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, 2022:

• Base salary of city councilors: kr. 948,481
• Base salary of deputy city councilors: kr. 663,937
• City councilors will be paid expenses in the amount of kr. 68,499, to meet all personal expenses incurred for the job.
• City councilors are entitled to a 25% salary premium for serving as chair in a sectorial 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 with a 6% premium (City Executive Council alternate). 1,005,390.
• City councilor salary with a 25% premium (for example, for sitting on three councils) kr. 1,254,100.
• City councilor salary with a 2x25% premium (for example, for a sitting on City Executive Council and three other councils) kr. 1,491,221.
• 1st deputy city councilor salary with a 6% premium (City Executive Council alternate) kr. 720,846.
• 1st deputy city councilor salary with a 6% premium (e.g. for sitting on three councils) kr. 969,556.

This page displays Reykjavík City salary payments to city councilors, as well as salary payments from those who pay a fixed monthly fee for board memberships. They are Félagsbústaðir Social Housing hf., Strætó Public Transport bs., Capital Region Fire Service bs., Associated Icelandic Ports sf., Höfði Tarmac Production, SORPA bs., Reykjavík Energy, Brú Pension Fund, and Icelandic Association of Local Authorities. (As of June 2022, a call has been made for updated information on payments to city councilors for sitting on boards. The updated numbers will be published when available). 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. As a result, these figures all vary from month to month.

The information in the table on Reykjavík City committees is based on July 2022 and will next be updated in January 2023.

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