Congressional Salaries and Allowances

Ida A. Brudnick
Analyst on the Congress

This report provides basic information on congressional salaries and allowances. First, the report briefly summarizes the current salary of Members of Congress, limits on their outside earned income and honoraria, and applicable health insurance and retirement benefits.

Second, the report provides information on allowances available to Representatives and Senators to support them in their official and representational duties as Members. These allowances cover official office expenses, staff, mail, and other goods and services.

Third, the report lists the salaries of congressional officers and officials and salary limits for committee staff.

Sources are hearings, reports, debates, and language of regular annual and supplemental legislative branch appropriations acts; the U.S. Code and U.S. Code Annotated Supplements to Title 2; Order of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, implementing a pay increase for House employees, effective January 1, 2009, issued January 9, 2009 (contained in 2 U.S.C. 60a- 2a); Order of the President pro tempore, implementing a pay increase for Senate employees, effective January 1, 2010, issued January 5, 2010 (contained in 2 U.S.C. 60a-1); the Members’ Congressional Handbook (web edition), prepared by the Committee on House Administration, for Members and staff of the U.S. House of Representatives, available at http://cha.house.gov/; the quarterly Statement of Disbursements of the House, compiled by the House Chief Administrative Officer, January 1, 2011, to March 31, 2011 (112th Congress, 1st session, H.Doc. 112-15, part 3 of 3); and the Office of Personnel Management for executive level pay rates to which some legislative employees are statutorily linked.

Additional information on salaries of Members of Congress may be found in CRS Report 97-615, Salaries of Members of Congress: Congressional Votes, 1990-2010, by Ida A. Brudnick and CRS Report 97-1011, Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables, by Ida A. Brudnick.


Date of Report: June 28, 2011
Number of Pages: 16
Order Number: RL30064
Price: $29.95

Follow us on TWITTER at http://www.twitter.com/alertsPHP or #CRSreports

Document available via e-mail as a pdf file or in paper form.
To order, e-mail Penny Hill Press or call us at 301-253-0881. Provide a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover card number, expiration date, and name on the card. Indicate whether you want e-mail or postal delivery. Phone orders are preferred and receive priority processing.