Taoiseach and Minister Salary Ireland 2026: Every Office

Q: How much does the Taoiseach earn?

EUR 256,311 a year with effect from 1 June 2026. That is the ordinary TD salary of EUR 119,467 plus an office allowance of EUR 136,844. The Taoiseach is not the highest paid member of the Oireachtas: the Ceann Comhairle is, on EUR 268,522.

Q: How much does a government minister earn in Ireland?

A senior minister is paid EUR 217,136: EUR 119,467 as a TD plus a EUR 97,669 office allowance. A Minister of State is paid EUR 167,759, rising to EUR 181,573 if they attend Cabinet.

Q: How much does the Tánaiste earn?

EUR 236,427, made up of the EUR 119,467 TD salary and a EUR 116,960 office allowance. That is about EUR 19,000 less than the Taoiseach and about EUR 19,000 more than a senior minister.

Q: Who is the highest paid politician in Ireland?

The Ceann Comhairle at EUR 268,522, ahead of the Taoiseach at EUR 256,311. The office allowance of EUR 149,055 attached to chairing the Dáil is the largest in the Oireachtas.

Q: Does anyone in the public service earn more than the Taoiseach?

Yes. A hospital consultant at the top of the scale reaches EUR 286,151, about EUR 30,000 more than the Taoiseach's EUR 256,311. Inside the Oireachtas the Ceann Comhairle also earns more, on EUR 268,522. Government office is well paid, but it is not the top of the public payroll.

Q: How does a minister's pay compare to the civil servants who work for them?

A Principal Officer, a senior civil service grade running a division of a department, tops out at EUR 133,775. That is a little more than a backbench TD, and a little under two thirds of the EUR 217,136 paid to the minister at the head of the department.

The short answer

The Taoiseach is paid €256,311 a year from 1 June 2026, the Tánaiste €236,427, a senior minister €217,136 and a Minister of State €167,759, or €181,573 if they attend Cabinet. Each of those totals is the ordinary TD salary of €119,467 plus an allowance for the office. None of them is the highest paid position in the Oireachtas: the Ceann Comhairle is, on €268,522.

Minister of State

€167,759

about €7,849 a month take-home

Taoiseach

€256,311

about €11,221 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

The take-home estimate is ours, not the Oireachtas's. Salaries are stated to be subject to income tax, PRSI, USC, the pension levy and a pension contribution, but the scheme that applies to a given member is not published, so our monthly figure applies the Single Public Service Pension Scheme rates of ASC. Anyone on a pre-2013 arrangement takes home less. The gross figures are exactly as published.

What makes up the pay

The published salary of a minister is built from two parts, and the second one disappears the day they leave office while the first does not.

Element	What the employer states
The TD salary underneath	€119,467. Ministers are paid the ordinary parliamentary salary first, exactly as a backbencher is.
The office allowance	Added on top, and it is the part that varies: €136,844 for the Taoiseach down to €48,292 for a Minister of State.
Attending Cabinet	A Minister of State who attends Cabinet receives a further €13,814, taking the total to €181,573.
No travel allowance	Ministers and Ministers of State cannot claim the Travel and Accommodation Allowance that other members receive, which is worth up to €34,065 to a TD living far from Dublin. State transport arrangements replace it.
Public Representation Allowance	Capped at €16,000 a year for a minister, lower than the €20,350 a backbench TD can claim, and it must be vouched with receipts.
Deductions	Income tax, PRSI, USC, the pension levy and a pension contribution, as for any public servant. At these salaries almost all of the income sits in the 40% band.

Every government office and what it pays

The two columns on the left are how the Oireachtas itself publishes these figures. The total is simply their sum.

Office	Parliamentary salary	Office allowance	Total
Taoiseach	€119,467	€136,844	€256,311
Tánaiste	€119,467	€116,960	€236,427
Minister	€119,467	€97,669	€217,136
Minister of State attending Cabinet	€119,467	€48,292 plus €13,814	€181,573
Minister of State	€119,467	€48,292	€167,759

For context, a senior minister on €217,136 is paid about 3.8 times what a staff nurse reaches at the top of the nursing scale.

Where ministers actually sit in public sector pay

Two things surprise people here. Government office is not where the largest allowance in the Oireachtas sits, and the Oireachtas is not where the largest salary in the public service sits.

Position	Total
Hospital consultant, top of scale	€286,151
Ceann Comhairle	€268,522
Taoiseach	€256,311
Tánaiste	€236,427
Minister	€217,136
Leas-Cheann Comhairle	€184,510
Minister of State	€167,759
Cathaoirleach of the Seanad	€142,398
Principal Officer, senior civil service	€133,775
Backbench TD	€119,467
Backbench Senator	€83,666
Staff nurse, top of scale	€56,592

A hospital consultant on the top point out-earns the Taoiseach by roughly €30,000. The civil servants who advise ministers are a different story: a Principal Officer tops out at €133,775, a little above a backbench TD and a little under two thirds of what the minister they report to is paid.

Questions people ask most

How much does the Taoiseach earn?

€256,311 a year with effect from 1 June 2026. That is the ordinary TD salary of €119,467 plus an office allowance of €136,844. The Taoiseach is not the highest paid member of the Oireachtas: the Ceann Comhairle is, on €268,522.

How much does a government minister earn in Ireland?

A senior minister is paid €217,136: €119,467 as a TD plus a €97,669 office allowance. A Minister of State is paid €167,759, rising to €181,573 if they attend Cabinet.

How much does the Tánaiste earn?

€236,427, made up of the €119,467 TD salary and a €116,960 office allowance. That is about €19,000 less than the Taoiseach and about €19,000 more than a senior minister.

What is the difference between a minister and a minister of State?

In pay terms it is large. A senior minister sits at Cabinet and receives a €97,669 allowance, giving €217,136. A Minister of State, sometimes called a junior minister, receives €48,292, giving €167,759, or €181,573 for the small number who also attend Cabinet.

Do ministers get expenses on top?

Less than backbenchers do, which surprises people. Ministers and Ministers of State cannot claim the Travel and Accommodation Allowance at all, worth up to €34,065 to a rural TD, and their vouched Public Representation Allowance is capped at €16,000 rather than the €20,350 a TD can claim.

Does a minister keep the money after leaving office?

No. The office allowance is attached to the office, so it stops when the office does. What continues is the €119,467 parliamentary salary, for as long as they remain a TD.

Do ministers pay tax on their salary?

Yes, and at these levels nearly all of it is taxed at the higher rate. The 40% band starts at €44,000 for a single person, so almost the entire salary of a minister falls above it, before USC of up to 8% and PRSI.

Who is the highest paid politician in Ireland?

The Ceann Comhairle at €268,522, ahead of the Taoiseach at €256,311. The office allowance of €149,055 attached to chairing the Dáil is the largest in the Oireachtas.

Does anyone in the public service earn more than the Taoiseach?

Yes. A hospital consultant at the top of the scale reaches €286,151, about €30,000 more than the Taoiseach's €256,311. Inside the Oireachtas the Ceann Comhairle also earns more, on €268,522. Government office is well paid, but it is not the top of the public payroll.

How does a minister's pay compare to the civil servants who work for them?

A Principal Officer, a senior civil service grade running a division of a department, tops out at €133,775. That is a little more than a backbench TD, and a little under two thirds of the €217,136 paid to the minister at the head of the department.

When did these salaries last increase?

On 1 June 2026. Ministerial and parliamentary pay moves with the general public service pay rounds, so that date brought the same 1% increase applied across the public service under the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026.

Where these figures come from

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

TDs and Senators salaries, including office holders, rates effective from 1 June 2026, Houses of the Oireachtas
Parliamentary Standard Allowance: who may claim the travel and public representation allowances, Houses of the Oireachtas
Additional Superannuation Contribution (ASC): rates and thresholds, Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation

More public sector pay:

All public sector pay scales →

Taoiseach and minister pay in Ireland