House staffers ended 2021 with the highest holiday bonuses of any non-election year in at least two decades, according to LegiStorm estimates.
House staffers working for member offices received 22.5 percent more money in the fourth quarter than in previous quarters - a bonus of nearly $3,800 per staffer.
In 2019 and 2017, staffers received a fourth-quarter bump of 19.2 percent and 19.5 percent, respectively. End-of-year bonuses are typically lower in non-election years.
Although GOP representatives tend to give much higher end-of-year bonuses than their Democratic counterparts, the parties narrowed the usual gap in 2021. Republicans averaged 23.0 percent more in the fourth quarter, while Democrats averaged 22.0 percent more. That's a partisan difference of only $160 more for the average Republican staffer than the average Democratic staffer. 2019 saw $350 more for the average Republican.
Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) topped the charts with an average Q4 pay of 115.6 percent more than his staff had made in each of year's the previous quarters. Aides to Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) got the second-highest increase, at 80.0 percent per staffer.
Members don't explicitly report bonuses in their quarterly expense reports. To estimate bonuses, LegiStorm compares average quarterly salaries to find payment increases.
