Number: RS20115
Title: President of the United States: Compensation
Authors: Barbara L. Schwemle, Government and Finance Division 
Abstract: The Constitution of the United States provides that "The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected...." The amount of compensation, which is not specified in the Constitution, is set and adjusted by Congress. The President currently receives a salary of $400,000 per annum, which became effective at noon on January 20, 2001, under P.L. 106-58.2 An expense allowance, currently set at $50,000, also is provided. This report discusses the President's compensation and the three most recent increases to the salary enacted in 1949 (81st Congress), 1969 (91st Congress), and 1999 (106th Congress).
Pages: 6
Date: August 6, 2008