The (Court of Justice of ), which was determined by the (Supreme Federal Court), quadrupled the amounts paid in addition to the base salaries of its judges, the top of the career ladder, in the last two years.
In 2023, an active judge received, on average, R$23,000 in addition to his salary. Currently, this extra value exceeds R$93 thousand. That’s a 304% increase. The IPCA (Consumer Price Index), the country’s official inflation, accumulated in the period was 10.27%.
The jump occurred after a resolution from the (National Council of Justice) that year, which allowed the Judiciary to pay in cash, outside the calculation of the civil service ceiling, time off due to members of the courts, as compensation.
Last year, the payroll for active employees was R$3.7 billion, of which R$2.5 billion was allocated to paying extras. According to data from the State Finance Department, in the same period the TJ-SP invested R$210 million, equivalent to 8.4% of the value, in works, services and goods to improve and expand service to the population.
In a note, the TJ-SP stated that the payments “are supported by decisions of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) and the National Council of Justice (CNJ) and include unpaid vacations and worked shifts.”
Judges are at the top of the state’s Judiciary career, but growth has occurred throughout the judiciary. The survey carried out by Sheetbased on data from the TJ-SP Transparency portal, shows that, two years ago, the average amount paid monthly to a judge in São Paulo, in addition to their regular salary, was just over R$16,500 (or around R$18,000, in values adjusted for inflation), which resulted in a monthly remuneration of R$50,900 (or R$56,000, corrected).
In 2025, on average, the extra monthly earnings amounted to R$79.4 thousand, more than double the average base salary, which was R$38.8 thousand. In practice, the average monthly salary was R$118 thousand.
The total salaries received by magistrates in São Paulo in 2023 already exceeded the constitutional ceiling for public service, at the time stipulated at R$41,600. Since then, the distance has only increased.
The last two presidents of the TJ-SP had similar positions regarding the rise in magistrates’ remuneration. According to Sheet showed, increasing the salaries of judges and judges was one of the reasons for the presidency of the court, in 2023, of judge Fernando Antonio Torres Garcia.
His successor, Francisco Eduardo Loureiro, who took office this month, declared that this resulted in a spike in payments.
According to TJ-SP data, last year, the highest annual salary was paid to judge Carlos Eduardo Pachi, who received almost R$1.9 million. At the top of the ten highest payments, six magistrates are judges.
This Wednesday (25), the STF will decide whether to maintain the payment of benefits to magistrates and members of the Public Ministry not provided for by law. In the second (23), it determined that, in order to be valid, the law that justifies the payment.
“I cannot help but express perplexity regarding the disorder we are experiencing with regard to the remuneration of public agents in general and, in particular, of members of the Judiciary and the Public Ministry”, stated the minister, who had previously classified such payments as a situation of disorder.
The TJ-SP appealed Dino’s decision, arguing that it could “create systemic legal uncertainty”. This Tuesday, when he learned of Gilmar’s decision, President Loureiro headed to Brasília to try to discuss the issue with the court’s ministers. In a message sent to the category, he said that he had already met with seven members of the STF in two weeks and that he assessed the group of magistrates.
“São Paulo tends to be one of the states most impacted by the decision [do STF]precisely because the TJ-SP historically ranks among the state courts with the greatest volume and diversity of compensation funds”, said professor Rafael Viegas, PhD in Public Administration and Government from FGV, when evaluating the impact of the STF’s decisions on São Paulo’s magistrates.
The expectation of the president of the TJ-SP, according to the message he released to his colleagues, is that during this Thursday’s trial a transitional rule will be created that does not result in an abrupt suspension of extra payments.
“The issue of the hang-ups is the following point, until the judgment by the plenary: everything that is not in law cannot be paid and, with Dino’s latest decision, if any Parliament approves something, it will also not be valid”, says lawyer and professor Lenio Streck, who believes that it is still necessary to know whether the STF will discuss whether payments made based on laws are constitutional. “The new decision, by Gilmar, reinforces Dino’s decision. And it signals that the STF will address the very constitutionality of the benefits paid by law.”
The TJ was asked about the ranking of magistrates who received the most salaries, but did not comment. By note, the São Paulo court stated that the payments refer, for the most part, to retroactive amounts that are owed to the members of the court, but are late.
“The TJ-SP regularly makes payments to magistrates and civil servants of outstanding amounts, of amounts that were not paid at the appropriate time. Retroactive payments refer to salary differences not received at the time they were recognized”, said the body, in the message.
“Payments of such funds were and are made in installments, strictly observing the court’s budgetary and financial condition”, the text continues.
“It is necessary to note that there is an express recommendation from the CNJ for the court to reduce its liabilities, in order to prevent the budget from being burdened by charges arising from the debt”, the TJ-SP also stated.
The agency highlighted that all amounts paid are made transparently available on its website.
