.
Happy New Year and thank you for the great work!
Hi! I don’t have a good reply. I hope that another reader will clarify this.
Dears,
I have 4 years of IT experience, I have only secondary school diploma and I’m participating in the cas FGIII. I’m not married but in status “Legal cohabitation” in Belgium.
I would like to know if I get extra pay for the “legal cohabitation” or if I get married?
Hi! If the “legal cohabitation” is a legally recognized status in a member state similar to marriage or civil partnership, in most cases the spouse is entitled to benefits like healhtcare coverage and you might be entitled to the household allowance. I don’t know the Belgian legal details to answer for certain about this status.
Hi and thank you for this article who helps me more understanding this system. What woud you advise to someone like me graduating this year ?
My degrees ( bachelor and Master) are related to communication , journalism design and cinematography skills . So I think what is better suited for me is something in communination .
As I did research I saw that there is only 6-10 % of people aged 35 years and bellow. Is it better for me to wait and gain some experience and come back later or to try to begin as a cast agent? (I’m currently still in my twenties).
I’m a communication intern in a company right now. And will do another internship after that. My experience will be at the end 9 months internship and 1 year of entrepreneur.
Thanks Ben,
what I meant was do you think it’s “better” to be FG III at the agency or FG IV at the Commission. I know that there are many pluses at the agency, for example possibility of permanent contract, but do you think FG IIIs from the agencies often accept offers for FG IV positions at the Commission (because the contract can only be temporary at the Commission) instead of waiting so long to get promotion? If you were to get both at the same time, what would you take into account and choose?
Thanks for your help on all the topics.
J
As for me personally, as long as both offers seem interesting, I’d almost always go for the FGIV position. FGIV has a higher likelihood of “meaningful work”, whereas in FGIII there’s a high risk of landing in a role with mostly administrative/assistant’s duties.
Also – working for COM is nominally more “prestigious”, whatever that means. 🙂
I would also not hesitate much if offered an FGIV in Brussels instead an FGIII at an agency, because 6 years (after which your contract would be terminated in COM) is quite a long time in which one should be able to find another job that lets you stay in Brussels.
And, of course, there’s the pay – FGIV are paid better + Brussels has a better correction coefficient and decent quality of life. I think that it’s hard to have a comfortable life as an FGIII, particularly, if you have a spouse who hasn’t been able to find work, and if you have to pay a large “foreigner’s premium”, for example, on rent and other services.
I’d temporarily stay in an FG III position in an agency for the following reasons:
* policy area is of high personal interest;
* there are opportunities to apply to other posts (agency is sufficiently large);
* possibility of indefinite contracts;
* practical reasons (proximity to home country).
Dear Ben,
Can you move from FG III to FG IV within an Agency?
What is your opinion on FG III at the Agencies vs FG IV at the Commission?
Julie, hi! Yes, one can be moved from FGIII to FGIV through reclassification, e.g., you impress your boss so much that you are made to “jump” a whole grade, not only a few steps. However, this is rare. Reclassifications (promotions) through grades are more often in the AD and AST positions. FGs are usually reclassified by advancing them faster through the steps where each step brings about ~150-200 EUR salary increase. See the general article on officials’ pay and the large tables.
As and FGIII, a better (safer, faster) bet is to just prove yourself and then apply to new external or internal vacancies. As a “known quantity” you are more likely to win over other job contestants.
About the second question – could you clarify a bit more for me to answer?
Hello and thank you for all your posts. They are really helpfull.
I have one question about the dependent child allowance. in case you are divorced and you pay a fixed amount for your children, are you eligible for the allowance?if yes does the eu pays directly the fixed sum( so i have read) or they attribute the whole sum of the allowance to the children?Thank you in advance.
Hi! You would have to consult a lawyer for a definitive answer. However, maybe some thoughts from me are helpful. Nominally, the allowance is paid to the parent that’s employed by an EU institution and for whom the children count as dependents. I assume that even after the divorce you are performing some kind of care duties about your children, so you should be entitled to the allowance. If you got divorced after you already got employed by an EU institution and your spouse knew about this allowance, she/he can ask the court for the allowance to be directly deposited in their bank account. However, if this was not done and you just have to pay a fixed amount monthly, you are free to decide from which “virtual pocket” it comes – from your salary, the allowances or another source. If you find out more details about this (allowance payments in case of divorced parents), please drop me a note and I’ll update the article for other readers’ benefit.
Thanks for the immediate reply…as soon as I have any insight i will let you know… Keep up the good work
Hello, thanks for the very good article. Actually the best I could find so far on the issue!
Do I understand correctly that work experience OUTSIDE the EU institutions (e.g. of more than 5 years) is recognised (and I am put in FG III, grade 9) by the EC when starting a FG III position?
Or only work experience within the EU institutions lead to a higher grade?
Thank you very much!
Hi! All work experience counts towards deciding the grade, in your case 8 or 9. However, if you miss even one months for qualification in a higher grade and start working for the EU, you will not automatically be reclassified in a higher grade once employed. If you are in this borderline situation, it pays to calculate carefully and start working for the EU a month or two later.
Is there any online calculator for contract agents?
Hi! I answered your question under the FGIV article.
Hi,
I wonder why the deductions aren’t also made on the allowances? Is that definitely the case for all, including social security and tax?
Kind regards
Hi,
Any reason why in the example the tax rate is 0.5% as opposed to 8%? Also, any reason why the solidarity of 6% is not showing?
Thank you this is a very very useful site
Hi there, may I ask what is the level of income tax to pay for grade 9 function group 3? Many thanks.
Hi! Apologies, but I’m not very competent on the tax rates and won’t be able to answer this question. Thanks for your other comments on the correct tax rates. I’ll check and try to adjust the figures to at least use a uniform tax rates. As mentioned, these calculations are only indicative, however, I agree I could do a better job re tax rates.
Hello, do you know how many years of proven experience are necessary to reach Grade 10 immediately?
Thank you!
Hi! Thanks for the question. See below. I’ve also updated the article.
You need 15 or more years to start at grade 10.
Source: Commission Decision C(2017) 6760 – employment conditions of contract staff
Thank you!
I have more or less the same question as Antonio. With 15 years work experience do I get a higher grade than 10?
If a person with 20 years of relevant experience becomes eligible for a contractual agent GF III position, can he/she start on a grade higher than grade 10?
No, Antonio. Grade 10 is maximum, to start with. The grade will increase up to 12 but only based on based on the work experience at the EU, after employment.