HILL STAFF NEWS: Bigger House Staff Salaries Mean Smaller Holiday Bonuses
Congressional aides working on the House side of Capitol Hill benefitted in 2023 from higher average salaries, but there was a slight catch in that good news, according to research by Legistorm.
Holiday bonuses weren’t as generous in 2023 as they had been in previous years.
“House staffers working for member offices received 11.9 percent more money in the fourth quarter than in previous quarters ― an average end-of-year bonus of about $2,500 per staffer.
“In 2021 and 2019, staffers received fourth-quarter pay bumps of 24.0 percent ($4,000) and 19.3 percent ($3,000), respectively. End-of-year bonuses are typically lower in non-election years.
“As a proportion of their total quarterly income, House staffers in 2023 received their lowest end-of-year bonuses since 2013, which saw an average estimated bonus of 11.6 percent ($1,500).
“Despite the higher bonuses of recent years, staffers still come out ahead. The median House staffer made $73,300 last year, including any bonuses. That’s $13,700 more than the median staffer’s 2021 pay of $59,600 and $18,900 more than 2019’s median $54,400.
“Members don’t explicitly report bonuses in their quarterly expense reports. To estimate bonuses, LegiStorm compares average quarterly salaries to find payment increases in the fourth quarter.”
Remind you of anything? Older Hill staffers will recall the scene from “Christmas Vacation” when Clark Griswold finally gets his Christmas bonus, then opens it in front of the whole family after telling them he is putting in a swimming pool with the end-of-the-year money as soon as the ground thaws.
But then he realizes instead of the big-buck bonus he expected and had received in years past, his corporation cancelled the Christmas payouts and as an alternative gave everybody free annual memberships in the Jelly of the Month Club!
Check it out here: