UNDERSTAND YOUR PAY

United Nations salary calculator.

Estimate UN common-system pay for internationally recruited Professional and Director staff. Choose your grade, step and duty station, then add your family situation and deductions.

Base salary: 1 January 2026. Duty-station snapshot: 1 October 2026. Pension scale: 1 February 2026. Reviewed 21 October 2026. Official sources and dates.

Use the grade and step in your staff offer.The example is P-3, step 1, Switzerland, with UN pension participation and no family allowances. This calculator covers Professional and Director staff on the UN common-system scale.

Your grade and workplace

UN gradeP-1 to P-5 are Professional grades; D-1 and D-2 are Director grades. A G, NO, FS, consultant or volunteer code uses a different scheme.Salary stepUse the step confirmed in the offer. Step 1 is an example for comparison; experience does not guarantee a particular entry step.UN duty stationChoose the workplace in your offer. Use the named city when a country has multiple classifications. Changing station clears entered money amounts and HR overrides.

Post-adjustment multiplier: 80.3%, effective 1 October 2026. The multiplier is applied to net base salary in US dollars; it is not the cost-of-living index.

Spouse or single-parent allowanceFamily allowanceChoose an eligible dependent spouse or single-parent scenario only when the UN rules apply. Both use 6% of net base salary plus post adjustment; they cannot be combined. A partner is not automatically a recognised dependent spouse.

Children and other dependants

Add children recognised under the UN dependency rules, generally under 18, or under 21 in full-time education. Disability and support conditions require approval. Government grants are entered per child in CHF.

Eligible secondary dependantOne eligible parent, brother or sister for whom you provide the required support. This allowance cannot be combined with the dependent-spouse allowance.

Pension, insurance and deductionsParticipate in the UN Joint Staff Pension FundFor eligible staff, the employee contribution is 7.9% of the separate pensionable-remuneration scale, not 7.9% of net salary. Check participation in your appointment terms.

Health insurance deduction (CHF/month)Use your plan’s actual employee premium. Zero excludes insurance from the calculation; it does not mean your insurance is free.Other monthly deductions (CHF/month)Include other confirmed recurring deductions, such as an individual payroll recovery. Do not enter pension, staff assessment or health insurance a second time.

FULL-TIME PAY COMPARISON

Estimated monthly pay

CHF 8,021.51

After selected pension and deductions entered
Switzerland (Geneva and other duty stations) · P-3, step 1

Health insurance has not been deducted. Enter the monthly employee premium from your offer or employer; it varies by plan and family cover.

How this estimate adds up

Base salary after staff assessment: CHF 4,945.89
Post adjustment (80.3%): CHF 3,971.55
Your UNJSPF contribution (7.9% of pensionable remuneration): -CHF 895.93
Health insurance deduction entered: CHF 0.00
Other deductions entered: CHF 0.00
Estimated monthly pay: CHF 8,021.51

Same monthly estimate in US dollarsUS$9,641.24UN operational rate: USD 1 = 0.832 CHF · 1 October 2026

Calculation notes for your selection

The UN net base salary has already had staff assessment removed. It is not final take-home pay.
USD salary, post adjustment and pension are converted at 0.832 CHF per USD from the October 2026 circular. This is a comparison conversion, not a guarantee of payroll payment currency or bank exchange rates.
Family selections assume employer recognition and a full year of eligibility. The published rates used here are for staff becoming eligible on or after 1 January 2009.
Rental subsidy, education grants, hardship, mobility, danger pay, settling-in/repatriation payments, tax reimbursement and personal pay protection are excluded. Confirm eligibility and employer-specific deductions with HR.

Net base salary already reflects UN staff assessment. This estimate subtracts the selected pension contribution and deductions entered, using the published UN exchange rate for comparison. Payment currency choices, insurance, personal tax arrangements and other payroll adjustments can change the amount paid. Post adjustment can change monthly.

Education support — separate annual estimate

This is a regular education-grant reference for one eligible child and one full academic year, in US dollars. It is separate from monthly salary. Admission, attendance, other reimbursements and your organisation’s entitlement rules still apply.

Annual admissible education expenses (USD)Enter one child’s annual admissible tuition, eligible mother-tongue tuition and enrolment fees in USD, after applicable scholarships, refunds and other funding. Exclude boarding and capital assessment fees; your organisation determines which expenses qualify.

Eligible for the annual boarding lump sumSelect only if boarding assistance is confirmed. It ordinarily covers eligible primary or secondary boarding outside the duty station for staff at A–E duty stations; exceptions at headquarters require approval. It is not an automatic payment for every boarding child or for university accommodation.

Annual reference reimbursement

US$0.00

Education reimbursement: US$0.00
Eligible boarding: US$0.00

The sliding reimbursement scale reaches a maximum of US$34,845.24 at US$46,284.00 in admissible expenses. Boarding is a separate conditional amount.

This is a reimbursement reference, not salary or a determination of entitlement. It assumes one eligible child and a full eligible academic year.
Regular education grant eligibility generally requires an internationally recruited staff member on an eligible fixed-term or continuing appointment serving outside the recognised home country, and an eligible child in full-time education. The organisation applies age, course, attendance and appointment rules.
The percentage applies separately to each slice of admissible expenses. Expenses above USD 46,284 do not increase regular reimbursement.
Boarding assistance is a separate conditional annual lump sum. An eligible boarding-only scenario can have no tuition reimbursement.
Partial attendance or service, scholarships, other payments and coordination between eligible parents can change the final award. No automatic pro-rating or coordination is performed here.
The special education grant for children with a disability follows separate eligibility and reimbursement rules. It is not calculated by this regular sliding-scale tool; request an individual assessment from HR.
Education-grant travel, capital assessment fees and other exceptional reimbursements are not included.

ST/IC/2022/8 — adopted global education-grant scale and boarding lump sum · ST/IC/2022/8/Corr.1 — in effect until further notice · UN Policy Portal — education grant and applicable administrative instructions · ICSC annual report 2025 — proposed education increases not adopted

How this pay system works

Professional and Director base salaries are set in US dollars. Post adjustment is calculated on net base salary and varies by duty station and month.
Many child and secondary-dependant allowances have fixed local-currency rates. They are not calculated by converting a single universal dollar rate.
Spouse and single-parent eligibility depends on recognised status, income and support. Other payments can reduce the entitlement.
Rental subsidy depends on approved rent, personal circumstances and local thresholds. Relocation, mobility, hardship, danger pay and education support are separate entitlements and are excluded from this monthly figure.

Other UN employment categories

General Service and related categories: Local salary scales, allowances and deductions depend on the duty station and recruitment category. The P/D scale does not apply. Check the official scheme
National Professional Officers: NPO salaries use local scales and must be checked for the advertised duty station. Check the official scheme
Field Service: Field Service has its own salary and pensionable-remuneration scales. It is not interchangeable with a P grade. Check the official scheme
Consultants, individual contractors, interns and UN Volunteers: Fees, stipends and benefits follow the individual assignment or contract, not this staff salary scale. Check the official scheme
Protected pay points, transitional allowances and senior ungraded officials: PP1/PP2, personal salary protection, ASG and USG positions are outside the new-applicant estimate. Check the official scheme

Official rates and sources

Use the salary scheme and duty station in your vacancy or offer. These calculations use the published tables below, reviewed 21 October 2026. Rates and individual entitlements can change.

ICSC Professional and higher categories salary scale (2026) icsc.un.org · Effective 1 January 2026
ICSC machine-readable salary scale icsc.un.org · Effective 1 January 2026
ICSC consolidated post adjustment circular 622 — October 2026 icsc.un.org · Effective 1 October 2026
ICSC machine-readable duty-station classifications icsc.un.org · Effective 1 October 2026
ICSC pensionable remuneration scale icsc.un.org · Effective 1 February 2026
UNJSPF Regulations and Rules — contributions and participation www.unjspf.org · Effective 1 January 2026
ST/IC/2023/10 — published dependency allowance amounts documents.un.org · Effective 1 January 2023
ST/AI/2018/6/Rev.1 — dependency status, offsets and single parents documents.un.org
UN education grant policy and published reimbursement scale policy.un.org
UN rental subsidy policy policy.un.org
ICSC salaries, allowances and benefits guide icsc.un.org