In Iceland, published rates for start at ISK 532,500 a month on staff.
Pay rates for journalists in Iceland, as published by unions, governments and surveys, each quoted as printed and turned into a day's pay to compare. How the pay guide works →
Each published rate as a day's pay
US$ a day at the ECB rate for the month. A month is 12 payments over 260 working days, or 13 or 14 where the agreement says so; a year is 260 days; a shift counts as a day.
| Type of work | What | As printed | US$ a day | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On staff | Grade 1, starting salary, from 1 Jan 2026 | ISK 532,500 a month | $201.64 | BÍ · Collective agreement · 1 Jan 2026 |
| On staff | Grade 2 (degree), starting salary, from 1 Jan 2026 | ISK 611,397 a month | $231.51 | BÍ · Collective agreement · 1 Jan 2026 |
| On staff | Grade 3 (master’s degree), starting salary, from 1 Jan 2026 | ISK 623,074 a month | $235.93 | BÍ · Collective agreement · 1 Jan 2026 |
| On staff | Grade 1, after 16 years, from 1 Jan 2026 | ISK 651,165 a month | $246.57 | BÍ · Collective agreement · 1 Jan 2026 |
| Freelance | Samtals laun, launatengd gjöld og annar kostnaður | ISK 1,240,657 a month | $469.79 | BÍ · Recommended rates |
| Freelance | Leiðbeinandi tímagjald án VSK | ISK 7,754 an hour | $508.93 | BÍ · Recommended rates |
| Freelance | Tímagjald með VSK (24%) | ISK 9,615 an hour | $631.08 | BÍ · Recommended rates |
Journalism in Iceland
In the 2026 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Iceland ranks 12 of 180, with a score of 82.8 out of 100. Up 5 places on the year before.
RSF World Press Freedom Index ↗By job type
Rates documents 2
Unions and bodies in Iceland
Nearby
Lowest staff minimum in each country's agreements, as US$ a day.
About this data. These rates are compiled from publicly available sources and quoted as printed, with their date. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any figure. For information only: Journalist.net does not recommend or set rates. How we count