The Speaker of the House salary is $223,500 per year, the highest pay in Congress and a figure that has not changed since January 2009.1House Radio-Television Gallery. Salaries On top of that base pay, the Speaker receives a $10,000 annual expense allowance, participates in the same federal pension and health programs as other members of Congress, and is protected by a dedicated Capitol Police security detail because the office sits second in the line of presidential succession behind the Vice President.2USAGov. Order of Presidential Succession
How the Speaker’s Pay Compares to Other Members
Congressional compensation runs in three tiers, all frozen at 2009 levels. Rank-and-file members of the House and Senate earn $174,000. The majority and minority leaders in each chamber, along with the Senate’s president pro tempore, earn $193,400. The Speaker sits alone at the top at $223,500.3Congressional Research Service. Congressional Salaries and Allowances: In Brief
For comparison to the executive branch, the Vice President’s payable salary is $235,100, itself frozen since 2019 despite a higher official rate.4U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Updated Guidance – Pay Freeze for Certain Senior Political Officials The President earns $400,000, a rate Congress set in 2001. The Speaker’s pay sits closer to the Vice President’s than most people expect.
Why the Salary Hasn’t Changed Since 2009
Federal law is supposed to raise congressional pay automatically each year. Under 2 U.S.C. ยง 4501, salaries for the Speaker, party leaders, and rank-and-file members adjust based on changes in private-sector wages measured by the Employment Cost Index.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 2 USC 4501 – Compensation of Members of Congress That formula came out of the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 and was meant to let pay track inflation without a standalone vote each year.
Every year since 2009, Congress has blocked that adjustment by adding a one-line provision to its annual spending bills. The most recent example is Public Law 119-37, signed in November 2025, which explicitly blocks any cost-of-living adjustment for fiscal year 2026.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 2 USC 4501 – Compensation of Members of Congress Over more than 17 years at the same dollar amount, cumulative inflation has cut the real value of the salary by roughly a third.
The Twenty-Seventh Amendment adds another constraint. No law changing congressional pay can take effect until after the next election of Representatives.6Library of Congress. Twenty-Seventh Amendment – Congressional Compensation Voters always get a chance to respond before a raise reaches anyone’s paycheck.
The $10,000 Expense Allowance
Beyond the base salary, the Speaker gets an annual $10,000 expense allowance, paid in equal monthly installments. Federal law designates the money for costs tied to official duties, and the Speaker does not have to account for how it is spent beyond reporting it as income for tax purposes.7eCFR. 2 USC 5121 – Expense Allowance of Speaker of House of Representatives The amount has not been updated in decades. It works out to about $833 a month.
Pension and Retirement Benefits
Members of Congress participate in the Federal Employees’ Retirement System, the same pension framework covering most civilian federal workers. The formula for congressional service is more generous. A typical FERS employee earns 1% of their high-three average salary for each year of service. A member of Congress earns 1.7% per year for the first 20 years of congressional service and 1% per year after that.8U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Computation
The high-three average is the average of the three consecutive years where the member’s basic pay was highest. A Speaker who served 20 years in Congress with a high-three of $223,500 would draw roughly $76,000 a year from FERS. A member who served 20 years entirely at the rank-and-file salary of $174,000 would receive about $59,160.9U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Information for FERS Annuitants The pension is paid for life once the member reaches retirement eligibility, which generally requires at least five years of service and reaching the minimum retirement age.
Members also have access to the Thrift Savings Plan, the federal 401(k), with government contributions of up to 5% of basic pay when the employee contributes at least 5%.10National Finance Center. Thrift Savings Plan They enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program on the same terms as other federal workers, and those health benefits can continue into retirement for members who were enrolled for at least five years before leaving office.
Limits on Outside Income
The Speaker’s pay is high by congressional standards, but the position comes with tight caps on earning money elsewhere. For 2026, the outside earned income limit for House members is $33,855.11House Committee on Ethics. FAQs About Outside Employment The cap covers wages, consulting fees, and similar payments. Members are barred from accepting honoraria for speeches, articles, or appearances, and from serving in compensated fiduciary roles like corporate officer, attorney, or consultant.
Narrow exceptions exist for activities like teaching, practicing medicine, or publishing books, though most require prior written approval from the House Ethics Committee.11House Committee on Ethics. FAQs About Outside Employment In practice, no Speaker earns meaningful outside income while serving.
Security and Government-Furnished Travel
Because the Speaker sits second in the line of presidential succession, the U.S. Capitol Police provide a dedicated security detail. Protection expanded after September 11, 2001, when the Speaker was granted access to military transport aircraft for security reasons. Before that, the Speaker traveled under the same rules as any other member of Congress. Security and associated travel costs are covered by government appropriations, not the Speaker’s salary, and the annual cost of round-the-clock protection runs into the millions.
What Former Speakers Receive After Leaving Office
Former Speakers used to receive a dedicated allowance after leaving office, including staff assistance, government-furnished office space, and franking privileges for up to five years. That program was repealed in 2018 through the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2019, and the repeal applies to anyone who served in the 115th Congress or later.12Congressional Research Service. Former Speakers of the House
Today, a former Speaker’s post-office benefits are limited to the pension and health insurance continuation available to any retired member of Congress, plus any security protection the Capitol Police determine is warranted based on threat assessments.