How much did Joe Biden make while president

1. Presidential pay: the single number that dominates headlines

The legal, statutory annual salary for the U.S. president has been $400,000 for every recent occupant of the White House; multiple outlets cite that $400,000 figure as Biden’s presidential pay during 2021–2025 ^{[4] [5] [6]}. Coverage of the Bidens’ tax filing and public financial disclosures treats that $400,000 as the core income line for Joe Biden in years he served as president ^{[1] [2]}.

2. What the tax returns and reporting actually show for 2023

The Bidens’ released 2023 tax return reported roughly $620,000 in combined pre‑tax income for the couple; outlets specifying details list Joe Biden’s presidential salary at $400,000 and Jill Biden’s community college salary at about $85,985—those two items make up the majority of the couple’s reported income that year ^{[1] [2]}.

3. Total compensation vs. base salary: allowances and benefits

Beyond the $400,000 base pay, presidents historically receive official allowances and benefits that are not characterized as taxable salary in the same way—reporting and analysis note additional official funds such as a $50,000 annual expense account, travel and entertainment allowances, and other support costs tied to the office ^[7]. Reporting that focuses strictly on “how much he made” usually means taxable salary; other official benefits and post‑office pensions are discussed separately in the sources ^{[7] [3]}.

4. Post‑presidential pensions and projected retirement payouts

Analysts and watchdogs have pointed out that former presidents may receive pensions and other government retirement benefits after leaving office. One estimate reported a combined dual‑pension payout Biden could be eligible to collect starting near $412,774 (before any 2025 adjustment), reflecting overlapping federal retirement programs for long federal servants ^[3].

5. Context from net‑worth and earnings reporting

Several outlets that profile Biden’s net worth place his 2025 net worth in the millions and explicitly attribute part of that wealth to the presidential salary, but also to book royalties, speaking fees, a university position, and real‑estate holdings—illustrating that the $400,000 wage was only one component of annual household income and longer‑term wealth accumulation ^{[6] [1] [8]}.

6. Where estimates diverge and why

While the $400,000 base salary is consistent across sources, estimated total annual earnings or net worth figures vary by outlet because they include different mixes of income: some cite only taxable salary and a spouse’s wages ^[2], others add university pay, speaking fees and royalties ^{[1] [8]}, and some project future pension entitlements ^[3]. These differing scopes explain headline discrepancies between “salary” and “how much he made.”

7. What the available reporting does not say

Available sources do not mention an exhaustive year‑by‑year tally across all income streams for every year of Biden’s presidency beyond the specific tax‑return year referenced ^{[1] [2]}. They also do not provide definitive, government‑issued cumulative totals of every benefit, speaking fee, royalty payment or private income line across 2021–2025 in a single consolidated table (not found in current reporting).

8. Bottom line for readers

If your question is strictly “How much did Joe Biden make while president?” the clear, repeated answer in public reporting is that his statutory presidential salary was $400,000 per year ^{[4] [5]}. If your question aims to capture total household earnings or net worth impacts during the presidency, published tax returns and profiles show much larger totals once the first lady’s income, university roles, book royalties, speaking fees and future pension projections are included ^{[1] [6] [3]}.