Civil Service pay is set by circular from the Department of Public Expenditure, and the figures below are from the current one, Circular 22/2026, which applied the 1 per cent increase due on 1 June 2026 under the Public Service Agreement 2024 to 2026. They are the PPC scales for the general service grades, which is what anyone recruited now is paid on. Nothing here is estimated or rolled forward; when a new circular issues, the tables will be replaced.
How to read the tables
- Points. You start at point 1 and move up one point a year, subject to satisfactory performance, until you reach the maximum.
- LSI 1 and LSI 2. Long service increments, paid after three years at the maximum and after a further three years. They are the real top of the scale for someone who stays in the grade.
- PPC. Personal Pension Contribution: the scale for staff appointed after 6 April 1995 paying Class A PRSI. Pre-1995 staff on modified PRSI have separate, lower scales that are not shown here.
- Higher scales. Most grades have a second, higher scale that applies in specific circumstances set out in the pay rules (for example certain qualifications, or historical grade mergers). The note under each table gives the range.
- Clerical Officer is weekly. DPER prints the CO scale as a weekly rate. The annual figures in brackets are that rate multiplied by 52 and rounded, which is how most published comparisons do it.
Clerical Officer (weekly rate)
The only general service grade the circular prints as a weekly rate.
| Point | From 1 June 2026 | About per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | €611.75 | €31,811 |
| 2 | €645.43 | €33,562 |
| 3 | €654.01 | €34,009 |
| 4 | €670.69 | €34,876 |
| 5 | €695.32 | €36,157 |
| 6 | €719.93 | €37,436 |
| 7 | €744.51 | €38,715 |
| 8 | €762.42 | €39,646 |
| 9 | €782.74 | €40,702 |
| 10 | €806.29 | €41,927 |
| 11 | €822.89 | €42,790 |
| 12 | €846.23 | €44,004 |
| 13 | €869.42 | €45,210 |
| 14 | €905.60 | €47,091 |
| LSI 1 | €934.03 | €48,570 |
| LSI 2 | €958.80 | €49,858 |
Executive Officer
Standard scale. A higher scale (41,871 to 65,628) applies in specific circumstances.
| Point | From 1 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| 1 | €38,803 |
| 2 | €40,764 |
| 3 | €41,871 |
| 4 | €44,030 |
| 5 | €45,965 |
| 6 | €47,838 |
| 7 | €49,703 |
| 8 | €51,534 |
| 9 | €53,419 |
| 10 | €55,296 |
| 11 | €57,289 |
| 12 | €58,624 |
| LSI 1 | €60,527 |
| LSI 2 | €63,227 |
Administrative Officer
Standard scale. A higher scale (55,949 to 79,037) applies in specific circumstances.
| Point | From 1 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| 1 | €41,176 |
| 2 | €43,899 |
| 3 | €44,678 |
| 4 | €48,089 |
| 5 | €52,470 |
| 6 | €55,949 |
| 7 | €59,567 |
| 8 | €63,232 |
| 9 | €66,895 |
| 10 | €70,547 |
| LSI 1 | €73,077 |
| LSI 2 | €76,546 |
Higher Executive Officer
Standard scale. Higher scale 63,537 to 79,038.
| Point | From 1 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| 1 | €60,029 |
| 2 | €61,785 |
| 3 | €63,537 |
| 4 | €65,286 |
| 5 | €67,044 |
| 6 | €68,792 |
| 7 | €70,547 |
| LSI 1 | €73,077 |
| LSI 2 | €76,546 |
Assistant Principal
Standard scale. Assistant Principal Higher: 91,229 to 114,069.
| Point | From 1 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| 1 | €83,113 |
| 2 | €86,173 |
| 3 | €89,277 |
| 4 | €92,390 |
| 5 | €95,499 |
| 6 | €97,292 |
| LSI 1 | €100,427 |
| LSI 2 | €103,576 |
Principal Officer
Standard scale. Principal Higher: 116,397 to 143,541.
| Point | From 1 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| 1 | €108,152 |
| 2 | €112,741 |
| 3 | €117,294 |
| 4 | €121,883 |
| 5 | €125,753 |
| LSI 1 | €129,768 |
| LSI 2 | €133,775 |
Above Principal Officer
Assistant Secretary runs from €171,517 to €196,205 over four points. Deputy Secretary is a single rate of €221,451, and the three Secretary General levels are €252,970, €267,024 and €283,711. These posts are filled by the Top Level Appointments Committee, not by the general competitions.
What sits on top of basic pay
A public service pension (the Single Public Service Pension Scheme for anyone who joined after 2013), annual leave that rises with service and grade, flexi-time in most offices and blended working under each department’s policy. Allowances are limited in the general service grades; the exceptions are specific posts and locations set out in their own circulars. The competition booklet’s Candidate Information Part III lists the exact terms for each grade.
Which grade to aim for
Pay is one half of the decision. The other is what the interview expects, which rises sharply between grades. Clerical Officer boards mark how you do your own work. Executive Officer is the first grade where the board expects you to have organised other people’s work. Higher Executive Officer looks for leadership and decisions in every example, and Assistant Principal for strategy and stakeholders. The guides cover each: Clerical Officer, Executive Officer, Higher Executive Officer, Administrative Officer, Assistant Principal.