A rank-and-file member of the U.S. House of Representatives earns a salary of $174,000 a year, a figure that has held since January 2009.1Congress.gov. Congressional Salaries and Allowances: In Brief The Speaker earns $223,500, and the majority and minority leaders each earn $193,400. Beyond the paycheck, every member also receives an office and staffing allowance averaging close to $1.9 million, subsidized health coverage, and a federal retirement package with a pension, Social Security, and a matched savings plan.
What the Base Salary Buys
The $174,000 figure applies to every representative who does not hold a formal leadership post. It is also the same salary paid to senators, delegates, and the resident commissioner, so it functions as the floor for both chambers of Congress.2Congress.gov. Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables The last adjustment, a 2.8% increase, took effect in January 2009.
Committee chairs, ranking members, and whips receive no additional pay above that base, even though their workloads often run heavier than those of other members. The extra money is reserved for the three positions that carry chamber-wide authority.
Leadership Pay
- Speaker of the House: $223,500 per year. The Speaker presides over floor proceedings, controls the legislative calendar, and stands second in the presidential line of succession.
- Majority Leader: $193,400 per year. Manages the majority party’s floor strategy and schedule.
- Minority Leader: $193,400 per year. Runs the minority party’s floor strategy and messaging.
Leadership salaries have been frozen alongside the rank-and-file figure since 2009.1Congress.gov. Congressional Salaries and Allowances: In Brief
Why the Pay Has Not Changed Since 2009
Under 2 U.S.C. ยง 4501, congressional pay is meant to adjust each year in line with the Employment Cost Index, a Bureau of Labor Statistics measure of private-sector wage growth. The adjustment is automatic unless Congress blocks it.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 2 USC 4501 – Compensation of Members of Congress The mechanism came out of the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 and was designed to spare members a standalone vote on their own raises.
Every year since 2009, Congress has blocked the adjustment by inserting a one-line freeze into annual spending legislation. The most recent freeze, covering fiscal year 2026, was enacted through Public Law 119-37 in November 2025.2Congress.gov. Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables No separate vote on the freeze is held; it travels inside the larger appropriations package. The pattern has held through changes in party control of the House.
A constitutional guardrail sits behind the statute. Under the 27th Amendment, ratified in 1992, no law changing congressional compensation can take effect until after the next House election.4Congress.gov. Constitution Annotated – Amdt27.1 Overview of the Twenty-Seventh Amendment, Congressional Compensation Sitting members cannot vote themselves an immediate raise.
One question that surfaces during government shutdowns: members keep drawing their salaries even as federal workers are furloughed or forced to work without pay. Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution requires that senators and representatives “shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.”5Legal Information Institute. U.S. Constitution Annotated – Article I, Section 6 Because the compensation is constitutionally required, halting it would take an amendment. Some members voluntarily donate or return their shutdown pay, but they are not obligated to.
The Office and Staffing Allowance
Every House member also receives a Members’ Representational Allowance to run their offices, pay their staff, and cover official travel. The MRA is not personal income. It can only be spent on official duties, and anything unspent returns to the Treasury at the end of the year.
In recent years, MRAs have run from roughly $1.85 million to $2.09 million per member, with an average near $1.93 million.1Congress.gov. Congressional Salaries and Allowances: In Brief It covers three things: salaries for up to 18 permanent staff split between the Washington and district offices, official office expenses like rent and travel, and franked mail and other constituent communications. The personnel portion is the same for every member; the office and mail portions vary with district geography, distance from Washington, and the number of residential addresses to reach.
The Committee on House Administration sets the annual MRA amounts.6house.gov. Frequently Asked Questions Every dollar of spending is published quarterly in the Statement of Disbursements, so any voter can look up how a given member spent it.
Health Insurance
Since January 2014, the Affordable Care Act has required members of Congress and their designated staff to buy health coverage through the District of Columbia’s small-business exchange, DC Health Link, rather than through the Federal Employees Health Benefits program that covers most other federal workers.7Congress.gov. Health Benefits for Members of Congress and Designated Congressional Staff
The federal government still pays most of the premium. The employer contribution uses the FEHB formula: roughly 72% of the weighted average of all FEHB premiums, capped at 75% of any single plan’s premium. Members pick from the DC small-business marketplace plans with that subsidy applied. On leaving Congress, members who meet the eligibility rules can move back into the regular FEHB system.
Retirement Benefits
Members of Congress participate in the Federal Employees Retirement System, the same framework covering civilian federal employees hired after 1983. FERS has three parts: a defined-benefit pension, Social Security, and the Thrift Savings Plan.
A member vests in the pension after five years of service.8Congress.gov. Retirement Benefits for Members of Congress The pension is calculated from the member’s highest three consecutive years of salary and total years of service. Members contribute a larger share of pay toward the pension than regular federal employees do, with rates that depend on when they were hired: 7.5% for those hired before 2013, 9.3% for those hired in 2013, and 10.6% for those hired after 2013.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 8422 – Deductions From Pay; Contributions for Other Service Most regular federal employees pay between 0.8% and 4.4%.
The Thrift Savings Plan is the federal equivalent of a 401(k). For 2026, members can contribute up to $24,500, with catch-up contributions of $8,000 for those aged 50 to 59 or 64 and older, and $11,250 for those turning 60 through 63.10Thrift Savings Plan. 2026 TSP Contribution Limits Contributions can go to a traditional or Roth account.
The government contributes an automatic 1% of basic pay whether or not the member contributes anything. It then matches the first 3% of pay dollar for dollar and the next 2% at fifty cents on the dollar. A member who contributes at least 5% receives a total government contribution of 5%.11Thrift Savings Plan. Contribution Types
Members also pay the standard 6.2% Social Security payroll tax on their earnings. Combined with the FERS pension deduction, more than 13% of a typical member’s gross pay is going toward retirement and Social Security before any TSP contribution.
Outside Income and Financial Disclosure
House members can earn money outside the job, but only up to a cap. For 2026, the limit on outside earned income is $33,855.12House Committee on Ethics. FAQs About Outside Employment That cap covers speaking fees, consulting, teaching, and writing. Unearned income from investments, rental property, or retirement accounts does not count against the cap, but it does have to be disclosed.
The STOCK Act requires members to report each stock, bond, or commodity transaction over $1,000 within 45 days. Annual financial disclosure reports list assets, liabilities, income sources, and outside positions. Knowingly filing a false report can trigger civil penalties up to $50,000 and possible criminal prosecution; a late filing carries a $200 penalty.13U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics. Financial Disclosure The reports are searchable online, so voters can see whether a representative’s financial interests line up with the votes they cast.