UN FS-5 Salary — San Francisco, United States

What an internationally recruited Field Service (FS-5) earns at the UN in San Francisco — the global net base salary plus this duty station’s 80% post adjustment and the hardship, danger and non-family allowances on top.

FS-5 salary — San Francisco, 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 111,908
Net rem · step 1
USD 128,584
Net rem · mid
USD 145,262
Net rem · top step
USD Post adjustment +80% 13 steps Hardship H January 2026 Checked Nov 7, 2026

Net remuneration = net base + 80% post adjustment (net base USD 62,275–USD 80,836), before hardship/danger allowances and pension.

FS-5 salary scale — by step

Worldwide Field Service net base (UN OneHR), effective January 2026, with the 80% post adjustment for San Francisco. Per year, USD.

StepNet basePost adj (+80%)Net remunerationEst. take-home
Step 1USD 62,275USD 49,633USD 111,908USD 97,934
Step 2USD 63,817USD 50,862USD 114,679USD 100,339
Step 3USD 65,366USD 52,097USD 117,463USD 102,754
Step 4USD 66,909USD 53,326USD 120,235USD 105,160
Step 5USD 68,459USD 54,562USD 123,021USD 107,577
Step 6USD 70,006USD 55,795USD 125,801USD 109,990
Step 7USD 71,555USD 57,029USD 128,584USD 112,405
Step 8USD 73,100USD 58,261USD 131,361USD 114,815
Step 9USD 74,652USD 59,498USD 134,150USD 117,235
Step 10USD 76,195USD 60,727USD 136,922USD 119,641
Step 11USD 77,743USD 61,961USD 139,704USD 122,055
Step 12USD 79,291USD 63,195USD 142,486USD 124,469
Step 13USD 80,836USD 64,426USD 145,262USD 126,877

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 — San Francisco

Allowances an internationally recruited FS-5 may receive at this duty station. Annual USD unless noted.

Post adjustmentCost-of-living multiplier on net base+80%
Hardship allowanceICSC category H — no hardship elementNot applicable
Mobility incentiveFrom the 2nd assignment onwardNot at H (HQ) stations
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 — San Francisco, plus cost of living & relocation
Your Take-Home Pay — United States

An estimate for a UN post at San Francisco, United States — 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 USD, 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 — San Francisco

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

Frequently asked

What is the FS-5 salary at the UN in San Francisco?

A Field Service FS-5 in San Francisco, United States has a net base salary of about USD 62,275 (step 1) to USD 80,836 (top step). With the 80% post adjustment for this duty station, net remuneration is roughly USD 112,095 to USD 145,505 per year, before hardship, danger and other allowances.

How does post adjustment work for a FS-5 in San Francisco?

Post adjustment equalises purchasing power across duty stations. In San Francisco it is about 80% of net base salary, added on top — so the same FS-5 net base is worth more or less depending on the station’s cost of living.

What is the cost of living in San Francisco, United States?

Everyday prices in United States are roughly 100% 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 San Francisco is 102/100 (New York = 100) — net pay buys about the same here as in New York.

See the Real UN Purchasing Power — San Francisco
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.