Last updated on 21 October 2026.

Contract Agents in Function Group I (FG I) perform manual and administrative support service tasks across the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council, EU agencies, and other European Union institutions. Monthly basic pay starts at €2,613.72 (Grade 1, Step 1) and tops out at €3,783.03 (Grade 3, Step 7). Net take-home pay in Brussels ranges from approximately €2,214 per month for a single local staff member to €4,276 per month for an expatriate with a spouse and/or two dependent children.

Unlike higher function groups where candidates can be recruited directly into higher grades based on length of professional experience, external recruits in Function Group I are placed in Grade 1 upon engagement. Starting step placement is either Step 1 or Step 2, depending on whether the recruit has completed three or more years of relevant professional experience. Progression through steps occurs every two years, while advancement to Grades 2 and 3 happens exclusively through the annual reclassification exercise.

Statutory allowances and statutory deductions alter net monthly earnings significantly:

• Basic salary represents between 60% and 90% of total take-home pay, depending on civil status and family composition.
• For expatriate staff, the statutory minimum floor of €714.89 per month applies to the Expatriation Allowance, as the standard 16% calculation on FG I basic pay falls below this statutory threshold.
• Due to entry-level gross amounts and EU tax deductions, FG I staff at Grade 1 Step 1 incur zero EU Community Tax and zero Special Solidarity Levy.

Place of employment also affects net earnings via the Correction Coefficient, which adjusts basic salary and allowances from 66.1% in Bulgaria to 130.7% in Ireland relative to Brussels and Luxembourg (100.0%).

RELATED ARTICLES ON CONTRACT AGENT SALARIES:
* Salary of Contract Agents FGII
* Salary of Contract Agents FGIII
* Salary of Contract Agents FGIV

ARTICLES ON ADMINISTRATORS AND ASSISTANTS SALARIES:
* Salary of Assistants AST4
* Salary of Administrators AD5
* Salary of Administrators AD7

Basic salary

Function Group I (CA FG I) covers manual and administrative support service tasks performed under the supervision of officials or temporary staff across all EU institutions and agencies. Typical profiles in this function group include drivers, logistics clerks, mail and archive assistants, receptionists, catering coordinators, and facilities technicians.

Employment conditions, basic salary scales, and statutory allowances are governed uniformly by the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS) and the relevant General Implementing Provisions (GIP).

Impact of Professional Experience

Under Article 82 of the CEOS, the formal minimum educational requirement for recruitment to Function Group I is the successful completion of compulsory education.

In contrast to Function Groups II, III, and IV, external candidates in Function Group I do not enter into different grades based on accumulated years of professional experience. All new external recruits in Function Group I are classified in Grade 1.

Starting Step Placement

While the entry grade is fixed at Grade 1, prior professional experience directly affects initial step placement within Grade 1:

• Step 1: Recruits with less than 3 years of verifiable professional experience.
• Step 2: Recruits with 3 or more years of verifiable professional experience acquired after completing compulsory education.

Contract agent FGI basic salary comparison with FGII and FGIII

Source: Staff Regulations of Officials and Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union, Article 93.

What is the take-home pay?

Knowing the monthly ‘basic salary’ does not tell you much about your final take-home pay and the full remuneration package. There are two reasons for this.

Firstly, the basic salary can make up anything between ~85% and 130%+ or more of your total remuneration package depending on whether you are entitled to the various allowances. This is especially so if you are an expat or/and have children.

Secondly, the country you are employed in has a significant impact on your total salary due to the European Commission ‘Correction Coefficient‘. Brussels is used as reference, so if you work for EU institutions in Belgium, you get 100% of your salary and allowances. However, 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 gets due to what Eurostat considers are lower living costs. More on the impact of the Correction Coefficient below.

Contract agents’ net remuneration by family and residence status

Below is a sample calculation of an FG I (grade 1, step 1) take-home pay with allowances for four common scenarios for a Contract Agent employed in Brussels, Belgium. If you are in a higher grade, you can do a rough estimate of your salary by adding the difference between basic pay in grade 1 and your actual grade (or just look up the relevant article on this website).

Contract agent FGI step 1
Basic Pay EUR	2614	2614	2614	2614
Household allowance	0	293	0	293
Dependent child allowance	0	1054	0	1054
Expatriation allowance 16%	0	0	715	715
Pension contribution 12.10%	-342	-342	-342	-342
Sickness insurance contribution	-44	-44	-44	-44
Accident insurance contribution	-3	-3	-3	-3
Unemployment Insurance contribution	-10	-10	-10	-10
EU tax	0	0	0	0
Special levy	0	0	0	0
TOTAL REMUNERATION	~2214	~3561	~2929	~4276

N.B. Please treat the above values only as indicative, because only your EU institution can do a precise calculation based on your individual circumstances and the full set of EU rules.

On top of the above, children would either be guaranteed a place in the European School, or a single Education Allowance per child. The expat family would also get around 1000 EUR annually per family member as a Travel Grant considering the distance to Rome.

Impact of Correction Coefficient on FGI step 1 basic pay

The European Union applies a Correction Coefficient (purchasing power parity weighting) to ensure staff have equal purchasing power regardless of where they are stationed (place of employment).

Brussels and Luxembourg serve as the base index at 100.0%. If you work in an EU agency located in a city with higher living costs, your basic pay and allowances increase proportionally. Conversely, places of employment with a lower assessed cost of living apply a coefficient below 100.0%.

The table below illustrates how the baseline monthly pay of an FG I Grade 1 Step 1 recruit (€2,613.72) is adjusted across all EU Member States:

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.

Article 3(a) vs Article 3(b) Contract agent Contracts

Contract Agents are hired under one of two statutory regimes established in the CEOS:

1. Article 3(a) Contracts

• Scope: Employed by executive agencies, decentralized EU agencies, Commission representations and delegations.
• Contract Duration: Initial contracts run typically for 1 to 3 years and are renewable. Under Article 85 of the CEOS, a second renewal can lead to an indefinite contract.
• Career Impact: For FG I staff in agencies or logistics offices, 3(a) contracts provide long-term career continuity within the EU administration.

2. Article 3(b) Contracts

• Scope: Employed directly in standard Commission Directorate-Generals or other central EU institutions to provide auxiliary support or handle short-term operational surges.
• Contract Duration: Subject to a strict statutory maximum duration of 6 years cumulative service across all EU institutions.
• Transition: 3(b) contracts cannot become indefinite. Staff seeking permanent status must either pass an open competition for permanent officials or succeed in external agency selections offering 3(a) positions.

Overview of Function Groups and Corresponding Duties

The table below outlines the statutory division of tasks across the four contract agent function groups under Article 80(2) of the CEOS:

Many professionals use an FG I contract to enter the European institutions, build internal institutional experience, and establish contacts before applying for FG II, FG III, or FG IV posts through the EPSO CAST database or direct agency selection procedures. You should also definitely apply for Assistant vacancies.

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. Reimbursement of travel costs for the official and eligible family members from the place of recruitment to the place of employment.
• Daily subsistence allowance. Paid during your initial onboarding period if you must change your residence to take up duties at your place of employment. 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 (with a statutory floor of €1,577.18 for officials and temporary agents, and €937.77 for contract agents). Staff relocating with family receive two months’ basic salary (minimum €1,577.18).
• Expatriation allowance or Foreign Residence allowance. Paid 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 (subject to a statutory minimum of €714.89 per month). Expats who are not entitled to the expatriation allowance get a foreign residence allowance that equals 4% of the basic salary amount (subject to a statutory minimum of €178.65 per month).
• Household allowance. Calculated as a flat base of €241.21 plus 2% of basic salary for married staff, 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 and university attendance, staff receive a statutory Education Allowance or a Pre-school Allowance. The Education Allowance amount is up to a ceiling of €357.62, and is doubled if there is no European School near the institution’s headquarters. The Pre-school Allowance amount is €128.76 per month. Both allowances are subject to the correction coefficient.
• 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.
• Birth & adoption grant. A flat-rate grant of €198.31 paid upon the birth or adoption of a child.
• 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.