By Former President Joe Biden, now 83, is set to receive the highest taxpayer-funded retirement pension ever awarded to a former U.S. president — a staggering $417,000 per year — according to a recent analysis. The sum exceeds the $400,000 salary he earned annually during his time in the White House and is just over Anthony Fauci’s record setting pension he received a few years ago following his retirement.
This unprecedented pension payout stems from Biden’s extensive public career, which spans more than four decades in Washington, including service as a U.S. senator, vice president, and president. That long tenure enables him to draw on multiple federal retirement systems.
“It’s pretty unusual, historically unusual, to have such a large pension amount,” said Demian Brady, vice president of the National Taxpayers Union Foundation. When asked to compare it with prior presidential pensions, Brady told The New York Post, “I would have to say that it’s the largest.”
Biden’s estimated pension is more than double what his predecessor, Barack Obama, receives and surpasses his own presidential salary by $17,000. Brady attributed this to Biden’s unique ability to stack benefits from both the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), which covers former senators, and the Former Presidents Act of 1958.
According to Brady, Biden’s CSRS pension is based on 44 years of service and peak earnings, and could total $166,374 per year — including $18,186 allocated for spousal benefits — though capped at 80% of his highest salary of $230,700. Without that cap, the amount would exceed $254,000.
In addition to the CSRS payments, the 1958 law grants former presidents a pension equal to a Cabinet secretary’s salary, which is currently $250,600. The law was originally enacted amid post-office financial concerns about President Harry Truman — concerns that historians have since questioned.
But Biden’s taxpayer-funded benefits extend beyond just pension checks. For fiscal year 2026, the General Services Administration has budgeted over $1.5 million for his post-presidential expenses — including $727,000 for office space alone, the most of any living ex-president.
“There’s no cap on the rent for that,” Brady explained. “So it could be in a high-density area with high rent, and there is no limit on the amount of square footage that’s being rented and funded by taxpayers. It’s also provided for life.”
Biden has not said if he will use some of the cash to help it debt-ridden son.
Brady emphasized that the current system — particularly for younger retirees like Obama — merits a serious reexamination.
“Biden is making more in retirement than the current president gets,” he noted. “It’s a very unique situation, but even though it is unique, it is one that’s ripe for reform going forward. Congress ought to look at that to prevent such an extravagant pension amount in the future.”
Efforts to rein in these benefits are already underway. Last year, Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, introduced legislation to cap presidential pensions at $200,000 and limit additional perks. A similar bill passed both houses of Congress in 2016, only to be vetoed by then-President Obama.
The broader debate includes congressional pensions as well, which currently cost taxpayers around $38 million annually for lawmakers who have served at least five years.
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