Order Code 97-1011 GOV
Updated March 29, 2007
Salaries of Members of Congress: A List of
Payable Rates and Effective Dates, 1789-2007
Paul E. Dwyer
Specialist in American National Government
Government and Finance Division
Summary
Congress is required by Article I, Section 6, of the Constitution to determine its
own pay. Prior to 1969, Congress did so by enacting stand-alone legislation. From
1789 through 1968, Congress raised its pay 22 times using this procedure.
Congressional salaries initially were $1,500. By 1968, they had risen to $30,000.
Stand-alone legislation may still be used to raise Member pay, as it was most recently
in 1982, 1983, 1989, and 1991, but two other methods are now also available, an
automatic annual adjustment procedure and a commission process.
Under the annual adjustment procedure, Members are scheduled to receive a 2.7%
increase in January 2008, unless modified by Congress, or limited by the rate of increase
in the base pay of General Schedule(GS) federal employees. Congress voted to deny the
scheduled January 2007 adjustment. Members last received a pay increase (1.9%) in
January 2006, increasing their salary to the current rate of $165,200.
Background
There are three basic ways to adjust Member pay. Stand-alone legislation has
frequently and primarily been used to raise Member pay throughout most of U.S. history,
1789 to the present. However, two other methods are also available.
The second method by which Member pay can be increased is pursuant to
recommendations from the President, based on those made by a quadrennial salary
commission. In 1967, Congress established the Commission on Executive, Legislative,
and Judicial Salaries to recommend salary increases for top-level federal officials (P.L.
90-206). Three times (in 1969, 1977, and 1987) Congress received pay increases made
under this procedure; on three occasions it did not. Effective with passage of the Ethics
Reform Act of 1989 (P.L. 101-194), the commission ceased to exist. Its authority was
assumed by the Citizens’ Commission on Public Service and Compensation. Although
the first commission under the 1989 Act was to have convened in 1993, it did not meet.

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The third method by which the salary of Members can be changed is by annual
adjustments. Prior to 1990, the pay of Members, and other top-level federal officials, was
tied to the annual comparability increases provided to General Schedule (GS) federal
employees. This procedure was established in 1975 (P.L. 94-82). Such increases were
recommended by the President, subject to congressional acceptance, disapproval, or
modification. Congress accepted five such increases for itself — in 1975, 1979 (partial),
1984, 1985, and 1987 — and declined 10 since this method was authorized (1976, 1977,
1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1988, and 1989).
The Ethics Reform Act of 1989 changed the method by which the annual adjustment
is determined for Members and other senior officials, based on a formula using changes
in private sector wages and salaries as measured by the Employment Cost Index. Under
this revised method, annual adjustments were accepted 11 times (those scheduled for
January 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006) and
denied six times (those scheduled for January 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2007).
The annual adjustment automatically goes into effect unless :
(1) Congress statutorily prohibits the adjustment;
(2) Congress statutorily revises the adjustment; or
(3) the annual base pay1 adjustment of GS employees is established at a rate less
than the scheduled increase for Members, in which case Members would be
paid the lower rate.2
Pending January 2008 Member Pay Increase of 2.7%
Under the annual pay adjustment procedure, Members are scheduled to receive a
2.7% increase in January 2008, based upon the formula mandated under the procedure.3
The scheduled increase may be adversely affected by two factors related to the
pending increase in the base pay of GS employees. First, the Member pay increase may
be lower since the rate of increase in the base pay of GS employees, also scheduled for
January 2008, is 2.5%.4 By law, Members may not receive an increase greater than the
1 Base pay is the pay rate before locality pay is added.
2 P.L. 103-356, 108 Stat. 3410-33411, Oct. 13, 1994.
3 The annual Member pay adjustment was determined by a formula using the Employment Cost
Index (private industry wages and salaries, not seasonally adjusted), based on the percentage
change reflected in the fourth quarter (ending December 31) of the two preceding years, minus
0.5%. The 2.7% adjustment was determined by taking the percentage increase in the Index
between the quarters ending December 2005 and December 2006, which was 3.2%, and
subtracting 0.5%.
4 See CRS Report RL33732, Federal White-Collar Pay: FY2008 Salary Adjustments, by Barbara
Schwemle. The annual GS pay adjustment was determined by a formula using the Employment
Cost Index (private industry wages and salaries, not seasonally adjusted), based on the percentage
change reflected in the fourth quarter (ending September 31) of the two preceding years, minus
0.5%. The 2.5% adjustment was determined by taking the percentage increase in the Index
between the quarters ending September 2005 and September 2006, which was 3.0%, and
(continued...)

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increase in the base pay of GS employees. If Congress does not modify the scheduled
2.5% GS base pay adjustment, and it becomes effective, Members will be limited to a
2.5% increase, in lieu of the scheduled 2.7% increase.
Second, the Member pay increase may be less than 2.7% due to a proposal of the
President for a 3.0% average increase in the pay of GS employees. The President’s
recommendation, contained in his FY2008 U.S. Budget, contains both base and locality
pay increases. By law, the President’s proposal overrides the GS annual increase that is
dictated by the annual pay adjustment formula, unless Congress directs differently.
If Congress does not alter the President’s 3.0% proposal, the President will issue an
executive order allotting a percentage for base pay and a percentage for locality pay later
in 2007. Usually, the executive order is issued near the end of December.
How the President makes this allotment can have a direct impact on the amount of
the Member pay adjustment. As stated above, if the annual base pay adjustment for GS
employees is less than the scheduled Member increase, Members would be paid the lower
rate. The base pay component of the President’s pending 3.0% GS adjustment scheduled
for January 2008 most likely would be lower than the pending Member 2.7% increase.
The base pay component may be lower since 1.0% typically has been allocated for
locality pay in the past. In the case of a 3.0% adjustment, this would put the base pay
allotment at 2.0%, thereby limiting Members to a 2.0% increase.
It is possible, however, the President might make an exception to the customary
1.0% locality pay designation and allocate a lesser percentage for locality pay. For
example, a possible scenario might be an allocation by the President of 0.5% for locality
pay and 2.5% for base pay. In this case, Members would then receive a 2.5% increase.
Table 1 provides a history of the salaries of Members of Congress, 1789-2007. For
each salary rate, both the effective date and the statutory authority are indicated. From
1976 to 1983, the salary actually paid to Members was less than the salary to which
Members were entitled. This was so because Members were entitled to salaries
authorized pursuant to the annual comparability pay procedure (P.L. 94-82). However,
on several occasions Congress did not appropriate funds to pay any or some of the new
salary increases mandated by P.L. 94-82. Accordingly, the salaries shown in this table
are the payable rates, the salaries actually paid to Members of Congress.
4 (...continued)
subtracting 0.5%.

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Table 1. Salaries of Members of Congress, 1789-2007
Payable Salarya
Effective Date
Statutory Authority
1 Stat. 70-71
$1,500b
March 4, 1789
(September 22, 1789)
1 Stat. 70-71
$1,500b
March 4, 1795
(September 22, 1789)
1 Stat. 448
$1,500b
March 3, 1796
(March 10, 1796)
3 Stat. 257
$1,500
December 4, 1815
(March 19, 1816)
3 Stat. 345
$1,500b
March 3, 1817
(February 6, 1817)
3 Stat. 404
$2,000b
March 3, 1817
(January 22, 1818)
11 Stat. 48
$3,000
December 3, 1855
(August 16, 1856)
11 Stat. 367
$3,000c
December 23, 1857
(December 23, 1857)
14 Stat. 323
$5,000
December 4, 1865
(July 28, 1866)
17 Stat. 486
$7,500
March 4, 1871
(March 3, 1873)
18 Stat. 4
$5,000
January 20, 1874
(January 20, 1874)
34 Stat. 993
$7,500
March 4, 1907
(February 26, 1907)
43 Stat. 1301
$10,000
March 4, 1925
(March 4, 1925)
47 Stat. 401
$9,000
July 1, 1932
(June 30, 1932)
48 Stat. 14
$8,500
April 1, 1933
(March 20, 1933)
48 Stat. 521
$9,000d
February 1, 1934
(March 28, 1934)
48 Stat. 521
$9,500
July 1, 1934
(March 28, 1934)
49 Stat. 24
$10,000
April 4, 1935
(February 13, 1935)
60 Stat. 850
$12,500
January 3, 1947
(August 2, 1946)
69 Stat. 11
$22,500
March 1, 1955
(March 2, 1955)
78 Stat. 415
$30,000
January 3, 1965
(August 14, 1964)
81 Stat. 642
$42,500
March 1, 1969
(December 16, 1967)

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Payable Salarya
Effective Date
Statutory Authority
89 Stat. 421
$44,600
October 1, 1975
(August 9, 1975)
81 Stat. 642
$57,500
March 1, 1977
(December 16, 1967)
89 Stat. 421
$60,662.50
October 1, 1979
(August 9, 1975)
96 Stat. 1914
December 18, 1982, for
(December 21, 1982)
$69,800
Representatives;
97 Stat. 338
July 1, 1983, for Senators
(July 30, 1983)
89 Stat. 421
$72,600
January 1, 1984
(August 9, 1975)
89 Stat. 421
$75,100
January 1, 1985
(August 9, 1975)
89 Stat. 421
$77,400
January 1, 1987
(August 9, 1975)
81 Stat. 642
$89,500
February 4, 1987
(December 16, 1967)
$96,600e
103 Stat. 1767-1768
February 1, 1990
(Representatives)
(November 30, 1989)
$98,400e
103 Stat. 1767-1768
February 1, 1990
(Senators)
(November 30, 1989)
$125,100
103 Stat. 1768-1769
January 1, 1991
(Representatives)
(November 30, 1989)
$101,900
103 Stat. 1769
January 1, 1991
(Senators)
(November 30, 1989)
$125,100
105 Stat. 450
August 14, 1991
(Senators)
(August 14, 1991)
$129,500
103 Stat.1769
January 1, 1992
(Reps. and Sens.)
(November 30, 1989)
$133,600
103 Stat. 1769
January 1, 1993
(Reps. and Sens.)
(November 30, 1989)
$136,700
103 Stat. 1769
January 1, 1998
(Reps. and Sens.)
(November 30, 1989)
$141,300
103 Stat. 1769
January 1, 2000
(Reps. and Sens.)
(November 30, 1989)
$145,100
103 Stat. 1769
January 1, 2001
(Reps. and Sens.)
(November 30, 1989)
$150,000
103 Stat. 1769
January 1, 2002
(Reps. and Sens.)
(November 30, 1989)
$154,700
103 Stat. 1769
January 1, 2003
(Reps. and Sens.)
(November 30, 1989)
$158,100
103 Stat. 1769
January 1, 2004
(Reps. and Sens.)
(November 30, 1989)
$162,100
103 Stat. 1769
January 1, 2005
(Reps. and Sens.)
(November 30, 1989)

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Payable Salarya
Effective Date
Statutory Authority
$165,200
103 Stat. 1769
January 1, 2006
(Reps. and Sens.)
(November 30, 1989)
a. From 1976 to 1983, the salary actually paid to Members was less than the salary to which Members were
entitled. This was so because Members were entitled to salaries authorized pursuant to the annual
comparability pay procedure (P.L. 94-82). However, on several occasions Congress did not
appropriate funds to pay any or some of the new salary increases mandated by P.L. 94-82.
Accordingly, the salaries shown in this table are the payable rates, the salaries actually paid to
Members of Congress.
b. Per diem rates have been converted to per annum rates based on a hypothetically possible 250-day
session. From 1789 to 1856, Senators and Representatives received a per diem pay rate while
Congress was in session, except for the period December 1815 — March 1817, when they received
$1,500 a year. First established at $6 a day in 1789 ($7 for Senators from March 4, 1795 — March
3, 1796), the per diem was raised to $8 in 1818 and remained there until 1856, when Members of
Congress were placed on annual salaries.
c. In 1857, Congress provided for pay at the rate of $250 per month while in session, or a maximum of
$3,000 per annum.
d. The act authorized the restoration of pay as of February 1, 1934, and the restoration of pay as of July
1, 1934.
e. The Ethics Reform Act of 1989 (103 Stat. 1767-1768) increased pay for Representatives and Senators
at different rates. The pay of Representatives was increased to reflect the previously denied 1989 and
1990 pay adjustments (4.1% and 3.6%), compounded at 7.9%, effective February 1, 1990. The act
further provided for a 25% increase in Representatives’ pay, effective January 1, 1991. As a result,
the pay of Representatives increased from $89,500 to $96,600 on February 1, 1990, and increased
to $125,100 on January 1, 1991.
The pay of Senators was increased to reflect the previously denied 1988, 1989, and 1990
comparability pay adjustments (2%, 4.1%, and 3.6%), compounded at 9.9%, effective February 1,
1990. As a result, the pay of Senators increased from $89,500 to $98,400 on February 1, 1990. The
Ethics Act did not provide for any other pay increase for Senators, as it did in providing a 25%
increase for Representatives. The reason is that Senators elected to deny themselves the 25%
increase while retaining the ability to receive honoraria. Subsequently, the Senate voted to increase
its pay rate to that of Representatives and to prohibit receipt of honoraria by Senators, effective
August 14, 1991. As a result, Senate pay increased from $101,900 to $125,100 per annum.

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