UN careers
UN post adjustment and benefits
Learn how UN base salary, post adjustment, local scales and benefits affect a job offer.
Last reviewed 15 August 2026
Post adjustment is one part of a Professional-category remuneration package. It is designed to help preserve purchasing power across duty stations, not to reward performance or compensate for every personal cost.
Start with the recruitment category
For Professional and higher categories, ICSC describes remuneration as base salary plus post adjustment. General Service and National Professional Officer roles are locally recruited and use local scales. Consultants, interns, UN Volunteers and other appointment types have their own terms. Never apply a P-scale estimate to a GS, NO or consultancy role.
What to review in an offer
Read the appointment type, grade, step where applicable, duty station, post-adjustment basis, dependency status, mobility or hardship conditions and contract duration together. Benefits can also depend on eligibility, assignment length and the employer's rules. A salary number alone cannot tell you whether an offer works for your circumstances.
Use the UN salary calculator for an indicative Professional-category calculation and the duty station guide for hardship context. Confirm everything against the employer's final written offer.
How post adjustment fits into pay
For internationally recruited Professional and higher-category staff in the UN common system, the salary framework combines a worldwide base salary with a post-adjustment element. ICSC reviews the latter to account for relative cost-of-living differences between duty stations. It changes with the duty station and can change over time. It is not a permanently fixed percentage and should not be treated as disposable income added to an unrelated salary quote.
Post adjustment is separate from other possible elements of an appointment. Depending on the employer, eligibility and location, an offer can refer to pension participation, health insurance, annual leave, travel, education grant, dependency-related provisions, mobility or hardship allowances. Those terms have separate rules. The right question is not "what benefits do UN staff get?" but "what does this appointment, at this duty station, make me eligible for?"
What differs by appointment
| Route | What not to assume |
|---|---|
| P and D staff appointment | That the calculator is an offer, or that every allowance applies to every assignment. |
| GS or NPO role | That an international Professional scale or post adjustment applies. Local scales and recruitment conditions matter. |
| Consultant or individual contractor | That staff benefits, pension participation or paid leave follow automatically. Read the contract and deliverables. |
| Internship, volunteer or short-term route | That the stipend, insurance and travel conditions match a staff appointment. |
Use the calculator properly
Use a calculator to compare plausible Professional-category scenarios, not to price a personal offer. Enter the relevant grade and duty station, then treat the output as a planning estimate. It cannot account for your step, family circumstances, specific contract, tax position, housing choice, school costs or later changes to the adjustment factor.
If an offer is under consideration, ask the recruiting organisation's HR contact for the applicable appointment terms rather than relying on a general online estimate. A transparent comparison includes the contract duration, expected start date, pension and insurance position, relocation or travel conditions, and any duty-station-specific provisions.
Questions worth resolving before acceptance
- What appointment type and salary basis will apply on the written offer?
- Which benefits are available to this contract and which depend on eligibility or assignment length?
- Are there duty-station, mobility, family, medical, security or travel conditions that change the practical decision?
- Which figures are estimates and which are confirmed by the employer?
Continue your search
Related guides
Common questions
Is post adjustment a bonus?
No. It is a cost-of-living adjustment used with Professional-category base salary.
Does it apply to every UN contract?
No. Pay and benefits depend on the recruitment category