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Members' pay and expenses: Index of Library briefings

MPs’ pay and expenses: Introduction

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is responsible for determining and paying MPs’ salaries. It also administers, reviews and revises the scheme for paying other allowances (such as MPs’ expenses), and pays those allowances.

IPSA was established by the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009, in the wake of the MPs’ expenses scandal, initially to determine and pay expenses and to pay MPs’ salaries. It was subsequently given responsibility for determining MPs’ salaries, when the 2009 act was amended by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.¹

• Since the 2010 general election, responsibility for devising a scheme for and paying MPs’ expenses has rested with IPSA.
• Since May 2011, IPSA has been responsible for determining MPs’ pay.

Before the establishment of IPSA, the House of Commons determined MPs’ pay and expenses (allowances).

Library briefings on MPs’ pay and expenses since 2001

When the House of Commons was responsible for determining MP’s pay and allowances, the Library regularly prepared briefings for debates on these issues.

Since the establishment of IPSA, the Library has reported the main changes (year by year) in the IPSA’s MPs’ expenses scheme; the budgets for expenses; and MPs’ salaries.

Developments since 2001 are reported in the following briefings.

Commons-determined MPs’ pay and allowances (2001 to 2012)

• Parliamentary Pay and Allowances: The Current Rates, RP 01/43, 3 April 2001
• Parliamentary pay, allowances and pensions: the reviews of 2001, RP 01/86, 8 November 2001
• Parliamentary pay and allowances: current rates, RP 01/87, 8 November 2001
• Members’ office costs: the new system, RP 01/88, 8 November 2001
• Parliamentary pay and allowances, RP 03/64, 16 July 2003
• Parliamentary pay and allowances, RP 04/40, 18 May 2004
• Parliamentary pay and allowances, RP 05/42, 9 June 2005
• Parliamentary pay and allowances, RP 06/47, 9 October 2006
• Parliamentary pay, allowances and pensions, RP 08/31, 31 March 2008
• Members’ pay and the independent review process, RP 09/29, 31 March 2009
• Members’ allowances, RP 09/60, 25 June 2009
• Members’ pay and expenses – current rates and a review of developments since 2009, RP 12/29, 22 May 2012

IPSA-determined MPs’ pay and allowances (2013 to present)

• Members’ pay and expenses – current rates from 1 April 2013, RP 13/33, 31 May 2013
• Members’ pay and expenses 2015/16, CBP07546, 31 March 2016
• Members’ pay and expenses and ministerial salaries 2016/17, CBP07762,
  10 November 2016
• Members’ pay and expenses and ministerial salaries 2017/18, CBP08276,
  29 March 2018
• Members’ pay and expenses and ministerial salaries 2018/19, CBP08535,
  27 March 2019
• Members’ pay and expenses and ministerial salaries 2019/20, CBP08839,
  2 March 2020
• Members’ pay and expenses and ministerial salaries 2020/21, CBP09148,
  25 February 2021
• Members’ pay and expenses and ministerial salaries 2021/22, CBP09514,
  30 March 2022
• Members’ pay and expenses and ministerial salaries 2022/23, CBP09763,
  30 March 2023
• Members’ pay and expenses 2023/24, CBP09995, 27 March 2024
• Members’ pay and expenses 2024/25, CBP10225, 28 March 2025
• Members’ pay and expenses 2025/26, CBP10600, 27 March 2026