CONTISS Salary Structure 2026: University Staff Salary Table, Grades, Steps and Allowances

If you are searching for the CONTISS salary structure 2026, you are probably trying to find out how much non-academic university staff earn in Nigeria, what each CONTISS grade means, how salary steps work, and whether the figures currently shared online are the official 2026 rates.

This guide explains the CONTISS salary structure in simple terms, including CONTISS grades, university staff positions, salary steps, allowances and the difference between basic salary and actual take-home pay.

One important point should be made at the beginning: CONTISS II is a formal government salary structure, but the latest official National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) material located for this guide is the implementation of the revised CONTISS II following the 2024 national minimum wage changes. The NSIWC lists the implementation of the new national minimum wage for CONTISS II among its official salary-structure circulars.

Therefore, figures described online as a completely new “2026 CONTISS salary structure” should be treated carefully unless they can be traced to an official government circular or the relevant university’s approved payroll documents.

What Is CONTISS?

CONTISS means Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure. CONTISS II is the salary structure associated mainly with non-academic staff in tertiary institutions.

In simple language, CONTISS provides a framework for determining the pay of many university employees who are not lecturers.

Examples include:

• Administrative officers
• Accountants
• Librarians
• Technologists
• Engineers
• Procurement officers
• Internal auditors
• Computer and ICT personnel
• Laboratory and technical staff
• Research and experimental officers
• Estate officers
• Legal officers
• Physical planning officers
• Information and media staff

The University of Ibadan’s published scheme of service, for example, places numerous non-academic positions on CONTISS grades ranging from CONTISS 06 through CONTISS 15. Administrative, accounting, engineering, library, procurement and other professional cadres are specifically assigned to different CONTISS grades.

This is why someone searching for “CONTISS salary structure 2026 university staff salary table” is usually looking for more than one figure. They want to understand the relationship between a job title, CONTISS grade, salary step and monthly pay.

CONTISS Salary Structure 2026: Is There a New 2026 Table?

There is considerable confusion online about the phrase CONTISS salary structure 2026.

Many websites publish tables labelled “2026” and present them as if the Federal Government has released a completely new CONTISS salary scale for 2026. However, the safest way to verify a salary structure is to check the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission or an official university document.

The NSIWC currently lists an official document titled “Implementation of the New National Minimum Wage in the Federal Public Service: The Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure II (CONTISS II)”, dated September 30, 2024.

That distinction matters.

It means a person looking for the 2026 CONTISS salary table should not automatically assume that every table appearing online under the 2026 label represents a new government-approved salary structure.

Instead, the relevant questions are:

1. What is the employee’s CONTISS grade?
2. What step is the employee on?
3. Which salary circular is the university implementing?
4. Are allowances included?
5. Are there university-specific payments?
6. What deductions apply to the employee?

These factors can produce a substantial difference between a published salary figure and the amount an employee actually receives.

CONTISS Salary Table: Grade Levels and Typical University Positions

A useful way to understand CONTISS is to look at the grades alongside examples of positions.

The exact job title attached to a grade can vary by cadre and university.

For example, the University of Ibadan’s published scheme places an Administrative Assistant on CONTISS 07, Administrative Officer on CONTISS 08, Assistant Registrar on CONTISS 09, Senior Assistant Registrar II on CONTISS 11, Senior Assistant Registrar I on CONTISS 12, Principal Assistant Registrar on CONTISS 13 and Deputy Registrar on CONTISS 14.

Its accounting cadre follows a similar progression, with Accountant II on CONTISS 07, Accountant I on CONTISS 08, Senior Accountant on CONTISS 09 and more senior positions reaching CONTISS 14 and 15.

How Much Does CONTISS Staff Earn Per Month?

There is no single monthly salary for everyone on CONTISS.

This is one of the most important things to understand before relying on a CONTISS salary structure 2026 monthly salary table.

An employee’s salary depends on both the grade and the step.

For example, two employees can both be on CONTISS 08 but receive different amounts because they are on different steps.

The official CONTISS II structure is therefore better understood as a salary matrix rather than a simple list of 15 monthly salaries.

A published copy of the CONTISS II table effective from July 29, 2024 shows separate annual and monthly amounts for individual grades and multiple steps. For example, its first grade contains different annual and monthly amounts across the steps rather than one fixed salary.

This step system is important because an employee does not necessarily remain on the first salary point throughout their career.

What Is a Salary Step?

A salary step is a position within a particular grade.

Think of it this way:

Grade = level of the job

Step = position within that level

For instance, an employee could be appointed to CONTISS 08 and start at a particular step. With progression under the applicable rules, the employee may move to higher steps while remaining on the same grade.

Promotion to another grade is different.

For example, a person may progress within CONTISS 08 before eventually becoming eligible for promotion to CONTISS 09, subject to the university’s conditions of service, vacancy requirements, qualifications, performance and other applicable rules.

The University of Ilorin’s 2024 promotion circular illustrates this distinction. It stated that promotions for non-teaching staff covered CONTISS 06 to CONTISS 15 and noted that normal promotion required the employee to have spent at least three years after appointment or the last promotion or upgrade, subject to the institution’s conditions and other requirements.

Does CONTISS Apply to Lecturers?

Generally, CONTISS is associated with non-academic staff, while university academic staff are commonly placed under CONUASS, the Consolidated Universities Academic Salary Structure.

This distinction is important when searching for university salaries in Nigeria.

If you are looking for:

• Lecturer II salary
• Lecturer I salary
• Senior Lecturer salary
• Reader salary
• Professor salary

you should generally be researching CONUASS, not CONTISS.

For example, the University of Ibadan’s salary information identifies academic positions such as Lecturer II, Lecturer I, Senior Lecturer, Reader and Professor under CONUASS grades.

On the other hand, administrative, accounting, engineering, library and many technical positions are commonly associated with CONTISS.

This is why searches such as “CONTISS salary for university non-academic staff” and “CONUASS salary for lecturers” should not be treated as the same search.

CONTISS 07 Salary: What Does It Mean?

CONTISS 07 is one of the grades frequently searched by Nigerian job seekers.

The reason is simple: many professional and administrative positions enter or progress through the CONTISS system around this level.

University of Ibadan documents, for example, place positions such as Administrative Assistant, Accountant II, Engineer II and several other professional roles at CONTISS 07.

However, saying “CONTISS 07 salary is ₦X” without specifying the salary circular and step can be misleading.

A proper salary answer should identify:

CONTISS grade + step + applicable salary structure + allowances + deductions.

This is especially important because older CONTISS figures continue to circulate on Nigerian websites and discussion forums.

CONTISS 08 Salary and Jobs

CONTISS 08 is another commonly searched level.

Positions attached to CONTISS 08 can include Administrative Officer, Accountant I, Engineer I, professional officers and other equivalent roles, depending on the cadre and university.

Again, the job title does not determine the salary alone.

The employee’s step and the salary structure being implemented also matter.

A university may also have additional approved allowances or conditions that affect an employee’s final earnings.

Therefore, someone asking “How much does a CONTISS 08 staff earn per month?” should ideally provide the institution, job title and step before expecting an exact take-home figure.

CONTISS 09, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15

Higher CONTISS grades generally correspond with greater responsibility and seniority, although the precise job title differs by cadre.

Examples from the University of Ibadan include:

• CONTISS 09: Assistant Registrar, Senior Accountant and Senior Engineer
• CONTISS 11: Senior Assistant Registrar II and Principal Accountant
• CONTISS 12: Senior Assistant Registrar I and Assistant Chief Accountant
• CONTISS 13: Principal Assistant Registrar and Chief Accountant
• CONTISS 14: Deputy Registrar and Deputy Bursar
• CONTISS 15: Senior Deputy Registrar and certain director-level positions

These examples demonstrate why a generic online table should not be interpreted as a universal job-title chart for every Nigerian university.

CONTISS Salary and Allowances

Another major reason people get different answers about CONTISS salary in Nigeria is allowances.

An employee’s basic or consolidated salary is not necessarily the same thing as the final amount credited to their bank account.

Depending on the employee, institution and applicable regulations, additional payments may include items connected with duties, travel, shift work, responsibility or other approved conditions of service.

For example, a revised senior staff condition-of-service document from Sule Lamido University lists different duty-tour accommodation rates according to CONTISS groupings and states that eligible staff performing shift duty may receive a shift-duty allowance calculated as 10% of monthly basic salary.

This shows why salary information should always distinguish between basic/consolidated salary, allowances and take-home pay.

Why Your Take-Home Pay May Be Different

Even when you know your CONTISS grade and step, your final salary may not match the amount shown in a salary table.

Possible deductions and adjustments can include:

• PAYE tax
• Pension contributions
• Cooperative deductions
• Loans
• Union-related deductions where applicable
• Other authorised payroll deductions

Likewise, approved allowances may increase gross earnings.

This is why a salary table should be viewed as a guide to the applicable salary structure rather than a guarantee of the exact amount an individual employee will receive every month.

How to Find the Correct CONTISS Salary for Your Job

If you want to know your likely CONTISS salary, use this simple process.

Step 1: Identify your job title

Find out the exact designation on your appointment letter.

For example, “Administrative Officer” is more useful than simply saying “university worker.”

Step 2: Identify your CONTISS grade

Check your appointment letter, promotion letter, university scheme of service or human resources department.

Step 3: Identify your step

Your grade alone may not be enough to determine your exact salary.

Step 4: Check the salary circular

Use an official NSIWC circular or an official university payroll document rather than relying only on social media posts or salary blogs.

The NSIWC’s salary-structure library provides official documents covering CONTISS II and other consolidated salary structures.

Step 5: Check allowances and deductions

Finally, determine whether your university pays additional approved allowances and what deductions apply to your payroll.

CONTISS Salary Structure 2026: What Job Seekers Should Know

For people applying for university jobs in Nigeria, the most useful information is not simply the highest salary figure displayed online.

You should pay attention to the grade attached to the advertised position.

A vacancy advertised as CONTISS 07, for example, tells you considerably more about the salary framework than an advert that simply says “competitive salary.”

You should also check:

• Minimum qualification
• Required years of experience
• Starting step
• Promotion requirements
• Probation period
• Allowances
• Pension arrangements
• Tax deductions
• Whether the institution is federal, state or private

Universities can have their own approved conditions of service, so two institutions may not present every employment benefit in exactly the same way.

Is CONTISS the Same as CONPSS?

No.

Although both are consolidated public-sector salary structures, they serve different employment environments.

CONTISS II relates to tertiary institutions, particularly non-academic staff structures.

CONPSS is the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure used for relevant public-service positions.

The NSIWC publishes both structures separately in its salary-structure information centre.

This distinction is important because copying figures from a CONPSS table and calling them CONTISS salaries can result in inaccurate information.

Frequently Asked Questions About CONTISS Salary Structure 2026

What does CONTISS stand for?

CONTISS stands for Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure. CONTISS II is used as a salary framework for many non-academic positions in tertiary institutions.

Is CONTISS for lecturers?

Generally, no. University lecturers are normally associated with CONUASS, while many non-academic university positions use CONTISS.

What is the highest CONTISS grade?

CONTISS structures commonly run through CONTISS 15 for senior positions, although the exact designation attached to the highest grade depends on the cadre and institution.

Does CONTISS 07 have only one salary?

No. Salary structures can contain multiple steps within a grade, meaning employees on the same grade can receive different amounts.

Can a CONTISS employee earn more than the published basic salary?

Yes. Approved allowances and other applicable payments can affect gross earnings, while deductions can reduce the final take-home amount.

Is the CONTISS salary structure the same in every university?

Not necessarily. The national salary structure provides the framework, but individual universities can have approved schemes of service and conditions of service that affect appointments, promotions and benefits.

Where can I verify CONTISS salary information?

The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission is one of the key official sources for consolidated salary structures. Universities may also publish their own schemes of service and conditions of service.