White House salaries run from about $59,000 at the bottom to $195,200 at the top, according to the most recent annual report to Congress, which lists 404 employees in the White House Office and a total payroll of roughly $44 million.1The White House. 2025 Annual Report to Congress on White House Office Personnel The President earns $400,000 on top of that, and the Vice President earns more than any staffer. Every name, title, and salary is published each July, so the exact figure for any individual employee is a matter of public record.
The President and Vice President
The President’s salary is fixed by law at $400,000 per year, with a $50,000 annual expense allowance on top.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 3 USC 102 – Compensation of the President It does not adjust for inflation. Congress last changed it in 2001, when it doubled from $200,000, and it has stayed at $400,000 ever since.
The Vice President’s pay works differently. Under 3 U.S.C. § 104, it rises each year by the same percentage as the annual General Schedule increase, rounded to the nearest $100.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 3 USC 104 – Salary of the Vice President The Vice President’s salary sits well above the highest-paid White House staffer.
The Highest-Paid Staff
In the July 2025 annual report, the top salary in the White House Office is $195,200. Dozens of senior officials earn this figure, among them the Deputy Chiefs of Staff, the Director of Communications, and the Staff Secretary.1The White House. 2025 Annual Report to Congress on White House Office Personnel The President could pay some staff more (the law allows up to $228,000), but recent administrations have kept the ceiling below the statutory cap.
Titles map roughly to pay. Assistants to the President sit at the top, Deputy Assistants below them, and Special Assistants below that, though there is overlap in what individuals actually earn.
The Lowest-Paid Staff
The lowest salary in the 2025 report is $59,070, held by information services operators who staff the White House phone lines.1The White House. 2025 Annual Report to Congress on White House Office Personnel Staff assistants, research associates, and junior correspondence analysts fill out the lower tier, handling mail, scheduling support, records, and preliminary research for policy staff.
The gap between the lowest and highest salaried employees is roughly three-to-one, narrower than you might expect given the range of responsibility on the payroll.
The Legal Cap on Staff Pay
The President has broad authority to hire White House Office staff and set their pay, but hard ceilings apply. Under 3 U.S.C. § 105, the President may appoint up to 25 employees at rates no higher than Level II of the Executive Schedule, another 25 at Level III, and 50 more at rates pegged to upper General Schedule grades.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 3 USC 105 – Assistance and Services for the President A general pay limitation in 3 U.S.C. § 114 covers everyone else.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 3 USC 114 – General Pay Limitation
For 2026, the Executive Schedule rates that anchor those ceilings are $253,100 at Level I, $228,000 at Level II, $209,600 at Level III, $197,200 at Level IV, and $184,900 at Level V.6United States Office of Personnel Management. Salary Table No. 2026-EX Level II, $228,000, is the absolute maximum any White House Office employee can be paid.
Staff Who Earn Nothing
Eight employees in the 2025 report have a listed salary of $0.00, including a Senior Counselor, a Special Envoy, and senior policy advisors.1The White House. 2025 Annual Report to Congress on White House Office Personnel These are not interns. They are appointees, often with outside income, who forgo a government paycheck.
Some qualify as Special Government Employees under 18 U.S.C. § 202, a category for people appointed to perform government duties for no more than 130 days in any 365-day period, with or without pay.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 202 – Definitions SGEs face a lighter set of conflict-of-interest rules than full-time staff, so an unpaid advisor can hold private business ties that a salaried employee could not. All senior staff, paid or unpaid, file financial disclosures with the Office of Government Ethics.
Benefits on Top of Salary
White House employees get the same core benefits as other federal workers. Health coverage runs through the Federal Employees Health Benefits program, with the government paying a large share of the premium. For 2026, the maximum government contribution is $703.65 per month for individual coverage and $1,685.73 per month for family coverage.8U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Premiums Retirement comes through the Federal Employees Retirement System, which combines a defined-benefit pension, Social Security, and the Thrift Savings Plan.
For lower-paid staff especially, these benefits add real value. Someone earning $59,000 with full family health coverage and FERS contributions takes home a total compensation package worth considerably more than the base figure.
When the Numbers Change
Every figure in the report resets each year. The President issues an executive order setting new Executive Schedule and General Schedule rates, and those flow through to White House pay.9The White House. Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay The 2026 rates took effect in January 2026, and the next annual report, due July 1, 2026, will show the updated salaries and any changes in headcount.
Total staffing also varies from administration to administration. Some Presidents run leaner offices; others expand the roster. The statute lets the President add lower-paid staff in unlimited numbers while capping how many can sit at the top of the scale.