This article shows how much Administrators in grade AD13 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 AD13 in the European Commission and other EU institutions ranges from EUR 13457 to 15225. 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 is supplemented by a number 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 AD13 step 1 who is living in Brussels, Belgium, with four typical personal/family situations.

Administrators AD13 salary EUR
Basic Pay	13457	13457	13457	13457
Household allowance	0	434	0	434
Dependent child allowance	0	858	0	858
Expatriation allowance	0	0	2365	2365
Pension contribution	-1359	-1359	-1359	-1359
Health insurance contribution (JSIS coverage)	-229	-229	-229	-229
Accident insurance contribution	-13	-13	-13	-13
Tax	-1849	-1849	-1849	-1849
Special levy	-371	-371	-371	-371
Correction coefficient	100%	100%	100%	100%
TOTAL REMUNERATION if employed in Brussels	9636	10960	12001	13325

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.

Officials in grades AD9 to AD16 are often Heads of Units, Directors of Divisions or higher level managers like Directors-General and their deputies. Officials with managerial duties are entitled to the Managerial Allowance which is around EUR 550 for Administrators AD13.

European Commission 2022 salary scale for Administrators AD13

Impact of Correction Coefficient on Administrators AD13 basic pay

The below table shows you the actual Administrators AD13 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.

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 “scenarios table” to get the actual approximate figure.

RELATED ARTICLES:
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* 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 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. 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.