Hungarian teachers and kindergarten staff can expect additional salary increases from September 2025 and again in January 2026, according to a statement from the Ministry of Interior.
These raises will follow significant pay hikes already implemented — 32.2 percent in 2023 and an average 21.2 percent increase in January 2024.
The upcoming increases will be rolled out in two phases. The first, beginning Sept. 1, will focus on rewarding high-performing teachers based on recent performance evaluations conducted by school principals and kindergarten directors. The second, broader phase in January 2026, will apply to all 140,000 educators working in Hungary’s public sector.
According to the Ministry, the average gross salary for teachers will reach 850,000 forints this year (€2,150 per month). With the January raise, teachers’ average pay reached 80 percent of the national average salary for university graduates — a benchmark the government pledged to continue meeting.
To be eligible for the increase this year, performance evaluations in schools were to be concluded by June 30, while kindergartens have until August 15. Based on these evaluations, school leaders can award monthly bonuses of up to 20,000 forints for average performance, and between 20,000 and 60,000 forints for outstanding work.
The amount of the 2026 raise will depend on how much the average graduate salary increases by the end of 2025. “The exact ratio and amount will be determined at the end of the year, taking into account the annual wage developments,” the ministry said, as cited by Magyar Nemzet.
The plan was discussed with trade unions and reviewed by the Public Education Strategy committee.
While previous increases will be fully funded by the Hungarian state budget while Budapest continues to grapple with Brussels over the release of EU recovery funds.
The government has earmarked a total of 6,000 billion forints (€14.9 billion) for education wage increases through 2031, with 88 percent of that total to be covered by national funds.
The Orbán administration committed to significant pay rises for educators through its wage scheme introduced in 2022, following years of stagnation in their pay, with teachers previously earning considerably under the national graduate average.
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