The U.S. president earns $400,000 per year, paid monthly. This base salary hasn’t changed since 2001, when Congress raised it from $200,000. Beyond the paycheck, the president receives expense allowances and benefits that significantly boost total compensation.
Presidential Salary Breakdown
Base Annual Salary
The president’s salary is set at $400,000 annually, as specified in Title 3 of the U.S. Code. This amount gets distributed in monthly payments throughout the year. Unlike some government positions, the presidential salary is fully subject to federal income tax—meaning the actual take-home amount is considerably less after withholdings.
Congress approved this salary level in 1999 under President Clinton, though it didn’t take effect until George W. Bush took office in January 2001. The Constitution prohibits changing a president’s salary during their term, so any raise approved by Congress only applies to the next administration.
Additional Allowances
The president receives three separate allowances on top of the base salary:
A $50,000 annual expense allowance helps cover costs related to official duties.
This money is non-taxable, but there’s a catch—any unused portion must be returned at the end of the year. In practice, this allowance helps pay for things like dry cleaning, private entertaining, and other personal expenses that arise from presidential responsibilities.
The $100,000 travel account covers official travel expenses beyond what Air Force One and other government transportation provide.
An additional $19,000 entertainment budget handles hosting costs for official events.
Non-Monetary Benefits
The financial perks extend beyond direct payments. The president and their family live rent-free in the White House, which comes fully furnished with furniture and effects belonging to the federal government. All medical care is provided at no cost.
Transportation needs are covered through Air Force One for flights, Marine One for helicopter travel, and a presidential motorcade for ground movement.
These benefits carry substantial value. Housing alone in a property like the White House would cost millions annually in a private market scenario, though the president obviously can’t choose alternative living arrangements.
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Historical Presidential Salaries
How Presidential Pay Has Changed
Presidential compensation has increased only five times since George Washington took office:
1789-1873: $25,000 annually
1873-1909: $50,000 annually
1909-1949: $75,000 annually
1949-1969: $100,000 annually (plus $50,000 taxable expense account)
1969-2001: $200,000 annually (plus $50,000 taxable expense account)
2001-present: $400,000 annually
That’s five raises across more than 230 years of American presidency.
Inflation-Adjusted Context
Here’s where it gets interesting. When you adjust for inflation, early presidents actually earned far more in purchasing power than today’s commander-in-chief.
Washington’s $25,000 salary in 1789 equals roughly $895,741 in current dollars. Grant’s doubled salary of $50,000 in 1873 would be worth about $1.3 million today. By 1909, when Taft started earning $75,000, that translated to approximately $2.6 million in modern purchasing power.
The current $400,000 salary, unchanged for over two decades, represents the lowest real compensation in presidential history when adjusted for inflation. The $200,000 salary Nixon received in 1969 would equal about $1.7 million in today’s economy.
Why the Presidential Salary Rarely Changes
The Founding Fathers built salary protection into the Constitution. Article II explicitly states that a president’s compensation “shall neither be encreased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected.” This prevents Congress from using pay raises or cuts as leverage to influence presidential decisions.
Congress holds sole authority to set presidential pay, but they’ve exercised that power sparingly.
The 24-year gap between the current salary (approved in 1999) and today marks one of the longest stretches without adjustment in presidential history.
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Compensation After Leaving Office
Presidential Pension
Former presidents receive an annual pension equal to the salary of a Cabinet secretary. As of 2025, that amounts to more than $250,000 per year. The Former Presidents Act of 1958 established this benefit, ensuring that all living former presidents receive this pension for life.
The pension adjusts automatically whenever Cabinet secretary salaries change, providing some inflation protection that the in-office salary lacks.
Additional Post-Presidential Benefits
Beyond the pension, former presidents receive several ongoing benefits. They get office space in a location of their choosing, with the government covering rent and setup costs. Travel expenses for official business are reimbursed. Staff allowances help former presidents maintain a small team for correspondence and scheduling.
Widows of former presidents receive a $20,000 annual pension plus franking privileges—the ability to send mail without postage. If a former president previously served in Congress or held another executive branch position, they may qualify for multiple pensions simultaneously. No law prevents collecting both a presidential pension and another government retirement benefit.
Post-Presidential Income Sources
The real money often comes after leaving office. Ulysses S. Grant became the first president to write a memoir in 1885, finishing it just days before his death. Since then, virtually every modern president has written at least one book—with two notable exceptions: Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, both of whom died in office.
Presidential memoirs can generate millions in advances and royalties. Speaking engagements command fees ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands per appearance. Some former presidents secure media deals, consulting arrangements, or board positions.
Barack and Michelle Obama, for instance, reportedly signed a production deal with Netflix. Bill Clinton co-authored fiction thrillers with James Patterson that became bestsellers. These post-presidency ventures typically dwarf the income earned during four or eight years in office.
Presidents Who Donated Their Salary
Historical Examples
Several wealthy presidents have chosen to donate their salaries, though the Constitution requires them to accept payment first.
George Washington attempted to refuse his salary in his 1789 inaugural address, preferring to be reimbursed only for expenses—the same arrangement he had as Continental Army general. Congress rejected this approach, insisting he take the full $25,000 salary to comply with Constitutional requirements. Representative John Page argued that despite Washington’s “patriotic ardor,” the Constitution mandates presidential compensation.
Herbert Hoover donated his entire salary to charity during the Great Depression. As a successful businessman, he felt it inappropriate to draw a government paycheck during economic crisis.
John F. Kennedy, from an extremely wealthy family, donated his presidential salary to charity, continuing a practice he started while serving in Congress.
Donald Trump pledged to take only $1 per year during his first term, reportedly donating quarterly payments to various federal departments including the National Park Service and Department of Homeland Security. However, his tax returns reportedly don’t clearly confirm whether the full four-year salary was donated as claimed.
Constitutional Requirement
The Constitution explicitly requires that presidents receive compensation. They cannot legally serve without pay. Any president wishing to donate their salary must first accept it, then give it away as a voluntary act. The Founders included this requirement partly to prevent wealthy individuals from monopolizing the office and partly to ensure that presidents couldn’t be unduly influenced by outside income sources.
How Presidential Salary Compares
To Other U.S. Government Positions
Presidential pay sits at the top of the federal government salary structure, but not by an enormous margin:
President: $400,000
Chief Justice, Supreme Court: $320,700
Associate Justices, Supreme Court: $306,600
Vice President: $235,100 (frozen since 2019)
Speaker of the House: $223,500
Senate/House Leaders: $193,400
Congress Members: $174,000
The Vice President’s salary has remained frozen since 2019 due to legislation that continues restricting pay increases for certain senior political appointees. This means VP compensation has fallen behind inflation even more than the presidential salary.
Context for Comparison
At $400,000 annually, the presidential salary is modest compared to Fortune 100 CEO compensation, where packages often exceed $10 million or $20 million when including stock options and bonuses. It’s also low compared to what many professional athletes, entertainers, and private sector executives earn.
That said, $400,000 far exceeds the median U.S. household income of roughly $75,000. The president earns more than most Americans will see in a lifetime.
What’s notable is the stagnation. While many government positions receive periodic cost-of-living adjustments, the presidential salary has remained static for over two decades. Congressional members, for example, were supposed to receive annual increases based on cost-of-living formulas, though they’ve voted against accepting those raises every year since 2009.
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Conclusion
The president makes $400,000 annually plus allowances totaling $169,000, though much of that is restricted to specific uses. After leaving office, former presidents receive a $250,000+ pension and typically earn substantially more through books, speaking, and media deals than they ever made in the White House.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do presidents pay taxes on their salary?
Yes. The $400,000 base salary is fully subject to federal income tax. The $50,000 expense allowance is non-taxable, but the president must return any unused portion. Based on current tax brackets, the president likely pays around $100,000-$120,000 in federal taxes alone.
Can a president refuse their salary?
No. The Constitution requires presidents to receive compensation. They cannot legally decline payment. However, they can accept the salary and then donate it to charity or other causes, as several presidents have done.
How much is the president paid per hour?
Using one calculation method: approximately $89.71 per hour. This assumes a 91-hour work week across 49 weeks per year. Of course, presidential duties don’t follow a standard hourly schedule—the job is effectively 24/7.
When was the last presidential pay raise?
President Clinton signed legislation increasing the salary from $200,000 to $400,000, effective January 2001. George W. Bush became the first president to receive the higher amount. That means the salary has remained unchanged for over 24 years.
How is the former president’s pension calculated?
It equals the annual salary of a Cabinet secretary. Currently, that’s more than $250,000 per year. This amount adjusts whenever Cabinet secretary pay changes, providing automatic cost-of-living increases that the in-office salary doesn’t receive.