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Congressional Benefits Myth

There is an email being circulated about the retirement benefits of Members of Congress. There are several inaccuracies in that email which I would like to clarify. First, I do pay into Social Security, like all other Americans. Social Security taxes are taken out of my paychecks, just as they are taken out of yours.

In addition to Social Security, I also participate in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), which applies to all federal employees. I pay into this retirement plan just as many other employees pay into their company’s plan. Under FERS, an employee must participate in FERS for a minimum of 5 years to be “vested” for pension plans. Members are eligible for full pension at age 62 or older with at least 5 years of service; age 50 or older with at least 20 years of service, and at any age with at least 25 years of service.

Contrary to the contents of the email, I will not continue to draw the same pay when I retire. For Members of Congress who meet the age requirements, starting annuities range from about 8.5% of final annual pay after 5 years of service to 34% after 20 years, plus 1.0% for each year of service beyond the 20. According to the Congressional Research Service, Members of Congress retiring under FERS had an average age of 69.0 years with 21.8 years of federal service. Their average annual retirement annuity was $35,952 in 2006. Thus, as you can see, the benefits received by Members of Congress are greatly exaggerated in the email.