Major Pay Hike For NJ Lawmakers: See How Much

New Jersey legislators are starting off the year with a sizable pay hike, the first one they’ve seen in more than a decade.

The raises come after the passing of a bill two years ago. Bill A5910 calls for the annual salary of certain public employees and officers. While the bill was passed in 2024, the hikes weren’t scheduled to be put into effect until this year.

One of the bill’s primary sponsors was Richard “Dick” Codey, a New Jersey former governor and lawmaker who died after a brief illness on Sunday.

New Jersey legislators will see a 67 percent pay increase, from $49,000 annually to $82,000. This is the first pay bump for the New Jersey Legislature since 2002.

Also getting a bump is the Governor, whose salary will increase by 20 percent, from $175,000 to $210,000 a year. This bump, the first in 24 years, will apply to incoming Governor Mikie Sherrill when she takes office on Tuesday.

The governor’s cabinet is also seeing an increase in pay, the first since 2018. Officials in the governor’s cabinet will also see a 20 percent increase from $175,000 to $210,000, according to the bill.

State judges will also see an increase in salary, and legislative staff allowances have also increased to $150,000 under the bill.

The pay hike will cost taxpayers roughly $9.6 million in 2026, and at least $12.4 million in 2027, according to the Office of Legislative Services.

Some advocates for the bill have said the increase is needed to keep up with inflation and rising costs, just like any other job. Others say that they are being forced to pay for expenses such as travel out of their own pockets.

However, some New Jersey lawmakers criticized their peers in 2024 for giving themselves raises at a time when the state budget was facing serious challenges.

The bill was passed in 2024 by a 26-7 tally in the Senate, with seven senators not voting. The Assembly passed the bill by a vote of 48-24, with one abstention and seven members not voting.

Click here to view a full list of which lawmakers approved and disapproved of the bill in 2024.

— With reporting from Eric Kiefer