Work experience and professional experience

Each salary consists of:

1. basic monthly salary under an employment contract;

2. additional and other remuneration according to the Labor Code and other normative acts

3. other additional remuneration agreed in an employment contract or in the Wage Rules of the relevant employer.

In order to receive additional labor remuneration to the basic salary, the worker/employee must have work experience and professional experience.

What counts as work experience and professional experience?

The length of service and professional experience during which the worker/employee has worked and continues to work for the same employer in different workplaces and positions is considered as acquired work experience and professional experience.

Determining the amount of additional remuneration for work experience and professional experience

When determining the amount of additional labor remuneration for acquired work experience and professional experience, the employer takes into account:

1. the work experience acquired in another enterprise in the same, similar or of the same nature work, position or profession
2. the time during which, without an employment relationship, the persons exercised work activity and/or a profession that is the same or similar to the work under the concluded employment contract, and were compulsorily insured for general illness and maternity, disability due to general illness, old age and death , occupational accident and occupational disease and unemployment or for disability due to general illness, old age and death, general illness and maternity;
3.  the work experience acquired in another member state, in the same, similar or of the same nature, job, position or profession by workers or employees who are Bulgarian citizens or citizens of one of the member states, as well as their family members, and considered as such under the laws of the respective countries;
4. the time during which, without an employment relationship, the Bulgarian citizens or the citizens of a member state, as well as their family members, exercised work and/or a profession on the territory of the member states, which is the same or similar to the work under the concluded employment contract in Bulgaria, and were insured for general sickness and maternity, disability due to general sickness, old age and death, occupational accident and occupational disease and unemployment or for disability due to general sickness, old age and death, general sickness and maternity, according to the legislation of the respective countries.

What is a similar nature of work, position or profession?

In a collective labor agreement at branch level or with the employer's internal rules for the salary, the conditions under which the similar nature of the work, position or profession, and therefore professional experience, are respected are defined.

When are you entitled to additional remuneration for work experience and professional experience?

The Labor Code states that the right to receive the additional labor remuneration for work experience and professional experience arises when the acquired work experience and professional experience is not less than one year, and does not give an upper limit.

In this regard, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy published INSTRUCTIONS No. PC 25/1/ 23. 07. 2007 on the implementation of the Ordinance on the structure and organization of the wage, which clearly states that "With a collective labor contract or by agreement between the parties to the labor contract, as well as with the internal rules for the organization of the salary, it may be agreed or determined that the right to additional remuneration also arises for a period of more than one year of work experience and experience."

Amount of additional remuneration for work experience and professional experience

The amount of the additional labor remuneration for work experience and professional experience is changed for a period not less than one year of acquired work experience and professional experience, as of November 2022. it is 0.6 percent for each year of work experience and professional experience.