Most offices allow staff to take time off only when Congress is not in session. Some staff positions are held to a 40-hour week, with compensatory or overtime pay beyond that. Other positions are treated as salaried professionals who work as needed, with no extra compensation or overtime. Often the House and Senate are in late at night, and many staff aides are expected to remain on the job until their chamber adjourns. Hours are made up on an informal basis when the Congress is not in session.
Senators have no limit on the number of staff they can hire.
Their staff budget depends on the size of the population of the state they represent California Senators get a lot more money for staff than do the Senators from Montana, for example. In practice, staff salaries vary widely from office to office. CMF is a Washington-D.C. based research and management consulting firm, serving primarily congressional clients. It conducts regular surveys on congressional salaries and staff practices. For more specific information on salaries, see the earlier Capitol Question on salaries and expenditures of the U.S. Congress.