Under Scottish Parliament rules ministers leaving office receive a portion of their salary as a lump sum payout.
Sturgeon will get £48,283.50 - half of her £96,567 ministerial portion of their salary - as a resettlement grant while Deputy First Minister John Swinney will get just £12,524.25.
Aside from the First Minister all other cabinet members get 25 per cent of their current ministerial salary when they leave.
Swinney’s ministerial wage is £50,097.
When their standard MSP wage is added into their ministerial payment, Sturgeon is earning £163,229-a-year while Swinney is on £116,759.
These payouts are likely not to be the only ones made as the Scottish Government faces a turbulent week of reshuffling when the new First Minister is announced tomorrow.
If any current cabinet members are asked to leave their ministerial roles and return to the back benches they will also be eligible for a resettlement grant.
Sturgeon’s special adviser Liz Lloyd announced she was planning to quit when a new First Minister was appointed and could get a payout worth up to six months of her salary.
Lloyd is paid between £90,565 and £108,062 a year.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Staff leaving the Civil Service will receive the normal payments due to them under the terms of their contract.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Parliament said: “Under current rules, government ministers who leave office are entitled to a quarter of their salary as a “resettlement grant”.
“The resettlement grant for the First Minister is 50 per cent of final officeholder salary - she would receive 50 per cent of £96,567 (based on current salary rate).
“The DFM is entitled to 25 per cent of his annual office holder salary – this would be 25 per cent of £50,097 (at current rate).
“The resettlement grant is payable 90 days after leaving office.
“No further payments will be due to either.”
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