United Nations jobs benefits – Salaries
In the Professional and higher categories, you are normally recruited internationally. You will obtain a salary which is paid on the basis of a worldwide scale and advantages which take account of your dependants and the cost of living at your duty station.
a) Salaries
The base salary, which is defined by the grade of the post specified in the job opening and by the existence of any dependants, is the same throughout the United Nations system.
Annual net base salary ranges approximately in US$:
| 37,000 – 80,000 | for entry-level professionals (P1 – P3) | |
| 67,000 – 106,000 | for mid-career professionals (P4 – P5) | |
| 95,000 – 123,000 | for senior-level professionals (D1 – D2) |
Tax exemptionSalaries, grants, and allowances paid by the United Nations are normally exempt from income tax.
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b) Position adjustment
The base salary is increased by a post adjustment which differs based on the cost of living in the duty station and the exchange rate of the United States dollar. The post adjustment, set by the United Nations as a percentage of the base salary, guarantees that all staff members at the same salary level have a parallel purchasing power in every duty station by compensating for the distinctions in cost of living while taking currency fluctuations into account.
For example, if your annual base salary is US$ 64,000 and the post-adjustment multiplier for your duty station is 65.7%, your salary will be calculated based on the following:
Post adjustment per year: US$ 64,000 x 0.657 = US$ 42,048
| Total annual salary: | 64,000 | ||||
| 42,048 | |||||
| = | US$ 106,048 |
c) Other benefits
As a United Nations staff member, you may also be entitled to other allowances and advantages including:
- Rental subsidy If you recently arrived at the duty station your rent describes too high a proportion of the total remuneration.
- Dependency allowances if you have an eligible dependent partner and/or child(ren).
- Under certain conditions an education grant if you have eligible children in school.
- Travel and shipping expenditures when you are moving from one duty station to another.
- Assignment grant to help you in meeting initial extraordinary costs when arriving at or relocating to a new duty station.
- At some duty stations, a hardship allowance linked to living and working conditions is paid and where there are restrictions on bringing family members, a non-family hardship allowance is also paid.
- Hazard pay and rest and recuperation break when you serve in locations where the conditions are particularly unstable, stressful, and complicated.
Holidays and leave
Depending on your type of contract, you will be entitled to 18 days to 30 days of vacation per year. In addition, the United Nations also observes 10 paid holidays per year; these differ from duty station to duty station.
You might also be eligible for home leave travel to renew your social, cultural, and family ties in your home country; frequency depends on the duty station you are assigned to.
Health insurance
You will be eligible to partake in one of the United Nations-sponsored medical insurance plans. The monthly premiums are co-shared by you and the Organization.
Retirement pension
If you have an appointment of six months or more or full six months of service without an interruption you become a participant in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund. A critical contribution will be deducted from your monthly salary.
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