Constitution
Amendment 27: Congressional Pay Changes
Text from National Archives. Explanation last updated September 29, 2026. How we check this
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In plain English
The Twenty-Seventh Amendment says that no law varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives shall take effect until an election of Representatives has intervened. Congress cannot raise or lower its own pay for the current term.
It has the longest path to ratification of any amendment. It was proposed in 1789 and ratified on May 7, 1992, more than two centuries later.
The text
As printed by the source cited at the end of this page, with its original spelling, capitalization and punctuation.
No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.
Explained section by section
Pay changes wait for an election
A pay raise (or cut) passed by Congress cannot take effect until after the next House election. Voters therefore have a chance to respond before members benefit from their own vote.
The rule covers changes “varying the compensation,” and does not by itself prevent automatic cost-of-living adjustments set by an earlier law.
Context and current status
James Madison proposed it in 1789 as one of the twelve articles Congress sent to the states. Only six states had ratified it by 1791, and it lay dormant until a University of Texas student, Gregory Watson, revived the effort in 1982 with a paper that earned a poor grade. The thirty-eighth state approved in 1992.
Its long timeline raised the question of whether an amendment proposed without a ratification deadline could still be ratified centuries later. Congress accepted it as valid in 1992. Current textual status: in force.
Terms to know
- Compensation
- Pay and salary for congressional service.
- Intervened
- Taken place in between, meaning a House election must occur after the pay change is passed.
Common misconceptions
“The Twenty-Seventh Amendment was written in the 1990s.”
It was proposed in 1789 and finally ratified in 1992. The text is essentially the second of the original twelve amendments sent to the states.
How it connects
Links to related provisions and documents, with the reason each one matters here.
- Article IArticle I of the United States ConstitutionArticle I, Section 6 says senators and representatives receive compensation fixed by law, the provision the amendment supplements.
- Article VArticle V of the United States ConstitutionArticle V governs how amendments are proposed and ratified and has no deadline by itself.
- Amendment 1Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly and PetitionBoth amendments came from the same set of twelve proposed in 1789; the pay amendment was ratified 201 years after the First.
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Sources and corrections
- Text: National Archives. Checked against the source on September 29, 2026.National Archives transcription of the engrossed Constitution, with original spelling and capitalization. The signature block and the Convention's interlineation note are not reproduced.
- Amendments 11-27: A Transcription — National Archives
- The Interactive Constitution: Twenty-Seventh Amendment — National Constitution Center
Educational material, not legal advice. Spotted a mistake? Tell us; corrections change this page’s update date.