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Garda salary in Ireland

An Garda Síochána publishes what a trainee is paid, what you start on when you attest, and where the scale finishes. It does not publish the individual points in between, and this page is straight about that rather than filling the gap with guesses.

The short answer

A Garda Trainee is paid an allowance of €354 a week for the 36 weeks of training, with accommodation and food provided in the Garda College from Sunday to Friday. On attestation you become a Probationer Garda and move to the first point of the pay scale, €39,194 as of 1 February 2026, rising incrementally to €60,333 after 8 years. Overtime, shift allowances and a possible degree increment come on top of that.

On attestation, point 1
€39,194
about €2,680 a month take-home
Top of the scale, after 8 years
€60,333
about €3,602 a month take-home

Take-home is for a single person with standard credits, after income tax, USC, PRSI and ASC, and before any allowance or overtime.

What is not published, and why this page stops where it does

An Garda Síochána states the entry point and the ceiling but does not publish the individual scale points between them in any document we can reach, and garda.ie is not currently serving its careers pages. Several salary sites do print a full point-by-point Garda scale. We are not reproducing those figures, because they contradict the official ones: one widely cited site lists scale points of €61,885, which is above the €60,333 ceiling An Garda Síochána itself publishes, and describes a twenty point scale where the official material describes reaching the maximum after eight years. Where a number cannot be stood over, this site leaves it out. If An Garda Síochána publishes the full scale we will add it.

What makes up the pay

Garda pay is not one figure. The published basic scale is the base, and several elements sit on top of it, all of them stated in An Garda Síochána's own recruitment material.

ElementWhat the employer states
Trainee allowance€354 a week for the 36 weeks of training, with accommodation and food provided while resident in the Garda College from Sunday to Friday.
Starting salary€39,194 on attestation as a Probationer Garda, as of 1 February 2026.
Scale maximum€60,333 a year, reached incrementally after 8 years.
Degree incrementAdditional increments may be applied based on educational qualifications, specifically a degree, following probation.
Shift allowancesProbationer Gardaí are assigned to the core 12 hour shift roster, which attracts additional allowances on top of basic pay.
OvertimePaid at time and a half, or double time when worked on a Sunday or public holiday.
ASCGardaí are on a fast accrual pension scheme, so the Additional Superannuation Contribution exempts only the first €28,750 rather than €34,500, then charges 10% to €60,000 and 10.5% above.

Questions people ask most

How much does a Garda earn in Ireland?
On attestation a Probationer Garda starts on €39,194 a year, as of 1 February 2026, rising incrementally to €60,333 after 8 years. Before that, a Garda Trainee is paid an allowance of €354 a week for 36 weeks. Overtime, shift allowances and a possible degree increment are paid on top of the basic scale.
What does a Garda trainee earn during training?
€354 a week for the 36 weeks of training. Accommodation and food are provided while resident in the Garda College from Sunday to Friday, so the allowance is not covering those costs during the week.
What is the starting salary for a Garda after training?
€39,194 a year. That is the first point of the pay scale, which you move to on attestation after the 36 week training period, when you become a Probationer Garda. The figure is An Garda Síochána's own, stated as of 1 February 2026.
How long does it take a Garda to reach the top of the pay scale?
8 years. An Garda Síochána states that pay rises incrementally from €39,194 to €60,333 over that period. The individual points along the way are not published in any document we can access.
Why does this page not list every point of the Garda pay scale?
Because An Garda Síochána does not publish them anywhere we can reach, and the figures circulating on salary sites contradict the official ones. One widely cited site lists points of €61,885, higher than the €60,333 ceiling An Garda Síochána itself states, and describes a twenty point scale where the official material describes eight years to the maximum. Publishing numbers that disagree with the employer's own statement would make this page worse, not better.
Do Gardaí get paid overtime?
Yes, and it is a significant part of earnings. Overtime is paid at time and a half, rising to double time for hours worked on a Sunday or a public holiday. This is why reported Garda earnings are often well above the basic scale.
Do Gardaí get extra pay for shift work?
Yes. Probationer Gardaí are assigned to the core 12 hour shift roster, which An Garda Síochána states attracts additional allowances. Those allowances are separate from the basic scale and from overtime.
Does having a degree increase Garda pay?
It can. An Garda Síochána states that additional increments may be applied based on educational qualifications, specifically a degree, following probation. The amount is not published in the recruitment material.
How much pension contribution does a Garda pay?
More than most public servants, because Gardaí are on a fast accrual pension scheme reflecting earlier retirement ages. The Additional Superannuation Contribution exempts only the first €28,750 of pensionable pay rather than the usual €34,500, then charges 10% up to €60,000 and 10.5% above it.
When do Garda salaries increase next?
The €39,194 figure is stated as of 1 February 2026. A further 1% general increase applied to public servants on 1 June 2026 under the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026, so current rates are likely to be slightly higher, but An Garda Síochána has not published a revised figure we can point to. We have not applied that increase ourselves.

Where these figures come from

Every euro figure on this page is taken from the sources below. Last checked 2026-08-14.

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