The Principal Officer (PO) scale runs from €108,152 at
point 1 to €133,775 at the top, across 7 points — 5 ordinary increments plus 2 long service increments. On the starting point a single PAYE worker takes home about €68,425 a year, or €5,702.12 a month, after income tax,
USC and PRSI.
Point 1€108,152€68,425 take-home
Maximum (7 points)€133,775€80,664 take-home
Years to scale max4then 2 LSI
Every point on the PO scale
Gross and take-home at each point — scale effective 1 June 2026.
Take-home is a full-year estimate for a single PAYE worker on Class A PRSI, before pension.
Point
Gross / year
Take-home / year
Take-home / month
Point 1
€108,152
€68,425
€5,702.12
Point 2
€112,741
€70,617
€5,884.78
Point 3
€117,294
€72,792
€6,065.99
Point 4
€121,883
€74,984
€6,248.65
Point 5 (max)
€125,753
€76,832
€6,402.68
LSI1
€129,768
€78,750
€6,562.49
LSI2
€133,775
€80,664
€6,721.97
Long service increments are not annual. LSI1 is paid after 3 years on the maximum of the
scale and LSI2 after a further 3 years.
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Work out your own PO take-home
Prefilled to the PO starting point. Change the gross, add a pension contribution, or
switch to married to see the effect.
2026 Class A estimate assuming uniform weekly pay: 4.2% through September and 4.35% from October, blended over the year. Actual PRSI is calculated per pay period and can differ with bonuses, unpaid weeks or a 53-week payroll year. Figures are not stored; calculator events use only a broad salary band.
The Principal Officer (PO) scale runs from €108,152 at point 1 to €133,775 at the top, across 7 points, of which the last 2 are long service increments. Figures are the scale effective 1 June 2026.
What is PO take-home pay after tax?
A single PAYE worker on the PO starting point of €108,152 takes home about €68,425 a year (€5,702.12 a month). At the €133,775 maximum that is about €80,664 a year. This is a full-year estimate after income tax, USC and PRSI, before any pension deduction.
How long does it take to reach the top of the PO scale?
There are 5 ordinary points, so roughly 4 years of satisfactory service reaches €125,753. The remaining 2 points are long service increments: LSI1 is paid after 3 years on the maximum and LSI2 after a further 3, taking the scale to €133,775.
Do PO increments happen automatically?
Ordinary increments are annual and depend on satisfactory service rather than being automatic. Long service increments are different again — they are only paid after a qualifying period sitting at the maximum of the scale, not each year.