Purbaya Emphasizes that the Decision to Increase ASN Salaries in 2026 Cannot Be Taken Early in the Year

Illustration. (Photo: Dok. Antara)

JAKARTA - The certainty regarding the plan to increase the salaries of State Civil Servants (ASN) in 2026 has not yet been determined.

Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa indicated that the policy would not be implemented until early 2026.

According to him, caution needs to be maintained while waiting for data on the realization of state revenues in the first quarter of next year.

Purbaya emphasized that every policy that has the potential to increase state spending, including employee spending, must be adjusted to the actual financial condition of the country.

"We discuss this, the same as the others, we will see what our financial condition is like. This is like I said earlier, it should be if everything is synchronized from the beginning, now I can see where our income is going," he said in a press conference, Wednesday, December 31.

However, Purbaya said the government still needed additional time to determine whether the plan to increase ASN salaries could be realized because it needed to get a more accurate picture of the economic conditions.

"But I'm still waiting for another quarter to see how our economic direction is really with most of them being more synchronous than before," he said.

Furthermore, Purbaya explained that in-depth discussions regarding policies that have an impact on government spending can only be carried out in the second quarter of 2026.

"Maybe in the second quarter (2026) we can discuss problems that have an impact on increasing government spending," he concluded.

Previously, the Minister of State Apparatus and Bureaucratic Reform (PANRB), Rini Widyantini, visited the office of the Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, Monday, December 29.

The visit was carried out to discuss a number of important agendas, one of which is related to the proposal for a salary increase for state civil servants (ASN/PNS) in 2026.

Monitoring at the Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu) Office, Central Jakarta, his arrival was also accompanied by Deputy Minister of PANRB Purwadi Arianto and his staff.

"(Discussion) there are many PRs I have with the minister. (Including the proposal for a 2026 ASN salary increase) yes, one of them," he told the media at the Ministry of Finance, Monday, December 29.

The discussion of ASN salary increases has actually been included in Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 79 of 2025 concerning the Update of the Government Work Plan (RKP) 2025 which was signed by President Prabowo on June 30, 2025.

In the regulation it is stated that the salary adjustment will apply to ASN, TNI/Polri, and state officials.

Rini stated that in principle he supports this policy. However, its implementation must consider the country's fiscal conditions and capabilities, so it is not yet certain whether the salary increase can be realized in 2026.

"I am also happy if ASN can increase salaries, but of course we must pay attention to fiscal readiness," he explained.