If you’re looking for a job that comes with added benefits, you could do a lot worse than being elected to the European Parliament.
There are a wide variety of expenses and bonuses that come with being an MEP that go far beyond a generous starting salary, and which make the job an extremely attractive option for many lawmakers around Europe.
Each MEP takes a gross salary of €10,075.42 per month – equivalent to around €120,905.04 per year. After taxes and insurance, this equates to take-home pay of around €7,853.89 per month. This is then often subject to some national taxes, which varies depending on the tax rate of the MEP’s home country.
This compares to the pay of Irish TDs and Senators, which are as follows:
TD:
Gross annual pay: €107,376
Gross monthly pay: €8,948
Monthly take-home pay: €5,597
Irish Senator:
Gross annual pay: €75,014
Gross monthly pay: €6,251
Monthly take-home pay: €4,303
In addition to their generous salary, MEPs receive a monthly allowance of €4,950 to cover expenses such as renting an office, or paying for internet and office supplies. This amounts to €57,336 per year.
This “GEA” allowance is controversial, however, because as reported by the Brussels Times last year, there is “no oversight whatsoever regarding how this money is spent,” even though the vast majority of MEPs spend the full amount every year. Members are not required to provide receipts or evidence of how it is being used.
“We don’t know what MEPs are spending their GEA on,” Transparency International EU Deputy Director Nicholas Aiossa told The Brussels Times, adding: “But what we do know is that they are spending it.”
In addition to this, MEPs are also granted a daily allowance of €350 per day which covers accommodation, meals and “related expenses” when they are at the European Parliament on official business – though they must sign an attendance register to receive it.
However, the €350 figure is halved if MEPs miss more than half the roll-call votes on days when plenary votes are held
For meetings outside the EU, MEPs receive a lower figure of €175 per day.
MEPs are refunded for travelling to European Parliament meetings, usually in Brussels or Strasbourg, provided they keep receipts. This includes travelling first-class by rail, business class by plane, and allowances for car journeys, including for fuel, motorway tolls and other similar costs.
In addition to this, MEPs are refunded if they spend money on travel, accommodation and similar costs for “official” activities outside their home country – for example, going on a “fact-finding mission” abroad, or as part of a delegation. These expenses are usually paid out of the budget of the delegation organising the mission.
For individual travel outside of an MEP’s home country – say, to attend a conference overseas – a representative can claim up to €4,886 per year for travel, accommodation and “related expenses”.
MEPs are also entitled to a reimbursement of two-thirds of their medical expenses.
MEPs are also granted access to official vehicles in Brussels and Strasbourg for when conducting official business.
As of July 2023, each MEP is given a monthly budget of €28,696 to hire three to four personal assistants, including their salaries and benefits. The main rule overseeing this is that one cannot hire close relatives as staff.
When an MEP leaves office, either because they are voted out, they resign, or for some other reason, even then the benefits don’t stop. They are granted a “transitional allowance”, equivalent to one month’s salary per year they were in office for up to two years maximum, to help them transition back to normal society. So for example, if you served in the European Parliament for 6 years, you would receive 6 months’ salary. However, regardless of how long you have held your seat, the most you can receive is 2 years’ salary after leaving office.
MEPs receive their pension at the age of 63, equivalent to 3.5% of the salary for each full year in office, but not more than 70% in total. So, for example: if an MEP served in the European Parliament for 10 years, they would earn a pension of 10 x 3.5% of their salary – i.e. 35% of their salary. But this number cannot exceed 70%.