State and state Courts of Justice paid judges at least R$10.7 billion above the constitutional salary ceiling in 2025, according to a new survey by Transparência Brasil in partnership with República.org. The figure is more than double the R$4.5 billion paid in 2023 and 42% higher than the R$7.5 billion in 2024.
The understanding is that these were driven by retroactive payments (amounts referring to previous years), which totaled around R$4 billion, and benefits linked to the accumulation of service, which reached R$2.6 billion in the period.
The study analyzed paychecks from 17,600 state court magistrates. Of the 15 thousand with complete data, 98% received above the ceiling, 56% accumulated more than 500 thousand above the constitutional limit and almost 25% exceeded R$1 million.
According to the report, the survey adopts a conservative methodology — it does not include Christmas bonuses (equivalent to the 13th salary) or the third of vacation. The results already include the amounts retained by the courts for the ceiling slaughter discounts.
Even so, all 27 Courts of Justice analyzed recorded payments above the constitutional limit. Of the universe of magistrates with complete data, the number of those whose remuneration was compatible with the ceiling was 255.
In this survey, two courts stand out: the TJ-PI (Court of Justice of Piauí) and the TJ-SP (Court of Justice of São Paulo). The first is the one with the highest individual payments, including R$2.8 million paid in the period to a single judge.
Around 40% of the members of the Piauí court received more than R$2 million outside the ceiling. The main benefit responsible for inflating paychecks is the retention bonus, paid to those who already meet retirement criteria and remain active.
São Paulo leads in absolute and proportional numbers. Almost 88% of the magistrates at the São Paulo court pocketed more than R$1 million during the period. Of all the judges and judges who received millionaire extracts, 80% are from the TJ-SP.
In addition to these, the Courts of Justice of Minas Gerais and Maranhão stand out. The TJ-MG and TJ-MA registered, in this order, 318 and 116 magistrates who earned amounts above R$1 million. Another ten cuts paid above this level in at least one month in 2025.
On average, the gross salary of state court judges and judges last year was R$99,000. Considering all 15 thousand members analyzed, 76% had average income above the level of R$70 thousand per month.
All courts awarded gross monthly salaries above the ceiling on average in 2025, but the highest average payments also came from courts in Piauí and São Paulo. The gross salary in these cuts reached, respectively, R$140.8 thousand and R$140.1 thousand per month.
