RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesConstruction of a new helipad on the South Lawn of the White House continues. Finn Gomez/Getty Images
Running the White House Office and Residence costs millions every year.
The White House Office is expected to spend about $51 million on permanent staff pay in fiscal 2026.
Using government data, Business Insider compiled the costs of running the White House.
Keeping the White House running is no small feat — and comes at no small cost.
With 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and a kitchen capable of serving dinner to as many as 140 guests and hors d'oeuvres to more than 1,000, looking after the residence is a lot of work.
Then there's the cost of White House operations, which includes tens of millions of dollars a year in staff compensation and travel.
Business Insider compiled a list of costs associated with running the White House using data from the Office of Management and Budget and government spending data.
They include a mix of approved funding, money committed to be spent, and full-year estimates. Typically, White House expenses are funded by taxpayers through congressional appropriations. Some costs, such as current renovation work, are listed as reimbursable, meaning that another source will repay the account.
Here's a breakdown of some of the costs of running the White House.
White House Executive Residence personnel
President Donald Trump hosted a Rose Garden Club dinner Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images
Butlers, housekeepers, chefs, doormen, florists, and electricians, among other staff, work to keep the White House running, all under the purview of the White House's chief usher.
About 90 to 100 staff work at the Executive Residence, according to the White House Historical Association.
The Executive Residence reported roughly $9 million in personnel-compensation obligations for fiscal 2025. That included roughly $8 million for permanent full-time staff and $1 million in other employee pay. It also reported about $3 million in employee benefits.
OMB estimates the same compensation and benefit costs for fiscal 2026. For fiscal 2027, it proposes about $11 million in compensation and $4 million in benefits.
Executive Residence supplies
King Charles III and Queen Camilla speak with chef Carlo Figarella as they tour the South Lawn at the White House on day one of their US State Visit. Suzanne Plunkett - Pool via Samir Hussein/WireImage
For fiscal 2025, communications, utilities, and miscellaneous charges were roughly $1 million, and another roughly $1 million in supplies and materials.
The OMB estimates similar amounts for fiscal 2026 and proposes the same figures for fiscal 2027.
White House Office personnel compensation
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Mehmet Eser/Anadolu via Getty Images
A separate account pays for White House Office staff and operations, including advisors and administrative staff who directly support the president. As of July 1, 2026, there were 411 White House staffers, including 365 employees and 46 full- or part-time detailees, according to the annual report to Congress on White House Office Personnel.
Salaries and employee benefits make up most of the White House Office's operating budget.
Some of the highest-paid White House staffers include Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and Director of Speechwriting Ross Worthington, who each earn $195,200, according to a recent personnel report. While nothing to sniff at, these government salaries lag behind what professionals often earn in the private sector.
Congress appropriated $78.9 million for White House staff and operations in fiscal 2026, the same amount appropriated for fiscal 2025.
For fiscal 2025, the White House Office recorded about $43 million in compensation for permanent full-time staff. OMB estimates that this will rise to about $51 million for fiscal 2026 and proposes the same amount for fiscal 2027.
The president's compensation
US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office, the main office of the president. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
The salary for the president is fixed at $400,000, plus a $50,000 allowance for official expenses.
Before taking office in 2017, Trump said he would not take home his presidential salary. During his first term, he accepted the payments and donated them to federal agencies.
Trump has said he is continuing to forgo the salary during his second term. The White House has not publicly detailed where the payments have gone instead,
"In the history of our country, there's never been a president that waived his salary. I'm the only schmuck. I get no credit for it," he said at an event in Rome, Georgia, in February.
The New York Times reported that John F. Kennedy and Herbert Hoover also donated their presidential salary to charity.
White House Office personnel benefits
Susie Wiles, White House Chief of Staff Bloomberg/Getty Images
Another major White House Office staff and operations expense is personnel benefits, such as health insurance, life insurance, and retirement plans.
In fiscal 2025, the White House Office recorded about $15 million in civilian employee benefits. OMB estimates about $16 million for fiscal 2026 and proposes the same amount for fiscal 2027.
The White House Office also recorded about $1 million in benefits for former personnel in fiscal 2025.
Transport of personnel
Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and President Donald Trump in Geneva. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
One of the White House Office's largest non-personnel expenses is employee travel and transportation.
In fiscal 2025, the White House Office committed about $3 million for travel and transportation of persons. OMB estimates $4 million for fiscal 2026 and proposes the same amount for fiscal 2027.
Tools and outside services
A Bloomberg terminal keyboard. credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP via Getty Images
Similar to the Residence, White House Office supplies and materi...
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