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Executive Officer salary in Ireland

Executive Officer is the first management grade of the Irish civil service and one of the most commonly advertised jobs in the public sector. This page has every point of the scale, both long service increments, and what you actually take home from each.

The short answer

A newly qualified executive officer starts on €38,803 a year. After 18 years of service you reach the top of the scale on €63,227. Allowances for promoted posts and, for some teachers, qualifications are paid on top of these figures.

Starting salary
€38,803
about €2,717 a month take-home
Top of the scale
€63,227
about €3,839 a month take-home

Figures from Circular 22/2026, effective 1 June 2026. Take-home is for a single person with standard credits, after income tax, USC, PRSI and ASC.

What point of the scale am I on?

This is where most salary pages get it wrong. Your point is not always the same as your years of service, because one of the two scales carries incremental skips. Pick your situation:

You are on point 1
€38,803

The full pay scale, every point

Executive Officer, standard scale (PPC)

PPC means Personal Pension Contribution, the scale for anyone recruited since 6 April 1995. This is the standard scale, which is what a new Executive Officer is appointed to.

Point Gross / year Take-home / year Take-home / month
1€38,803€32,601€2,717
2€40,764€33,976€2,831
3€41,871€34,753€2,896
4€44,030€36,267€3,022
5€45,965€37,308€3,109
6€47,838€38,259€3,188
7€49,703€39,207€3,267
8€51,534€40,137€3,345
9€53,419€41,094€3,425
10€55,296€42,048€3,504
11€57,289€43,060€3,588
12€58,624€43,739€3,645
LSI 1€60,527€44,705€3,725
LSI 2€63,227€46,074€3,839

Take-home assumes a single person with the personal and employee tax credits, no other income, and ASC at Single Public Service Pension Scheme rates. Your main superannuation contribution is deducted separately and depends on your scheme.

Executive Officer, higher scale (PPC)

A separate higher scale applies to certain Executive Officer posts. It starts where point 3 of the standard scale sits and runs further, with no long service increments attached.

Point Gross / year Take-home / year Take-home / month
1€41,871€34,753€2,896
2€44,030€36,267€3,022
3€45,965€37,308€3,109
4€47,838€38,259€3,188
5€49,703€39,207€3,267
6€51,534€40,137€3,345
7€53,419€41,094€3,425
8€55,296€42,048€3,504
9€57,289€43,060€3,588
10€58,624€43,739€3,645
11€60,527€44,705€3,725
12€61,954€45,428€3,786
13€63,384€46,153€3,846
14€65,628€47,291€3,941

A separate non-PPC scale exists for staff recruited before 6 April 1995, who pay modified PRSI rather than Class A. Because their PRSI is charged differently, the take-home figures here do not apply to that group.

What you earn in each year of your career

On the standard scale scale you move up one point for each year of satisfactory service, with no skipped points. That means 18 years of service to reach the top.

Years of service Your point Gross salary
Year 1Point 1€38,803
Year 2Point 2€40,764
Year 3Point 3€41,871
Year 4Point 4€44,030
Year 5Point 5€45,965
Year 6Point 6€47,838
Year 7Point 7€49,703
Year 8Point 8€51,534
Year 9Point 9€53,419
Year 10Point 10€55,296
Year 11Point 11€57,289
Year 12Point 12€58,624
Year 15Long Service Increment 1€60,527
Year 18Long Service Increment 2€63,227

Progression is automatic on your incremental date as long as your service is satisfactory. Time spent on a career break or otherwise out of service pushes your incremental date back. The two Long Service Increments are not annual increments: they are paid for time served at the maximum of the scale, LSI 1 after 3 years and LSI 2 after 6 years. That is why they appear several years after the last point rather than one after the other.

What comes off your salary

Four deductions apply before your pay reaches your account, and one of them is specific to the public service.

Income tax, USC and PRSI

The same as any employee. Income tax at 20% up to €44,000 for a single person and 40% above, USC in bands from 0.5% to 8%, and PRSI at 4.2%.

ASC, the public service extra

The Additional Superannuation Contribution. Nothing on the first €34,500, then 3.33% to €60,000 and 3.5% above for Single Scheme members. Pre-2013 scheme members pay 10% and 10.5% on the same bands. It reduces your income tax but not your USC or PRSI.

One thing to be aware of: the take-home figures on this page include ASC but not your main superannuation contribution, which is charged separately and depends on which pension scheme you joined. Your actual net pay will be somewhat lower. We show ASC because its rates are published and identical for everyone, while the main contribution varies.

Questions people ask most

How much does an Executive Officer earn in Ireland?
An Executive Officer starts on €38,803 a year and moves up to €58,624 at the top of the ordinary standard scale. The two long service increments then bring it to €60,527 and finally €63,227. Figures come from Circular 22/2026, effective 1 June 2026.
What is the starting salary for an Executive Officer?
€38,803 a year at point 1 of the standard PPC scale. Previous relevant public service experience can place you higher through incremental credit, but point 1 is the normal starting position for a new entrant.
How long does it take to reach the top of the EO scale?
12 years to reach the top ordinary point of €58,624. The first long service increment is paid after 3 further years at the maximum and the second after 6, so reaching €63,227 takes 18 years in total.
What are LSI1 and LSI2?
Long service increments, and they are not ordinary annual increments. LSI1 is paid after 3 years of satisfactory service at the maximum point of the scale, and LSI2 after 6 years at the maximum. This is why the published maximum for the grade, €63,227, is higher than the last ordinary point of €58,624.
What is the difference between the standard and higher EO scales?
The higher scale attaches to certain posts rather than to length of service. It starts at €41,871, which is point 3 of the standard scale, and runs to €65,628. It has no long service increments attached, because the scale itself runs further.
What is the difference between an Executive Officer and a Higher Executive Officer?
HEO is the next grade up and carries more managerial responsibility. The starting salary is considerably higher at €60,029, which is above the top ordinary point of the EO standard scale. Promotion from EO to HEO is usually through internal or interdepartmental competition.
Do Executive Officers get an increment every year?
Yes, one point a year on your incremental date, subject to satisfactory service. Time out of service, for example an unpaid career break, pushes the incremental date back by the same period.
How much ASC does an Executive Officer pay?
The Additional Superannuation Contribution charges nothing on the first €34,500 of pensionable pay. An EO on point 1 earns €38,803, so ASC applies only to the €4,303 above the threshold. Most Executive Officers are in the Single Public Service Pension Scheme and pay 3.33% on that excess, rising to 3.5% on anything over €60,000.
How do you become an Executive Officer in Ireland?
Through open competitions run by the Public Appointments Service and advertised on publicjobs.ie, or through internal competitions open to serving Clerical Officers. Open EO competitions are among the largest recruitment campaigns in the civil service.
When do civil service salaries increase next?
These rates come from the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026, which applied a 1% increase on 1 June 2026. That agreement is in its final year, so the next set of rates will be set by whatever agreement succeeds it. We update this page when a new circular is published.

Where these figures come from

Every euro figure on this page is taken from the official circulars below, not from salary surveys or crowd-sourced averages. Last checked 2026-08-13.

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