Becoming a National Palace Ceremony Paskibraka: Here's the Salary and Bonus

Becoming a member of the Pasukan Pengibar Bendera Pusaka (Paskibraka) is a source of immense pride for students in Indonesia. Beyond the honour of hoisting the Red and White flag during the Independence Day ceremony, members receive appreciation in the form of honorariums and bonuses.

Paskibraka is the squad tasked with raising and lowering the Duplicate Heritage Flag at the commemoration ceremony for Indonesia’s Independence Day every 17 August. To become a member, candidates must undergo a tiered selection process and intensive training, from the district/city and provincial levels up to the national level.

For those who successfully qualify for the national level, the government provides a reward in the form of a salary during the training period. However, the amount of the honorarium and bonus can change annually according to government policy.

As an illustration, referring to a policy previously implemented by the government, each member of the National Paskibraka in 2021 received a bonus of Rp10 million. They also received an honorarium of approximately Rp1.5 million per month during the centralised education and training programme. It is not yet known what honorarium the National Paskibraka will receive in 2026.

Beyond government awards, National Paskibraka members also have the opportunity to receive appreciation from companies and institutions. For example, in 2022, PT Pegadaian provided a scholarship in the form of gold savings to the National Paskibraka Team with a total value of Rp248 million.

In addition to the national level, Paskibraka also serve at the district and city levels to hoist the Red and White flag at local Independence Day ceremonies. The amount of honorarium received by regional Paskibraka members depends on the local government’s policy. Generally, the honorarium provided ranges from Rp500,000 to Rp1.5 million for each member.