Parliamentarian pay in Switzerland: what a National Councillor and a Councillor of States really earn, behind the headline
"150,000 francs for a National Councillor" is a line you read again and again, and the figure is even correct, yet it misleads. Because Switzerland has no professional parliament: a National Councillor officially receives no "salary" at all, but an annual income of 26,000 francs, a daily allowance of 440 francs per sitting day and a whole series of expenses, including a tax-free flat rate of 33,000 francs that no one has to document. Add up fees and expenses and you do indeed reach a gross of around 130,000 to 150,000 francs. But what actually remains as salary lies between 63,000 and 92,000 francs before tax, and thus closer to the Swiss median salary (~84,000) than to a detached political elite. Here is the whole parliamentarian pay at a glance: the militia-pay breakdown, a calculator that places headline gross and real salary side by side, and the comparison with the Federal Council, which earns five times as much.
💰 What does a National Councillor really earn?
The short answer: it depends on what you count. A National Councillor or Councillor of States receives no fixed salary, because Switzerland has a militia parliament, not a professional one. Instead of a salary there is an annual income of 26,000 francs for preparing parliamentary work, a daily allowance of 440 francs per sitting day and a series of expenses. Adding fees and expenses together gives a gross of around 130,000 to 150,000 francs per year, depending on the number of sitting days and functions taken on.
But the real eye-opener lies in the difference between this headline and what actually remains as salary. A large part of the sum consists of real expenses (meals, overnight stays, travel) and a pension contribution, plus a tax-free flat rate of 33,000 francs. Strip out the expenses and, according to a University of Geneva study, a real income before tax of around 91,900 francs (without personal staff) down to around 63,000 francs (with) remains, and that is strikingly close to the Swiss median salary of around 84,000 francs. It is precisely this difference that the ConvivaPlus militia-pay breakdown makes visible.
📊 The ConvivaPlus militia-pay breakdown
Instead of a single headline figure, the ConvivaPlus militia-pay breakdown shows what the roughly 130,000 francs of gross allowances of a National Councillor are actually made up of: which part is taxable income, which a tax-free flat rate and which real expenses. This makes it visible at a glance why the word "salary" is misleading here.
The ConvivaPlus breakdown models the allowances of a member with 70 sitting days per year based on the PRA key figures (parlament.ch, allowances fact sheet). The number of sitting days varies individually; the breakdown is a model calculation, not an official individual figure.
of which taxable income: CHF 56'800 (45%)
Model based on the PRA key figures (parlament.ch, allowances fact sheet). 70 sitting days per year are assumed; the number varies individually. "Taxable income" = annual income + daily allowances. The flat rate (tax-free) and the expenses are not a salary in the classic sense. No salary guarantee.
🧮 Allowance calculator: what really remains for a National Councillor
What a member receives depends above all on the number of sitting days, and on whether they invest the flat rate in personal staff or not. Set the sitting days and choose with or without personal staff: the ConvivaPlus allowance calculator shows the headline gross and the real salary side by side.
The ConvivaPlus allowance calculator uses the PRA key figures (annual income 26,000, daily allowance 440, flat rate 33,000, meal 115, overnight 180, pension 14,516). "Real salary" = annual income + daily allowances, plus the flat rate only if no staff are employed (then it effectively flows into income). The model reaches the order of magnitude of the University of Geneva study.
The real salary is practically level with the Swiss median salary of around 84,000 francs. This is exactly the heart of the militia system: a representative of the people really earns roughly as much as the middle of the population they represent, far from the "150,000 francs" headline.
Model calculation based on the PRA key figures (parlament.ch, allowances fact sheet). "Real salary" is a simplified model (fees plus flat rate depending on the staff choice), not an official salary guarantee or individual figure. Individual allowances depend on functions, committees, travel distance and tax residence. All figures without guarantee.
Pay check: how well do you know the militia parliament?
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1.Does a National Councillor receive a fixed salary?
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📋 The allowance components in detail
The National Council and Council of States have been compensated identically since 2002. All amounts are governed by the Parliament Resources Act (PRA) and its ordinance. Here is the full list of components with their respective amount and category, to make clear what is a fee, what a tax-free flat rate and what real expenses.
| Component | Amount | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Annual incomeFor preparing parliamentary work, taxable | 26,000 / year | Fee |
| Daily allowanceFor each sitting day (council, committee, group), taxable | 440 / sitting day | Fee |
| Staff & material flat rateArt. 3a PRA, tax-free, no receipt | 33,000 / year | tax-free |
| Meal allowanceCatering on sitting days | 115 / sitting day | Expenses |
| Overnight allowanceOvernight stay away between two sitting days | 180 / night | Expenses |
| Pension contributionConfederation contribution; member bears a quarter | 14,516 / year | Pension |
| Distance & travel allowanceFrom 90 min travel to Bern; 1st-class general travelcard | 22.50 / ¼ h + 1st-cl. GA | Expenses |
Until 2002, Councillors of States were compensated by their cantons, with large differences. Since 2002 the Confederation pays both councils on the same rates. The real median is slightly higher in the Council of States (around 92,200 instead of 91,900 without staff), because Councillors of States carry on average somewhat more sitting days and functions, not because the rates are higher.
🎭 Headline versus reality: the real salary
What really remains as income for a parliamentarian after deducting the real expenses? A University of Geneva study, commissioned by the Administration Delegation of the Federal Assembly, examined this question (2017, 2011–2015 legislature, 136 members surveyed, 52 percent response rate). It remains to this day the most differentiated data source, even though it is a few years old.
The result: the median parliamentary income before tax is around 91,900 francs for members without personal staff (around 75,600 after tax) and around 63,000 francs for those with (around 47,000 after tax) in the National Council. In the Council of States it is around 92,200 and 69,300 francs before tax. The big difference therefore does not arise between the two councils, but from whether someone invests the flat rate in staff or keeps it as income.
The full-time workload behind the militia label
The same study shows that the time burden of a federal parliamentarian comes close to full time. Formally it is a militia office, in practice for many a full-time job with an income in the range of a middle manager. It is precisely this tension, militia label with a full-time workload, that is the reason the question of professionalising parliament keeps returning.
The "150,000 francs" are correct as a gross allowance, but what actually remains as salary is closer to the Swiss median salary than to a political elite. That is no accident, but the very idea of the militia system.
ConvivaPlus militia-pay breakdown
⚖️ Parliamentarians, Federal Council, median salary: the perspective
Figures only gain meaning in comparison. Here is parliamentarian pay next to a Federal Councillor's salary, the Swiss median salary and the maximum AHV pension, from gross allowance to real salary.
🔗 Additional income and interest ties
The official allowance is only one half of the story. Because parliament is a militia office, many members exercise a profession alongside and sit on boards of directors, associations and foundations. These mandates bring additional income that can clearly exceed the official allowance.
This is transparent in the official register of interest ties: every member must disclose their professional activities and mandates. ConvivaPlus analyses this public data neutrally, without judgement on individual persons. Anyone who wants to know which industries are particularly strongly represented in parliament finds a factual overview in our politician integrity database.
In addition to the mandate, many members declare additional income from interest ties, transparently in the official register. This is part of the militia system and in itself neither good nor bad: it brings practical knowledge into parliament, but can create conflicts of interest. ConvivaPlus presents the facts from the register; the assessment we leave to you.
Did you know that a National Councillor receives no fixed "salary" at all?
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Frequently asked questions about parliamentarian pay
The key answers on allowance, expenses, the militia system and the real salary of National and States Councillors, based on the Parliament Resources Act, the allowances fact sheet and the University of Geneva study.
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The headline is gross, the real salary is at median level
In the ConvivaPlus militia-pay breakdown we held the “130,000 to 150,000 francs” headline against what actually remains as salary. The verdict: the gross allowance is correct, but a large part is expenses, a tax-free flat rate (33,000 francs) and a pension contribution — before tax, according to the University of Geneva study, between 63,000 and 92,000 francs remain, i.e. median level. No scandal, but the logic of the militia system: those who represent the people should not form a detached elite. According to ConvivaPlus you must separate headline gross from real salary — to place alongside Swiss salaries and the Federal Council salary.
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The ConvivaPlus militia-pay breakdown shows: of around 130,000 francs in gross allowances of a National Councillor, only about half is taxable income. 33,000 francs are a tax-free flat rate that no one has to document, the rest being expenses and pension. What really remains as salary before tax is between 63,000 and 92,000 francs, closer to the median salary than to a political elite.
Discussion
5 voices from the community
Der Vergleich mit dem Bundesrat setzt das Ganze in Perspektive. Ein Bundesrat verdient rund fuenf Mal so viel wie ein Nationalrat real erhaelt. Beim Milizsystem finde ich es fair, dass die Entschaedigung eher bescheiden ist, aber man sollte ehrlich sagen, dass es eben kein Vollzeit-Salaer ist.
Guter Punkt, Beat. Das Milizsystem ist genau der Grund, warum es offiziell keinen «Lohn» gibt, sondern Entschaedigungen. Die Studie der Uni Genf zeigt aber, dass der Aufwand faktisch einem Vollzeitpensum nahekommt, daher die Dauerdebatte.
Was mich am meisten erstaunt hat, ist die steuerfreie Pauschale von 33'000 Franken. Dass die niemand belegen muss, wusste ich nicht. Die Aufschluesselung zeigt schoen, welcher Teil wirklich Lohn ist und welcher nicht.
Den Entschaedigungs-Rechner habe ich mit 75 Sitzungstagen und ohne Mitarbeitende durchgespielt. Was am Ende real als Lohn bleibt, liegt fast genau auf dem Schweizer Medianlohn. Ich hatte immer die «150'000»-Schlagzeile im Kopf und war ehrlich ueberrascht, wie viel davon Spesen sind.
Danke, Reto, genau das ist der Kern. Die Schlagzeile ist Brutto inklusive Spesen, der reale Lohn liegt deutlich tiefer. Ob das nun zu viel oder zu wenig ist, muss jede und jeder selber gewichten, aber die Zahlen sauber auseinanderzuhalten ist der erste Schritt.
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This article is a fact-based perspective, not a political judgement and not individual advice. Key figures under the Parliament Resources Act (parlament.ch, allowances fact sheet), real salary according to the University of Geneva study (2017), model calculations without guarantee, as of July 2026.