Can you check the pension per year of a member of congress of 5 years
Executive summary
A Member of Congress becomes vested for a FERS pension after five years of federal service and may receive a deferred pension starting at age 62; the basic FERS accrual for many members is 1.0% of the “high‑3” average salary per year of service (1.1% for some with 20+ years under older rules) [1] [2] [3]. Multiple recent news pieces used Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s planned January 2026 resignation to illustrate that five full years is the minimum vesting threshold [4] [5] [6].
1. What “five years” means in practice — vesting, not immediate pay
Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) rules used for most members make a congressional member “vested” after completing five years of creditable federal service; vesting secures the right to a deferred annuity payable when the former Member reaches the eligible age (commonly age 62 for those with 5–9 years) rather than an immediate lifelong check the day they leave office [1] [2] [4]. News organizations cited Representative Greene’s timing as an example: by resigning after just over five years she ensures vesting even though payments would not begin until a later age if she leaves before immediate‑retirement age [4] [5].
2. How the pension is calculated for a short-tenure member
Available sources explain the FERS pension formula: a Member’s annuity is based on the average of their highest three years of salary (“high‑3”), multiplied by an accrual rate and by years of service; for members first covered after December 31, 2012, the standard accrual used is 1.0% per year of service (with special 1.1% treatment for 20+ years under some older rules) [2] [3]. For a member with only five years of service the smallest unreduced FERS pension equals .017 × high‑3 × years of service in older examples, and for many current members the practical formula cited is 1% × high‑3 × years of service [3] [2].
3. Real‑world numbers: what a five‑year pension might look like
Sources use examples to approximate outcomes: organizations calculating Greene’s potential benefit used the $174,000 congressional salary as her high‑3 and the 1% accrual to estimate a small annual deferred annuity after five years (one outlet reported an estimate of roughly $8,700/year based on 1% × $174,000 × ~5 years) [4] [7]. Note that such figures depend heavily on the actual high‑3 salary used, any credited non‑congressional federal service, and whether the member falls under older special accrual rates — those variables are not uniformly reported in these pieces [4] [3].
4. Timing and policy context — why a few days can matter politically
Reporting around Greene’s resignation emphasized that completing “five full years” matters legally for vesting and is politically salient because it determines whether a taxpayer‑funded pension benefit is owed in the future [4] [5]. Advocacy and watchdog groups highlighted the optics and cost; other pieces explain technical rules and exceptions (e.g., minimum ages for immediate vs. deferred pensions), showing both legal mechanics and why timing often appears in political coverage [4] [1].
5. Competing perspectives and limitations in coverage
Sources agree on the five‑year vesting rule and the general 1% per‑year FERS formula for many members [2] [3] [1]. Differences emerge in estimates and emphasis: advocacy outlets focused on political optics and small headline dollar figures [4] [5], while regulatory sources (Federal Register, CRS summaries) supply the statutory formulas and age/service thresholds without individual dollar estimates [2] [1]. Available sources do not give a single authoritative lifetime payment figure for a generic five‑year Member because the pension depends on high‑3 salary, any additional federal service credit, marriage/spousal reductions, and the age at which the annuity begins (not found in current reporting).
6. Practical takeaway for your original query (“pension per year of a member with 5 years”)
Based on cited rules, a simple working estimate for many recent members is: annual pension ≈ 1.0% × (high‑3 average salary) × 5 years, payable as a deferred annuity at the applicable age (usually 62 for 5–9 years of service) [2] [3]. News coverage applying that formula to an annual House salary of $174,000 produces a small annual benefit in the low thousands (examples in reporting estimate roughly $8–9k/year), but exact amounts require the specific high‑3 salary and any other credited federal service to compute precisely [4] [7].
If you want, I can run a precise calculation for a hypothetical member using different high‑3 salary values (e.g., $174,000 vs. lower/high alternatives) and show the resulting annual pension numbers under the 1% formula and the older .017 example cited in some CRS analyses (using only the sources above).