Congressional staffer salaries are set individually by each employing Member of Congress from a fixed office budget, so there is no uniform pay scale. In 2026, the legal ceiling on staff pay is $228,000, tied to Level II of the Executive Schedule, but most staffers earn far less. Typical pay runs from about $59,000 for entry-level roles to more than $190,000 for a Chief of Staff.
What Each Position Pays
The most recent comprehensive figures come from official disbursement records compiled by the Congressional Research Service, covering 2024 pay in inflation-adjusted 2025 dollars. The numbers below reflect House personal offices, where most staffers work.
- Chief of Staff: median around $192,500. The top personal-office role, covering legislative strategy, budget, and hiring.
- Legislative Director: median around $120,700. Runs the policy team and manages the Member’s legislative priorities.
- Communications Director: median near $103,100. Handles press strategy, media relations, and public messaging.
- Legislative Assistant: median roughly $78,600. Develops policy across an assigned portfolio of issues.
- Staff Assistant: median about $58,900. Front-office duties, constituent calls, administrative support.
Committee staff earn considerably more. A House committee Staff Director had median pay of about $216,500, and a Chief Counsel earned roughly $195,000. Even a committee Staff Assistant took home a median of about $68,600, compared to $58,900 in a personal office. The premium reflects the specialized policy expertise committees demand.2Every CRS Report. Staff Pay, Selected Positions in House Member Offices, 2001-2023
Paid Interns
House offices can pay interns through a program administered by the Committee on House Administration, which provides each office $35,000 per calendar year for intern compensation. Interns hired through this program must be part of a demonstrated education program and cannot work more than 120 calendar days.3Committee on House Administration. House Paid Internship Program Intern pay drawn from an office’s regular budget is separately capped at $38,500 per year.4United States Committee on House Administration. Members’ Congressional Handbook
Why House and Senate Pay Differs
The two chambers operate on very different budgets. House offices draw from the Members’ Representational Allowance (MRA), which averaged about $1.93 million per office in 2025, ranging from roughly $1.85 million to $2.09 million by district. Senate offices draw from the Senators’ Official Personnel and Office Expense Account (SOPOEA), totaling about $645.4 million across all 100 offices for fiscal year 2026, or an average of about $6.45 million per senator.5Senate Committee on Appropriations. FY26 Leg Branch Senate Report
That gap of more than three-to-one exists because senators represent entire states, requiring larger staffs, more field offices, and greater travel budgets. The SOPOEA formula factors in each state’s population and distance from Washington, D.C., so a California senator gets a larger allocation than a Wyoming senator. The larger pool lets Senate offices pay more for comparable roles, especially at the senior level.
Both the MRA and SOPOEA cover more than payroll. Rent, travel, equipment, franked mail, and supplies come from the same pot. A Member who pays one staffer near the legal maximum directly reduces what’s available for everyone else. That budget constraint, more than the statutory cap, is what actually holds most salaries down.
What Moves an Individual Staffer’s Pay Up or Down
Because each Member has sole discretion over compensation within their budget, pay for the same job title varies widely from one office to the next.
Experience matters most. A Legislative Director with a decade on the Hill typically earns more than one fresh off a campaign. Advanced degrees in law or public policy can justify a higher starting salary, particularly for technical policy work or legal drafting.
District complexity plays a role too. Members representing large, diverse, or geographically remote districts often receive slightly higher MRA allocations and tend to spend more on staff. Members in leadership or chairing committees may have additional funding streams that let them offer competitive salaries or hire specialists.
Location within the office matters as well. Staffers based in Washington, D.C., generally earn more than those in district or state offices doing comparable work.
The Legal Ceiling and the Floor
Federal law imposes a hard ceiling on congressional staff pay. For Senate employees, the statute directly prohibits compensation above the Level II rate of the Executive Schedule.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 2 USC Ch. 45 – Congressional Pay and Benefits For 2026, that rate is $228,000.7U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Salary Table No. 2026-EX – Rates of Basic Pay for the Executive Schedule
The House works slightly differently. The Speaker sets the maximum and minimum pay rates through a formal pay order.4United States Committee on House Administration. Members’ Congressional Handbook Historically the Speaker’s cap has tracked Level II of the Executive Schedule. Before 2023, House staff pay was capped at the employing Member’s own salary, which made it hard to retain experienced senior staff. Delinking the two gave the House room to adjust staff compensation independently.
At the other end, the House established a $45,000 minimum salary for staff effective September 2022. A separate floor of $1,200 annually applies to interns paid from the MRA, along with the $38,500 cap.4United States Committee on House Administration. Members’ Congressional Handbook
Lump-Sum Bonuses
House offices have had broad authority since 1997 to make lump-sum payments to employees, functioning as performance bonuses. These payments must comply with House rules requiring that total compensation be commensurate with duties performed, and they cannot be used to compensate anyone for campaign or political work.8House Committee on Ethics. Lump Sum Payments
Lump-sum payments generally do not count as part of an employee’s “rate of basic pay.” A one-time bonus typically will not push someone over the thresholds that trigger financial disclosure or post-employment lobbying restrictions. The House Ethics Committee has warned, however, that offices should not use bonuses to keep base salary below those thresholds while effectively paying above them. An intent to evade can be inferred from a pattern of regular lump-sum payments.8House Committee on Ethics. Lump Sum Payments
Benefits Beyond Salary
The federal benefits package adds substantial value on top of base pay.
Retirement
Staffers participate in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). The employee contribution is 4.4 percent of salary for those hired in 2014 or later.9Congressional Budget Office. Increase Federal Civilian Employees’ Contributions to the Federal Employees Retirement System Staffers can also contribute to the Thrift Savings Plan, the federal equivalent of a 401(k). The government automatically contributes 1 percent of basic pay regardless of whether the employee contributes. If the employee does contribute, the government matches dollar-for-dollar on the first 3 percent and fifty cents on the dollar for the next 2 percent, for a maximum government contribution of 5 percent.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 8432 – Contributions
Health Insurance
Congressional staff do not use the standard Federal Employees Health Benefits program the way most federal workers do. Under rules implementing the Affordable Care Act, designated staff purchase coverage through the DC Health Link Small Business Market. The employing office determines which employees qualify for the government contribution toward premiums.11Federal Register. Federal Employees Health Benefits Program – Members of Congress and Congressional Staff
Transit and Parental Leave
Staffers can receive a tax-free transit subsidy of up to $340 per month in 2026 for mass transit commuting costs.12Transportation.gov. TSB 2026-02 DOT Transit Benefit Increase to $340 Eligible employees also qualify for up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave under the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act for the birth or placement of a child.13Office of Congressional Workplace Rights. Paid Parental Leave for Legislative Branch Employees
Salary Thresholds That Trigger Ethics Rules
Several obligations kick in when pay crosses specific lines. For 2026, the key threshold is $151,661, or 120 percent of the GS-15 base rate.
Any staffer paid at or above $151,661 must file a public financial disclosure report detailing income sources, assets, liabilities, and transactions.14U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics. Financial Disclosure Reports are filed with the Clerk of the House or Secretary of the Senate and are available to the public.15Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Public Disclosure
Staffers at or above the same threshold are classified as “senior staff” and face a cap on outside earned income of $33,855 for 2026. Senior staff also cannot accept honoraria or compensation for fiduciary service.16House Committee on Ethics. FAQs About Outside Employment
The same salary line triggers post-employment lobbying restrictions. Under federal law, senior staff who leave face a one-year cooling-off period during which they cannot lobby the chamber where they worked. A former senior Senate staffer cannot contact any senator or Senate employee on behalf of a client for one year. A former senior House personal staffer faces a similar one-year ban on lobbying the Member they worked for and that Member’s staff.17Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 207 – Restrictions on Former Officers, Employees, and Elected Officials of the Executive and Legislative Branches A staffer whose base salary sits just below $151,661 avoids all of it. Push them above the line, and the one-year lobbying ban follows them out the door.
Looking Up Any Staffer’s Pay
Unlike most private-sector jobs, congressional staff salaries are public record. The House publishes the Statement of Disbursements quarterly, listing every employee’s name, title, and pay. The Senate publishes a similar report semi-annually. Third-party databases compile the information into searchable formats. Any staffer whose pay reaches the financial disclosure threshold has additional personal financial information available to the public as well.