A Minnesota state senator’s salary is $51,750 per year, a rate set by the independent Legislative Salary Council and reaffirmed for the 2025–2026 biennium.1Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Compensation of Minnesota Legislators Senators in the top three leadership roles earn 140% of that, or $72,450. On top of base pay, senators receive a per diem during session, mileage reimbursement, and access to state employee health insurance and a legislators’ pension plan.
Base Pay
Every senator without a designated leadership post is paid the same $51,750 annual salary.2Minnesota Legislature. Frequently Asked Questions About the Minnesota Legislature The rate first took effect July 1, 2023, and the Legislative Salary Council left it unchanged in its most recent determination, effective July 1, 2025.1Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Compensation of Minnesota Legislators Pay does not change based on session length, and a special session called by the governor does not increase it.
Leadership Pay
Three positions in the Senate carry a salary premium: the Senate President, the Majority Leader, and the Minority Leader. Each is paid 140% of the base salary, which currently comes to $72,450 per year.1Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Compensation of Minnesota Legislators Because the premium is a fixed multiplier, any future increase to the base rate will raise leadership pay by the same proportion. The higher pay ends when a senator leaves the leadership role.
Per Diem and Mileage
While the legislature is in session, senators receive a daily per diem to cover meals and incidental expenses near the Capitol. For the 2023–2024 biennium, that rate was $86 per day.3Legislative Reference Library of Minnesota. Legislator Per Diems and Expenses Senators who live in the Twin Cities metro area may receive a lower amount or decline the payment entirely.
Senators can also claim mileage reimbursement for travel between their home district and the Capitol, at IRS standard mileage rates. The 2026 business rate is 72.5 cents per mile.4Internal Revenue Service. IRS Sets 2026 Business Standard Mileage Rate at 72.5 Cents Per Mile, Up 2.5 Cents Reimbursement requires documentation that meets state accounting standards.
Federal Tax Break for Out-of-Metro Senators
Senators whose home district is more than 50 miles from the Capitol get a meaningful federal tax break. Under 26 U.S.C. § 162(h), they can elect to treat a set amount of daily living expenses as a business deduction without tracking actual costs.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 162 – Trade or Business Expenses The deductible amount is the number of legislative days in the year multiplied by the greater of the federal employee per diem rate or the state’s own rate, capped at 110% of the federal rate.6Internal Revenue Service. When State Legislators Can Deduct Living Expenses The deduction covers meals and lodging, not travel fares or local transportation. Senators who live 50 miles or closer to the Capitol cannot use this election.
Health Insurance and Retirement
Senators can enroll in the same coverage available to other state employees through the Minnesota Advantage Health Plan, which offers medical and dental options at various premium and deductible levels.7Minnesota Management and Budget. Medical Insurance Coverage Enrollment is optional, and senators pay their share through payroll deduction.
Retirement benefits run through the MSRS Legislators Retirement Plan, administered by the Minnesota State Retirement System.8Minnesota State Retirement System. Legislators Retirement Plan Senators contribute 9% of salary to the plan,9Minnesota State Retirement System. Percent of Pay which works out to about $4,658 a year on the standard salary. A monthly retirement benefit requires at least six years of credited service, and service in other Minnesota public pension plans counts toward that threshold under the state’s combined service annuity rules.
Who Sets the Salary
Minnesota voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2016 that took the power to set legislative pay away from the legislature itself. Under Article IV, Section 9 of the state constitution, an independent 16-member Legislative Salary Council now sets compensation for senators and representatives, with half the members appointed by the governor and half by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Sitting and former legislators, lobbyists, judges, and statewide constitutional officers cannot serve.
The council must set salaries by March 31 of each odd-numbered year, and any change takes effect the following July 1. The determination does not require approval from the legislature or the governor, and council members are barred from communicating with sitting legislators during the deliberation window.10Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Statutes 15A.0825 – Legislative Salary Council That is why the $51,750 figure has held steady across the last two determinations rather than moving with each legislative session.