Congress: Rank-and-File Members' Salary
The current salary for rank-and-file members of the
House and Senate is $165,200 per year.
Members are free to turn down pay increase and some choose
to do so.
In a complex system of calculations, administered by the Office
of Personnel Management, congressional pay rates also affect
the salaries for federal judges and other senior government
executives.
During the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin considered
proposing that elected government officials not be paid for
their service. Other Founding Fathers, however, decided otherwise.
From 1789 to 1815, members of Congress received only a per
diem (daily payment) of $6.00 while in session. Members began
receiving an annual salary in 1815, when they were paid $1,500
per year.
Congress: Leadership Members' Salary (110th Congress)
Leaders of the House and Senate are paid a higher salary than
rank-and-file members.
Senate Leadership
Majority Leader - $183,500
Minority Leader - $183,500
House Leadership
Speaker of the House - $212,100
Majority Leader - $183,500
Minority Leader - $183,500
A cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) increase takes effect annually
unless Congress votes to not accept it.
NOTE: H.J.Res. 20, the Revised Continuing Appropriations Resolution
for FY2007, as passed by the House on January 31, 2007, would
deny a pay adjustment in 2007 to the Speaker of the House,
the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Majority and Minority
Leaders of the House and Senate, and the Senators and Representatives.
Senate consideration of the resolution is pending.
Congress: Benefits
You may have read that Members of Congress do not pay into
Social Security. Well, that's a myth.
Prior to 1984, neither Members of Congress nor any other federal
civil service employee paid Social Security taxes. Of course,
the were also not eligible to receive Social Security benefits.
Members of Congress and other federal employees were instead
covered by a separate pension plan called the Civil Service
Retirement System (CSRS). The 1983 amendments to the Social
Security Act required federal employees first hired after 1983
to participate in Social Security. These amendments also required
all Members of Congress to participate in Social Security as
of January 1, 1984, regardless of when they first entered Congress.
Because the CSRS was not designed to coordinate with Social
Security, Congress directed the development of a new retirement
plan for federal workers. The result was the Federal Employees'
Retirement System Act of 1986.
Members of Congress receive retirement and health benefits
under the same plans available to other federal employees.
They become vested after five years of full participation.
Members elected since 1984 are covered by the Federal Employees'
Retirement System (FERS). Those elected prior to 1984 were
covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). In 1984
all members were given the option of remaining with CSRS or
switching to FERS.
As it is for all other federal employees, congressional retirement
is funded through taxes and the participants' contributions.
Members of Congress under FERS contribute 1.3 percent of their
salary into the FERS retirement plan and pay 6.2 percent of
their salary in Social Security taxes.
Members of Congress are not eligible for a pension until they
reach the age of 50, but only if they've completed 20 years
of service. Members are eligible at any age after completing
25 years of service or after they reach the age of 62. Please
also note that Member's of Congress have to serve at least
5 years to even receive a pension.
The amount of a Congressperson's pension depends on the years
of service and the average of the highest 3 years of his or
her salary. By law, the starting amount of a Member's retirement
annuity may not exceed 80% of his or her final salary.
According to the Congressional Research Service, 413 retired
Members of Congress were receiving federal pensions based fully
or in part on their congressional service as of Oct. 1, 2006.
Of this number, 290 had retired under CSRS and were receiving
an average annual pension of $60,972. A total of 123 Members
had retired with service under both CSRS and FERS or with service
under FERS only. Their average annual pension was $35,952 in
2006.
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