City councilors’ salaries & expense allowances

Reykjavík City pays the Mayor's salary, including expenses, of 2,307,940 kr. according to a letter of employment. In addition, the Mayor receives remuneration for the chairmanship of the Board of the Capital Region Fire Service, kr. 229,151. The remuneration of the Mayor takes into account the remuneration of the Prime Minister as determined at all times by the Labor Court (I. kjaradómur) pursuant to Act No. 120/1997.

For the longest time, the remuneration of city councilors was linked to parliamentarians' salaries, but following Resolution No. 2016.3.001 of the Labor Court, City Council, at its meeting on November 15, 2016, decided to direct the Council Presidium to decide that the remuneration of city councilors and the salary payments of other elected representatives linked to parliamentarians' salaries should not be changed despite the Resolution. Reykjavík City subsequently adopted an amended proposal on the remuneration of elected representatives at the City of Reykjavík in such a way as to eliminate the link with parliamentarians’ salaries and, instead, link it to the wage index in order to better reflect general salary developments and to bring the remuneration into line with the framework agreement between management and labor.

After the change, the total salary costs of city councilors and the remuneration of other elected representatives will change according to the wage index. The base salary considers changes in the wage index since March 2013 and is updated in January and July of each year.

As of July 1, 2024:

• Base salary of city councilors in ISK 1,053,896
• Base salary of deputy city councilors: kr. 737,727
• City councilors will be paid expenses in the amount of kr. 76,112, to meet all personal expenses incurred for the job.
• City councilors are entitled to a 25% salary premium for serving as chair in a specialized council/city council party group or if the councilor is a member of three or more standing committees.
• City councilors elected to the City Executive Council are entitled to a 25% salary premium, elected alternatives are entitled to a 6% salary premium and the Chair of the City Executive Council is entitled to a 40% salary premium.
• The President of City Council is entitled to a 25% salary premium.
• City councilor salary and expenses with a 6% premium (City Executive Council alternate). 1,193,242.
• City councilor salary and expenses with a 25% premium (for example, for sitting on three councils) kr. 1,393,482.
• City councilor salary and expenses with a 2x25% premium (for example, for a sitting on City Executive Council and three other councils) kr. 1,656,956.
• 1st deputy city councilor salary and expenses with a 6% premium (City Executive Council alternate) kr. 877,073.
• 1st deputy city councilor salary and expenses with a 25% premium (e.g. for sitting on three councils) kr. 1,077,313.

This page displays salary payments to City Council members from Reykjavík City, in addition to which, City Council members receive a fixed monthly remuneration for board membership at Félagsbústöðum hf., Strætó Public Transport bs., Fire Department for the Capital Area bs., Faxaflóahöfn Port sf., Malbikunarstöðin Höfða hf., SORPU bs., Reykjavík Energy, Brú Pension Fund, and the Association of Icelandic Municipalities. Alternates on the boards in question are paid for each session. The Public Security Committee only pays for completed sessions. The Board of the Association of Municipalities in the Capital Area is not paid for sitting on the Board, but alternate members of the Board are paid for the meetings in which they sit. Payments are also made for sitting meetings at the District Planning Committee and other committees of the Association of Municipalities in the Capital Area. As a result, these figures all vary from month to month.

The information in the table was last updated on August 08, 2024, and will next be updated in Januar 2025.

You can click on the names of the representatives to learn more about them.