Amount. Purpose. Granting conditions
In the Official Gazette, Part I no. 381 of 6 May 2026, Emergency Ordinance no. 39/2026 was published for the amendment and completion of Government Emergency Ordinance no. 58/2023 regarding certain measures for granting a teaching career bonus for teaching staff and auxiliary teaching staff, as well as a professional career bonus for administrative staff in state education, financed from non-reimbursable external funds, as well as for establishing regulations for the management of the Education and Employment Programme 2021–2027.
Through this, the legal framework was established for granting the teaching career bonus, in the amount of 1,500 lei, for the 2025–2026 school and university year.
The bonus is granted to active employees in the state education system. In pre-university education, beneficiaries are teaching staff and auxiliary teaching staff. In higher education, the funds are intended for teaching staff holding the rank of associate professor, senior lecturer/lecturer, or university assistant, as well as auxiliary teaching staff.
The teaching career bonus is granted starting from May 2026, according to GEO 39/2026, and may be used until the end of the 2025–2026 school year, respectively 31 August, and until the end of the 2025–2026 academic year, respectively 30 September 2026.
For the 2025–2026 school/university year, the teaching career bonus with a nominal value of 1,500 lei net is granted for the following categories of expenses:
- expenses related to professional training courses – in a proportion of at least 65%;
- expenses related to the purchase of specialized books, as well as other similar categories of expenses;
- other expenses necessary for carrying out the educational process, directly related to teaching activity.
The categories of expenses related to the purchase of specialized books, as well as other costs assimilated or necessary for carrying out the educational process, directly linked to teaching activity, are to be established by order of the Ministry of Education and Research (MEC).
A minimum of 65% of the value of the bonus will be used for professional training courses endorsed or accredited by the Ministry of Education and Research. The list of professional training courses endorsed or accredited by the Ministry of Education and Research, as well as the list of accredited providers, will be publicly available on the website of the Ministry of Education and Research.
The distribution of the teaching career bonus will be carried out on an electronic support (card), through the Romanian Post, directly to the premises of the educational units or institutions.
By 21 May 2026, the Ministry of Education and Research is to issue the list of final beneficiaries from the state pre-university education system who meet the eligibility conditions for the 2025–2026 school and university year.
The budget for the measure is estimated at 413.778 million lei, financed from non-reimbursable European funds under the Education and Employment Programme 2021–2027.