• General
  • What is the United Nations system?
  • What is the United Nations common system?
  • What is the International Civil Service Commission?
  • How does the Commission work?
  • How are staff categorized in the United Nations common system?
• Allowances and Benefits
  • Education Grant
    • Who is eligible for the education grant?
    • How long can you get the education grant?
    • How much is the grant?
    • My children go to a public school will I receive the education grant?
    • I am an American serving in Switzerland but now I am reassigned to New York will I still receive the education grant?
    • I am a Swedish staff member in New York and my children are attending a public school but I would like to have my children learn Swedish. Do I get some of the costs reimbursed?
    • Do you have an education grant for disabled children?
  • Danger Pay
    • What is danger pay?
    • Who determines where and when danger pay is payable?
    • What is the amount of danger pay and how it is paid?
  • Dependency Allowances
    • How does a staff member qualify for a dependent spouse allowance or gets paid at dependency rate if he/she has a spouse?
    • How much do the staff members receive for a dependent spouse?
    • I am a General Service staff member and my spouse is not working but I do not receive a spouse allowance?
    • What is a dependent child?
    • I do not have a primary dependent but I have a dependent mother will I receive an allowance?
    • I am a General Service staff member and I receive a spouse allowance but I am also responsible for my brother can I receive a secondary dependant's allowance?
  • Daily Subsistence Allowance
    • What is daily subsistence allowance?
    • Are DSA rates, as established by the UN and other international organizations (EU, NATO, the World Bank, OSCE, etc.), the same?
    • Which UN entity establishes DSA rates?
    • Are DSA rates, as established by ICSC, the same for all duty stations?
    • Do all duty stations within one country, territory or area have the same DSA rate?
    • Do provinces/states/other administrative entities have also DSA rates?
    • Where can I find current DSA rates?
    • When do I receive DSA?
    • Is DSA paid only when I travel?
    • Does DSA rate only cover accommodation expenses?
    • What kinds of DSA rates exist?
    • I am on a long-term mission. Why does my DSA change after 60th day?
    • Can DSA rate change or are they fixed after being established?
    • Can a UN duty station request ‘out of cycle’ review of DSA rate?
    • Which entity should lead DSA survey for a duty station?
    • Is DSA survey led by international- or locally-recruited staff member?
    • What happens if a duty station does not submit its annual DSA survey?
    • I have received the documents from ICSC for DSA survey. Can I just send the forms to the hotels and ask them to fill out the documents?
    • Do I need to ask individual travelers about which hotels I should contact to collect data?
    • Should I use the cheapest, most restrictive hotel rate to calculate DSA?
    • The hotel offered a special rate and promised to offer it if we promote the hotel. Can I use only one hotel’s offer?
    • The hotel offered me a UN rate available for UN staff. Can I include it into DSA review?
    • I read through ICSC guidance, but I still do not understand which hotels I should select.
    • My duty station has not received any correspondence from ICSC on DSA survey. What should I do?
  • Language Allowance:
    • When is a language allowance payable?
  • Pensions
    • Are United Nations common system staff provided with pensions?
    • What is the pensionable remuneration scale used for?
    • How are pensions calculated?
  • Relocation-related Compensation
    • What is the purpose of settling-in grant?
    • How is the settling-in grant calculated?
    • What are the shipment options available for internationally recruited staff ?
• Job Classification
  • What is job classification?
  • Are job classification and job evaluation one and the same?
  • I am doing the same job as my colleague but we are classified at different grades. Why is this?
  • What is a desk audit?
  • When should a desk audit be done?
  • How can different occupations be measured by the same set of standards?
  • How can a classification officer understand jobs in diverse occupations?
  • Why are there different standards for Professional and General Service jobs?
  • What is the difference between a job and a post?
  • Can I appeal to the International Civil Service Commission if I think that my grade level is incorrect?
• Mobility and Hardship
  • What is the meaning of "mobility and hardship arrangements"?
  • How is the hardship at any duty station assessed?
  • How would I know the hardship classification rating for my current duty station?
  • I am assigned to Cyprus; why is this duty station not listed under the hardship ratings?
  • What is the amount of hardship allowance?
  • Who is eligible for hardship allowance
  • Is eligibility for the payment of the hardship allowance a continuing one?
  • I am a National Professional Officer. Why am I not eligible for allowances under the mobility and hardship arrangements?
  • Non-Family Service Allowance
    • What is non-family service allowance?
    • How is the family status of a duty station determined?
    • What is the amount of non-family service allowance ?
    • Who is eligible for non-family service allowance?
  • Rest and Recuperation
    • What is Rest and Recuperation?
    • What are the eligibility requirements for Rest and Recuperation?
  • Security Evacuation Allowance
    • What is Security Evacuation Allowance?
    • What is the amount of Security Evacuation Allowance and who is eligible?
    • When is the Security Evacuation Allowance paid?
  • Mobility incentive
    • What is the purpose of mobility incentive?
    • How is the amount of mobility incentive calculated?
    • Who is eligible for mobility incentive?
    • Is eligibility for the payment of the mobility incentive a continuing one?
• Post Adjustment
  • What is post adjustment?
  • Who is responsible for post adjustment?
  • What makes up post adjustment?
  • What is the post adjustment index?
  • What is the post adjustment multiplier?
  • How is the post adjustment index derived?
  • What local data is used to calculate the post adjustment?
  • Can you provide an example as to how the post adjustment amount is calculated?
  • What is a place-to-place survey?
  • What are the components of a place-to-place survey?
  • What does the price survey entail?
  • What is the purpose of the Expenditures Survey?
  • What is the relationship between place-to-place surveys and housing surveys?
  • How are the data collected from the place-to-place survey used to calculate the post adjustment index?
  • What is the consolidation of post adjustment into base salary?
  • What is the rental subsidy scheme?
  • Expenditure Surveys
    • General Questions (Pre-survey)
      • Am I eligible for the survey?
      • Will the survey affect salaries at my duty station?
      • Why should I participate in the survey?
      • What are the consequences of low staff participation?
      • What specific measures have been taken to facilitate staff participation?
      • How much time will be required to complete the survey?
      • Is confidentiality assured for the data provided in this survey?
      • What measures have been established to ensure transparency of the survey process?
      • How do I prepare for the survey?
      • How will the survey be administered?
      • Does the methodology for the new round of surveys take into account the new compensation package for Professional staff recently approved by the UN General Assembly?
      • Does the survey affect the post adjustment for New York? How?
      • Does the survey capture all categories of significant staff expenditures?
    • General Questions (during the survey)
      • How does the process start?
      • What level of detail or accuracy is required in reporting my expenditures?
      • Should I include the expenses of everyone in my household, or just mine?
      • I am a homeowner, not a renter. Am I eligible to participate?
      • I have multiple residences; can you explain how to enter them?
      • Why can’t I enter mortgage payments?
      • I have investment properties outside the duty station which provide rental income to me. Should these be included?
      • I purchased major appliances within the five year time frame, but at a different duty station. Should I include those?
      • Where are car lease payments entered?
      • I have dependents and family members in my home country which I send money to for support. Where are these recorded?
      • There is a discrepancy between the total reported as Net Remuneration in the summary page and my actual net pay. Why?
      • I have several types of expenditures which are not captured by the questionnaire. Where do I enter them?
      • I am a home owner and I cannot find any place in the questionnaire to report expenditures for mortgage, utilities or other housing costs, like renters. Why?
      • I have questions about specific line items. Where can I find guidance?
      • Where can I find more technical details?
      • When will the results of the survey be implemented?
• Salaries of the Professional and Higher Categories
  • Which are the elements that make up the salary of the Professional staff?
  • How many grades are there in the Professional and higher categories?
  • What is the base/floor salary scale?
  • What is staff assessment?
  • How is the base/floor salary scale adjusted?
  • How are salaries determined for United Nations Professional staff members?
  • Why are United Nations professional salaries based on United States federal civil service employee's salaries?
  • What is the margin?
  • Do United Nations staff members pay income taxes?
• Salaries of General Service Staff
  • How are salaries determined for staff in the General Service category?
  • How are the salary surveys conducted?
  • When you do the salary surveys do you compare United Nations salaries with  gross or net salaries of selected employers?
  • Are General Service staff exempt from income taxes?
  • How many General Service salary scales are there?
  • Can you explain the five lines of the General Service salary scales?
  • Where can I find the General Service salary scale for each duty station?
  • Are the General Service salary scales also expressed in United States dollars?
  • How often are General Service salary scales reviewed?
• Contact