The Former Presidents Act of 1958 gives every former U.S. president a lifetime pension, funding for staff and an office, medical access at military facilities, mail privileges, and a security appropriation for anyone not covered by the Secret Service. Only one thing can take those benefits away: removal from office after Senate conviction on impeachment charges.
The Pension
The pension is set to the annual pay of the head of an executive department, the Cabinet secretary tier on the federal pay scale.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 3 USC Chapter 2 – Office and Compensation of President That rate, Executive Schedule Level I, is $253,100 in 2026.2Office of Personnel Management. 2026 Executive Schedule Salary Table The Treasury pays it monthly, and it is fully taxable as federal income.
Because the pension tracks the active executive pay scale, it rises whenever Congress raises pay for Cabinet officials. There is no vesting period and no minimum length of service. A president who served a full term and one who served a few months both qualify, provided they were not removed by Senate conviction. Payments begin the moment the term ends, typically at noon on Inauguration Day.
Staff and Office Funding
The law pays for a professional staff. During the first 30 months after a president leaves office, total staff compensation is capped at $150,000 per year. After that, the cap drops to $96,000 annually.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 3 USC 102 – Compensation of the President No single staffer can be paid more than the rate for a senior executive schedule position.
The General Services Administration also leases a fully equipped office at whatever U.S. location the former president chooses. The statute gives GSA no authority to reject the location and sets no ceiling on rental costs.4Government Publishing Office. Former Presidents: Office and Security Costs and Other Information The government pays rent, furniture, communications equipment, and supplies. Historical annual office rents for living former presidents have run from under $100,000 to more than $350,000, depending on the city.
Former presidents and their surviving spouses also keep the franking privilege, which lets them send nonpolitical mail within the United States without paying postage.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 39 USC 3214 – Mailing Privilege of Former President
Secret Service Protection and the Security Backup
Lifetime Secret Service protection for former presidents and their spouses is authorized under a separate statute, 18 U.S.C. § 3056, not the Former Presidents Act.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 3056 – Powers, Authorities, and Duties of United States Secret Service Spousal coverage ends on remarriage. Children are covered until age 16. Any protected person can decline the detail.
The Former Presidents Act includes a backup: when a former president is not receiving Secret Service protection, the government can appropriate up to $1,000,000 per year for that person’s security and travel expenses, and up to $500,000 per year for a spouse in the same situation.7National Archives. Former Presidents Act Because every living former president currently accepts the Secret Service detail, this provision sits dormant for now.
Medical Care and Health Insurance
Former presidents can receive medical care at military treatment facilities. It is not free. The Department of Defense bills these services at rates modeled on Medicare reimbursement schedules. If the former president carries insurance, the facility bills the insurer, and the patient pays the standard copays and deductibles.
For ongoing coverage, the president is classified as an “employee” under the Federal Employees Health Benefits program.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 8901 – Definitions A former president can carry FEHB into retirement under the same rule as any other federal retiree: enrollment for the five years of service immediately before leaving office. Most incoming presidents meet the threshold through prior federal service, but it is not automatic.
The Widow’s Allowance
The widow of a former president can receive $20,000 per year from the Treasury, but only if she waives any other federal pension or annuity she would otherwise be entitled to.7National Archives. Former Presidents Act The statute uses the word “widow” and has not been rewritten in gender-neutral terms; no female president has left office to test how the provision would be read.
What Can Take the Benefits Away
The Act defines a “former President” as someone who held the office and whose service ended by any means other than removal under Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution.7National Archives. Former Presidents Act That means one path, and only one, triggers forfeiture: the House impeaches, and the Senate convicts and removes.
Resignation does not count, even resignation ahead of near-certain impeachment. Richard Nixon received his full pension, staff funding, and office space for the 20 years he lived after leaving in 1974. Impeachment by the House alone does not count either. Acquittal by the Senate leaves every benefit intact. The clause was drafted narrowly and has never been triggered, because no president has been removed through the full impeachment process.
If removal did occur, the spousal and family-linked benefits would fall with the presidential ones. Neither the removed president nor a spouse or widow would fit the Act’s definition, so the $20,000 annual allowance, the franking privilege, and the security appropriation would all be off the table.
Criminal Convictions Do Not Strip the Pension
A former president convicted of serious federal crimes after leaving office, including treason or espionage, does not lose the pension under the Former Presidents Act. The statute has no revocation mechanism tied to criminal conduct.
The Hiss Act (5 U.S.C. §§ 8311–8312) strips federal retirement benefits from employees convicted of certain national security offenses.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 8312 – Conviction of Certain Offenses It reaches annuities under the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System. The presidential pension is a separate statutory entitlement, not a civil service annuity, so the Hiss Act does not touch it. Under current law, no criminal conviction cuts off benefits once a president has left office.
Who Runs the Program
The General Services Administration administers nearly everything the Act funds. GSA leases the office space, procures equipment, manages contracts, and coordinates each former president’s post-White House setup. The agency’s dedicated budget line, “Allowances and Office Staff for Former Presidents,” covers pensions, staff pay, travel, office space, communications, printing, supplies, and equipment for all living former presidents combined. The FY 2026 request is $5.353 million.10General Services Administration. GSA FY 2026 Congressional Justification Secret Service protection is funded separately through the Department of Homeland Security and is not part of that total.