The highest office in Germany - that's how high Federal President Steinmeier's salary is
Created: 2022-02-11, 12:55 p.m
By: Tom Offinger
In a few days, Frank-Walter Steinmeier could begin his second term as Federal President.
But how much does the German head of state actually earn?
Berlin - On February 13, the time has come: The Federal Assembly elects a new Federal President in the Berlin Reichstag.
Incumbent Frank-Walter Steinmeier from the SPD has the best chance of being confirmed in the office of German head of state for another five years.
The 66-year-old has been at the helm of the Federal Republic since March 2017, making him one of the best-paid politicians in the country.
But how much does the Federal President actually earn?
Salary of the Federal President: A lot of money for the head of state
Unlike the members of the Bundestag, the current and exact earnings of the German head of state are not visible to everyone.
Accordingly, there is no clear information when you enter the terms "Federal President" and "salary" in the usual online search engines - each source gives a different amount.
However, one thing is certain: Frank-Walter Steinmeier should not be troubled by money worries.
A report in the
Handelsblatt
refers to a statement by the Office of the Federal President and states an official salary of 236,000 euros.
In addition, there is an expense allowance of 78,000 euros, with which he can, for example, pay the costs of the staff in his official apartment.
The information is from the year
2017. Should Steinmeier one day resign from office, according to the law he is entitled to an appropriate honorary salary.
This should correspond to the amount of the tenure.
On the website of the Federal President's Office it is pointed out that the Federal President receives "official remuneration amounting to 10/9 of the official salary of the Federal Chancellor".
In the 2020 budget year, this corresponded to an amount of around 254,000 euros.
Here, too, an expense allowance of 78,000 euros per year is given.
Salary of the Federal President: Federal Chancellor gets off better
Although the Federal President embodies the highest political office in the Federal Republic of Germany, his salary is not the highest among politicians.
The Federal Chancellor receives a higher amount, so a monthly
salary of
20,179 euros
goes to Olaf Scholz's account
.
As the Association of Taxpayers (BdSt) states, there is also a so-called tax-free service expense allowance of around 12,271 euros per year.
The foreign minister, a role that Steinmeier held from 2005 to 2009 and again from 2013 to 2017, earns around 197,280 euros a year (16,440 a month).
In addition, he is also entitled to an annual tax-free lump sum of 3,681 euros.
The other 15 federal ministers are entitled to the same amount.
Despite opposing candidates, Steinmeier's re-election as Federal President of Germany is considered certain - here you can find out when a result can be expected.
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