UN FS-6 Salary — Colombo, Sri Lanka

What an internationally recruited Field Service (FS-6) earns at the UN in Colombo — the global net base salary plus this duty station’s 28% post adjustment and the hardship, danger and non-family allowances on top.

Hardship Category C Post Adjustment % 28.1 Cost of living 29 (US=100) HDI Rank #89

FS-6 salary — Colombo, at a glance

Internationally recruited Field Service (FS) — the UN’s worldwide FS scale plus this station’s post adjustment. Recruited locally? See the GS/NO local scale.

USD 91,954
Net rem · step 1
USD 105,882
Net rem · mid
USD 119,817
Net rem · top step
USD Post adjustment +28% 13 steps Hardship C January 2026 Checked Nov 7, 2026

Net remuneration = net base + 28% post adjustment (net base USD 71,783–USD 93,534), before hardship/danger allowances and pension.

FS-6 salary scale — by step

Worldwide Field Service net base (UN OneHR), effective January 2026, with the 28% post adjustment for Colombo. Per year, USD.

StepNet basePost adj (+28%)Net remunerationEst. take-home
Step 1USD 71,783USD 20,171USD 91,954USD 76,647
Step 2USD 73,595USD 20,680USD 94,275USD 78,561
Step 3USD 75,410USD 21,190USD 96,600USD 80,478
Step 4USD 77,221USD 21,699USD 98,920USD 82,391
Step 5USD 79,031USD 22,208USD 101,239USD 84,303
Step 6USD 80,843USD 22,717USD 103,560USD 86,216
Step 7USD 82,656USD 23,226USD 105,882USD 88,128
Step 8USD 84,478USD 23,738USD 108,216USD 90,047
Step 9USD 86,285USD 24,246USD 110,531USD 91,951
Step 10USD 88,097USD 24,755USD 112,852USD 93,860
Step 11USD 89,913USD 25,266USD 115,179USD 95,774
Step 12USD 91,723USD 25,774USD 117,497USD 97,681
Step 13USD 93,534USD 26,283USD 119,817USD 99,589

Est. take-home deducts a 7.9% UNJSPF pension and an indicative 2.5% medical premium. Indicative — the estimator below computes single/dependency rates and your exact deductions.

On top of base salary — Colombo

Allowances an internationally recruited FS-6 may receive at this duty station. Annual USD unless noted.

Post adjustmentCost-of-living multiplier on net base+28%
Hardship allowanceICSC category CUSD 11,010
Mobility incentiveFrom the 2nd assignment onwardUSD 6,900 +
Danger paySecurity-risk designationNot a danger-pay station
Non-family allowanceWhen dependants may not accompany staffFamily duty station
Spouse / single-parent allowanceDependent spouse, or first child if a single parent+6% of net remuneration
Child allowancePer dependent child (flat rate)USD 2,929 / child
See these allowances explained in full — Colombo, plus cost of living & relocation
Your Take-Home Pay — Sri Lanka

An estimate for a UN post at Colombo, Sri Lanka — for internationally recruited staff (Professional P / D, in US dollars) or locally recruited staff (General Service / National Officer, local scale).

{{ unmatched }} is not a UN salary grade, so the figures below are not for it — the calculator has fallen back to its default. Pick a grade above, or see contract types and what they pay.
You must already have 5 years’ continuous UN service to qualify, and it applies from your 2nd duty station onward. Paid for up to 5 years at any one station.
Net remuneration (base + post adj.)
{{ money((netBase + postAdj) / divisor) }} / {{ periodWord }}
Gross base salary{{ money(grossBase / divisor) }}
Staff assessment (internal tax)− {{ money(staffAssessment / divisor) }}
Net base salary{{ money(netBase / divisor) }}
Post adjustment ({{ station.multiplier }}%)+ {{ money(postAdj / divisor) }}
Net remuneration{{ money((netBase + postAdj) / divisor) }}
Spouse allowance (6%)+ {{ money(spouseAllow / divisor) }}
Single-parent allowance (6%)+ {{ money(singleParentAllow / divisor) }}
Hardship allowance (cat {{ station.hardship }})+ {{ money(hardshipAllow / divisor) }}
Danger pay+ {{ money(dangerAllow / divisor) }}
Non-family allowance+ {{ money(nonFamilyAllow / divisor) }}
Mobility allowance ({{ assignments }} assignments)+ {{ money(mobilityAllow / divisor) }}
Child allowance ({{ children }})+ {{ money(childAllow / divisor) }}
Secondary dependant+ {{ money(secondaryAllow / divisor) }}
Pension contribution (7.9%)− {{ money(pension / divisor) }}
Health insurance *− {{ money(medical / divisor) }}
Estimated take-home{{ money(takeHome / divisor) }}
Field Service net base: UN OneHR scale effective January 2026. The pension line uses pensionable remuneration derived from the ICSC Professional scale (FS figures are no longer published).
Net salary (local scale)
{{ localMoney(gsNet / divisor) }} / {{ periodWord }}
{{ gsLoading ? LOADING : '' }}
On the local GS/NO scale, in LKR, for {{ gDisp(gsGradeLabel) }}, {{ stepLabel(gsStep) }} (locally recruited staff). No post adjustment. Dependency & language allowances are <b>additional</b>.

* Health insurance is indicative only — real premiums vary by organization, plan (medical and dental are billed separately) and coverage option. The ~2.5% shown is a placeholder, not a quote.

Indicative estimate — excludes rental subsidy, education grant and settling-in. Professional (P/D) and Field Service (FS) pay is in US dollars; GS/NO on the local scale in local currency. For information only — not official advice.

Other Professional grades — Colombo

Same duty station, different grade — see the full scale for each.

FS-1 FS-2 FS-3 FS-4 FS-5 FS-7

UN jobs — Colombo (6 open)

World Bank E T ConsultantWorld Bank · Unspecified World Bank E T ConsultantWorld Bank · Unspecified UNOPS Project Manager (Infrastructure)UNOPS · LICA 10 UN Women UN Women: Programme Associate, Colombo, Sri Lanka, N-PPSA6, National Partner Personnel Service AgreementUN Women · NPSA-6 UNOPS Civil EngineerUNOPS · LICA 8 View all UN jobs — Colombo

Frequently asked

What is the FS-6 salary at the UN in Colombo?

A Field Service FS-6 in Colombo, Sri Lanka has a net base salary of about USD 71,783 (step 1) to USD 93,534 (top step). With the 28% post adjustment for this duty station, net remuneration is roughly USD 91,882 to USD 119,724 per year, before hardship, danger and other allowances.

How does post adjustment work for a FS-6 in Colombo?

Post adjustment equalises purchasing power across duty stations. In Colombo it is about 28% of net base salary, added on top — so the same FS-6 net base is worth more or less depending on the station’s cost of living.

What is the cost of living in Colombo, Sri Lanka?

Everyday prices in Sri Lanka are roughly 29% of United States levels (World Bank price level index, US = 100). Post adjustment is designed to offset this. For internationally recruited (P/D) staff, our Real UN Purchasing Power estimate for Colombo is 113/100 (New York = 100) — net pay (base + post adjustment) stretches about 13% further here than in New York.

See the Real UN Purchasing Power — Colombo
These are UN common-system pay figures. The World Bank, IMF and NGOs and other non-UN employers posting here set their own pay — a role here does not guarantee these figures.

Salary & Benefits Tools

Pay Stack calculatorThe full take-home tool — any duty station, every allowance, built layer by layer UN salary scales by grade Post adjustment explained UN contracts & grade levels
Advertisement