Supporting former presidents costs American taxpayers roughly $5.4 million a year through the General Services Administration in fiscal year 2026, and that figure leaves out the biggest line item of all: Secret Service protection, whose cost is classified. Since 2000, GSA-administered benefits alone have added up to an estimated $125 million across all living former presidents. Add lifetime security details that can run to dozens of agents per protectee, and the real number is considerably larger than any published total.
The Annual Pension
Every former president receives a pension pegged to the pay of a Cabinet secretary, technically Executive Level I on the federal pay scale. For 2026, that comes to $253,100 a year.1Office of Personnel Management. Salary Table No. 2026-EX It was $250,600 in 2025.2Office of Personnel Management. Salary Table No. 2025-EX Because it tracks federal executive pay, it rises automatically over time.
The pension pauses during any period a former president holds a federal office that pays more than a token salary.3National Archives and Records Administration. Former Presidents Act A president removed from office through impeachment and conviction loses all benefits under the Former Presidents Act; a president who resigns keeps them.
Office Space and Staff
The GSA gives each former president a furnished, equipped office anywhere in the United States, and the government pays the full rent. The choices vary widely. Based on GSA budget data, annual office rent has ranged from around $118,000 for Jimmy Carter’s Atlanta office to $661,000 for Bill Clinton’s midtown Manhattan space. George W. Bush’s Dallas office runs about $542,000, Barack Obama’s Washington office about $565,000, and Donald Trump’s Palm Beach location about $406,000.4General Services Administration. GSA FY 2026 Congressional Justification Rent alone accounts for a large share of the yearly GSA total.
There’s also a staff allowance. For the first 30 months after leaving office, total staff compensation can reach $150,000 a year. After that, the cap drops to $96,000. The former president hires the staff and sets their pay, but no individual employee can earn more than the Executive Level II rate.3National Archives and Records Administration. Former Presidents Act
Travel and Security Allowances
Congress authorizes up to $1 million a year for each former president to cover security and travel-related expenses, and a former president can bring up to two staff members on official travel under this allowance.5Congressional Research Service. Former Presidents: Pensions, Office Allowances, and Other Federal Benefits A spouse can separately draw up to $500,000 a year for the same purposes, but only if they are not already receiving Secret Service protection or if that protection has expired or been declined.3National Archives and Records Administration. Former Presidents Act These funds sit on top of Secret Service coverage and pay for things like private security during international trips and logistics the Secret Service doesn’t handle.
Secret Service Protection
Lifetime Secret Service protection is by far the most expensive benefit, and the exact cost is classified. Federal law provides protection to former presidents and their spouses for life, though a spouse’s protection ends on remarriage. Children of former presidents are covered until they turn 16.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 3056 – Powers, Authorities, and Duties of United States Secret Service
The lifetime rule was briefly gone. In 1994, Congress capped protection at 10 years for presidents inaugurated after January 1, 1997, which would have applied to George W. Bush and everyone after him. The Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012 restored lifetime coverage for all former presidents and their spouses.7GovInfo. Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012 Outside estimates over the years have put per-president security costs in the millions annually, but the government keeps the specific figures classified. That’s why the $5.4 million GSA line captures only a portion of the true taxpayer bill.
Smaller Benefits
Former presidents and their surviving spouses can send nonpolitical mail within the United States without paying postage. There is no statutory dollar cap on the franking privilege, though the mail must be nonpolitical.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 39 USC 3214 – Mailing Privilege of Former President; Surviving Spouse of Former President
They can also get medical treatment at military hospitals, paying interagency rates rather than getting the care free. Those rates are generally lower than commercial care. The Former Presidents Act also provides for government-funded health insurance comparable to what federal employees receive.
Surviving Spouse Pension
When a former president dies, the surviving spouse becomes eligible for a $20,000 annual pension. To collect it, the spouse must waive any other government pension or annuity they might otherwise be entitled to. Payments start the day after the former president’s death and end if the spouse remarries before age 60.3National Archives and Records Administration. Former Presidents Act The $20,000 figure has not been adjusted since it was set, which leaves it far below the former president’s own $253,100 pension.
Who’s on the Rolls in 2026
The GSA’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for former president allowances and office staff totals $5,353,000. It covers pensions, staff compensation, personnel benefits, office rent, phone and postage costs, printing, and supplies for every living former president. It does not include Secret Service protection or the separate travel and security allowances.4General Services Administration. GSA FY 2026 Congressional Justification
Four former presidents currently draw benefits: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden. Jimmy Carter, the longest-living former president, died in December 2024. Donald Trump received former president benefits from 2021 through January 2025 and stopped collecting them when he returned to office; the statute pauses benefits while a former president holds a paid federal job.3National Archives and Records Administration. Former Presidents Act When he leaves office again, his benefits resume. Biden’s addition in 2025 also pushes yearly costs up during his first 30 months, when the higher staff cap applies. Costs have trended upward over time, driven mainly by rising office rents in major cities and automatic pension adjustments.
Reform Proposals
Congress has repeatedly floated cuts. The most prominent effort, the Presidential Allowance Modernization Act, passed the House and would restructure the system in several ways. It would replace the current pension with a $200,000 annuity adjusted for cost of living. The office and staff allowance would also start at $200,000 a year but would drop dollar-for-dollar once a former president’s adjusted gross income passed $400,000. Every living former president clears that threshold from book deals, speaking fees, and investments, so the reduction would be significant. The bill would also raise the surviving spouse pension from $20,000 to $100,000, with the same cost-of-living adjustments.9GovInfo. House Report 114-209 – Presidential Allowance Modernization Act None of it has become law. The Former Presidents Act was written in 1958, when ex-presidents sometimes faced real financial hardship; today every former president leaves office with the earning power to make millions, and Congress revisits the question every few years without resolving it.