There is quite a bit of bad information out there about Congressional pensions and benefits. Several times I’ve corrected those who think Congressional retirees get a full salary for life after one term or less in Congress. Or a lavish free healthcare plan or some other benefit as detailed in the latest email.
So I decided it was time to make a post of it.
“Fact check”
Here are a few “fact check” type articles on Congressional retirement mainly concerning false claims that have circulated over the years
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/congressional-pensions/
https://www.factcheck.org/2015/01/congressional-pensions-update/
CRS details
These Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports go into quite a bit of detail on salaries and benefits.
1. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RL/RL30064
Here are a few extracts from that report.
Member pay has historically been the subject of considerable debate and discussion, as well as occasional confusion. Members of Congress receive salaries only during the terms for which they are elected. They do not receive salaries beyond their terms of office. Members of Congress do not receive additional compensation for service on committees, and they are not eligible for housing or per diem allowances for expenses incurred in Washington, DC. Finally, neither Members of Congress nor their families are exempt from the repayment of student loans. Although both the House and Senate have established student loan repayment programs for employee recruitment and retention purposes, these programs are subject to a number of regulations—including service agreements and annual and lifetime benefit maximums—and Members of Congress are not eligible to participate.
…
Since January 1, 1984, participation in Social Security has been mandatory for all Members of Congress.
Various options are available to Members regarding participation in the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), depending on when the Member was first elected. The amount of any benefit and required retirement contribution varies depending on retirement plan, age, and length of service (with a minimum of at least five years of service for any benefit).
2. https://www.senate.gov/CRSpubs/ac0d1dd5-7316-4390-87e6-353589586a89.pdf
Under both CSRS and FERS, Members of Congress are eligible for a pension at the age of 62 if they have completed at least five years of service. Members are eligible for a pension at age 50 if they have completed 20 years of service, or at any age after completing 25 years of service. The amount of the pension depends on years of service and the average of the highest three years of salary. By law, the starting amount of a Member’s retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of his or her final salary.
There were 611 retired Members of Congress receiving federal pensions based fully or in part on their congressional service as of October 1, 2016. Of this number, 335 had retired under CSRS and were receiving an average annual pension of $74,028. A total of 276 Members had retired with service under FERS and were receiving an average annual pension of $41,076 in 2016.
It would seem that retiring from Congress is not the road to riches. More importantly, do not believe everything you read in a email.