Romania sets priest salaries under new unified pay law

Romania's draft law on a unified public‑sector salary system introduces a reference wage of 4,100 lei and specific coefficients for clergy. For priests, coefficients range from 1.42 to 1.60, resulting in a gross monthly salary between 5,822 lei for a debutant with secondary education and 6,560 lei for a grade‑I priest with higher education.

The law, slated to take effect on 1 January 2027, must be adopted by 31 August 2026 to meet a deadline under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Failure to pass the legislation could jeopardise roughly €770 million of EU funds. Priests may also supplement the base salary with parish donations, services and other permissible income.