Pennsylvania state representatives make a base salary of roughly $113,591 as of December 1, 2025, which puts them among the highest-paid state legislators in the country. Salary is only part of the picture. Representatives also collect a daily per diem when traveling on legislative business, mileage reimbursement, health insurance, and a state pension or retirement account through SERS. Leadership positions pay considerably more.
Current Base Salary
For the pay period running December 1, 2024, through November 30, 2025, a rank-and-file representative earned $110,016. The automatic annual adjustment on December 1, 2025, raised that to about $113,591. Pennsylvania’s legislative pay cycle runs December to November rather than on the calendar year, so a figure quoted for “2025” can refer to either of the overlapping periods.
The Pennsylvania Constitution says members of the General Assembly “shall receive such salary and mileage for regular and special sessions as shall be fixed by law, and no other compensation whatever.”1FindLaw. Pennsylvania Constitution Art. II, Section 8 – Compensation Any change in pay requires either a new law or a mechanism already written into existing law. Pennsylvania chose the second route in 1995.
How the Automatic Raise Works
Act 1995-51 tied legislative pay to an automatic cost-of-living adjustment. Each December 1, the base salary increases by the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers in the Philadelphia region over the most recent twelve-month reporting period.2Laws of Pennsylvania. Act 1995-51 The Chief Clerks of the Senate and House jointly calculate the new amount and publish it in the Pennsylvania Bulletin before the effective date.
Recent raises have typically fallen between 1% and 3%, with the December 2025 adjustment closer to 3.3%. Cumulative increases over the past decade have pushed base pay up roughly 33%. The General Assembly can suspend a raise by passing a law, as it did in 2020 during the early months of the pandemic. Raises resumed the following year. Because the increase is automatic, legislators never cast a vote to receive one.
Leadership Pay
Members who hold leadership positions earn substantially more than rank-and-file legislators. The Speaker of the House and the Senate President Pro Tempore sit at the top of the scale, drawing about $177,323 for the pay period beginning December 1, 2025. Majority and minority leaders, whips, caucus chairs, and committee chairs receive stipends that fall between the rank-and-file base and the top leadership figure. The same automatic COLA formula applies to these higher salaries, so they rise each year alongside the base.
Per Diem and Mileage
Representatives collect a daily per diem for meals and lodging when their official duties take place more than 50 miles from home.3Pennsylvania General Assembly. Senate Resolution No. 5, Session of 2025 – Section: Rule 3, Meals and Lodging For the 2025 calendar year, the published rate was $198 per day. Members can claim the flat amount without submitting itemized receipts. Senate Bill 554, introduced in the 2025–2026 session, would require itemized receipts and cap reimbursement at the federal rate, but it has not become law.4Pennsylvania General Assembly. Senate Bill 554 – Providing for Expense Reimbursement of Public Officials and Public Employees
Mileage reimbursement tracks the federal standard. The IRS business mileage rate is 70 cents per mile for 2025 and 72.5 cents for 2026.5Internal Revenue Service. Standard Mileage Rates Representatives who drive their own vehicle between their district and Harrisburg, or to other official events, are reimbursed at that rate.
Pension and Retirement
Pennsylvania legislators participate in the State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS). What a member receives depends on when they took office.
- Members elected before December 2010 fell under older service classes with a 3.0% pension multiplier and a 7.5% employee contribution.6Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System. About Legislation
- Members elected between December 2010 and December 2018 came under Act 2010-120, which dropped the multiplier to 2.0% and matched most other rank-and-file benefit provisions.6Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System. About Legislation
- Members elected January 2019 or later fall under Act 2017-5 and choose from three options: two hybrid plans combining a smaller traditional pension with a defined-contribution investment account, or a straight defined-contribution plan similar to a 401(k).6Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System. About Legislation
For members in the traditional defined-benefit plan, the pension formula multiplies the service class multiplier by years of credited service by final average salary. Final average salary uses the highest three non-overlapping twelve-month periods, which for most members works out to the last three years.7Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System. SERS Member Handbook Members vest after five years of credited service. Full retirement generally requires reaching age 67 or completing 35 years of service, though earlier tiers have different thresholds.
Health Coverage and Other Benefits
Representatives receive the same health insurance available to other Commonwealth employees, including medical, dental, and vision. The Commonwealth pays a substantial share of the premiums, and members can extend coverage to dependents. The package also includes a dependent-care flexible spending account and voluntary life and long-term disability insurance.
Federal Tax Treatment of the Per Diem
Salary and leadership stipends are ordinary taxable income. Per diem gets special treatment under Section 162(h) of the Internal Revenue Code, which lets a state legislator whose home is more than 50 miles from the state capitol elect a deemed-expense deduction for living costs on each legislative day. The deduction uses the greater of the state’s own per diem (capped at 110% of the federal rate) or the federal per diem for the state capital.8eCFR. 26 CFR 1.162-24 – Travel Expenses of State Legislators Legislators living 50 miles or closer to the capitol cannot use the election, and the election must be made each tax year no later than the filing deadline including extensions.
A member who lives in Pittsburgh or Erie and spends more than 100 legislative days in Harrisburg can shelter a meaningful portion of per diem income from federal tax. Members who live near the capitol get no such break.
How Pennsylvania Compares to Other States
Pennsylvania’s legislative pay is near the top nationally. Only New York, at $142,000, sets a higher base salary; California is close to Pennsylvania’s range. At the opposite end, New Hampshire pays $100 per year and New Mexico pays no salary at all, offering only a per diem during session. The national average is around $48,000, meaning Pennsylvania representatives earn more than double what a typical state legislator makes. The high pay reflects the full-time, year-round nature of the General Assembly.