Yes. Members of Congress pay into Social Security on the same terms as any other worker, and have done so since January 1, 1984. Their payroll office withholds 6.2% of salary for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare, and the federal government matches both amounts as their employer.
What a Member of Congress Actually Pays
The current congressional salary for rank-and-file members is $174,000.1Congress.gov. Congressional Salaries and Allowances – In Brief That entire amount sits below the 2026 Social Security wage base of $184,500, so every dollar of the salary is subject to the tax.2Social Security Administration. Contribution and Benefit Base The 6.2% withholding works out to $10,788 a year in Social Security tax.
Medicare adds another 1.45%, with no wage cap.3Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 751, Social Security and Medicare Withholding Rates The government matches both taxes as the employer, so the combined contribution reaches 15.3% of salary. A 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax kicks in on earnings above $200,000 for single filers or $250,000 for joint filers, which the base congressional salary doesn’t reach, though members with outside income could trigger it.4Internal Revenue Service. Questions and Answers for the Additional Medicare Tax
The withholding is automatic. It appears on each member’s W-2 the same way it appears on any employee’s, and there is no way to opt out.
Why People Think Congress Doesn’t Pay In
Before 1984, members of Congress were excluded from Social Security. The federal tax code carved congressional service out of the definition of taxable employment.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 U.S. Code 3121 – Definitions Legislators were covered instead by the Civil Service Retirement System, which had no link to Social Security’s trust funds. They paid nothing in, and they got nothing out.
The Social Security Amendments of 1983, Public Law 98-21, ended that. Effective January 1, 1984, all members of Congress, the President, the Vice President, and federal judges came under mandatory Social Security coverage, along with new federal hires from that date forward.6Social Security Administration. Summary of P.L. 98-21, Social Security Amendments of 1983
The 1983 law did grandfather in one group: anyone already in CSRS could stay there and continue to skip the 6.2% Social Security tax, paying a higher contribution into CSRS instead.7eCFR. 5 CFR Part 842 – Federal Employees Retirement System – Basic Annuity That carve-out is why the “Congress doesn’t pay Social Security” claim still circulates. By 2026, however, remaining in it would require more than 42 years of unbroken federal service dating to before 1984. Retirements and electoral defeats have shrunk that group to effectively zero. Virtually every person serving in Congress today pays full Social Security taxes.
What Members Get Back
Because members contribute on ordinary terms, they earn Social Security credits on ordinary terms. Their retirement benefit is calculated with the same formula the Social Security Administration applies to any worker, based on the highest 35 years of earnings.8Social Security Administration. Social Security Benefits for Federal Workers Members whose covered earnings span fewer than 35 years get zeros averaged in for the missing years, which lowers the benefit. Their FICA contributions also support disability and survivor claims if a sitting member becomes disabled or dies in office.
Social Security is only the foundation of congressional retirement. Members participate in the Federal Employees Retirement System, which layers a government pension and the Thrift Savings Plan on top of the Social Security benefit.9U.S. Office of Personnel Management. FERS Information
The Pension
The congressional pension formula is slightly more generous than the one for typical federal employees. It accrues at 1.7% of the highest three-year average salary for each of the first 20 years of congressional service, and 1% for years beyond 20.10U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Information for FERS Annuitants A member serving 20 years with a high-three average of $174,000 would receive an annual pension of about $59,160. An unreduced annuity is available at age 50 with 20 years of service, or at any age with 25 years.
Members hired after 2013 pay 4.4% of salary into the FERS retirement fund. Combined with the 6.2% Social Security tax and 1.45% Medicare tax, more than 12% of gross pay goes to mandatory retirement and insurance contributions before take-home pay.
The Thrift Savings Plan
The TSP works like a 401(k). The government deposits 1% of basic pay into each member’s account automatically, whether the member contributes anything or not.11Thrift Savings Plan. Contribution Types If the member contributes their own money, the government matches the first 3% dollar-for-dollar and the next 2% at fifty cents on the dollar. A member contributing 5% gets a total government contribution of 5%. Contributions above 5% receive no additional match.
A Note on the Social Security Fairness Act
The Social Security Fairness Act, signed on January 5, 2025, repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset retroactive to January 2024.12Social Security Administration. Social Security Fairness Act – Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset Those two rules had reduced Social Security benefits for people who also drew pensions from non-covered employment, including the shrinking group of retirees who spent their careers under CSRS. For current members of Congress, whose pension already comes from Social Security–covered employment under FERS, the repeal changes nothing about how much they pay in or what they collect.