Federal budget flows, 2015 to 2026

In calendar 2025 the federal government took in $5,368 billion and spent $7,199 billion; borrowing covered the $1,831 billion between them. The largest stream in was individual income taxes at $2,744 billion, followed by payroll taxes (the MTS "Employment and General Retirement" category) at $1,703 billion. The largest flows out were Social Security ($1,609 billion), Medicare ($1,018 billion), and net interest ($999 billion), which now exceeds national defense ($922 billion).

How it is measured

The series are the Treasury's Monthly Treasury Statement receipt-by-source and outlay-by-function lines, one value per category per month, summed here over the calendar year. Calendar-year sums differ from the government's own October-to-September fiscal years; the monthly data behind the chart supports either cut. Borrowing is the Treasury's monthly deficit, which equals outlays minus receipts by construction. Outlay functions are net of offsetting receipts: Commerce and Housing Credit netted to minus $31 billion in 2025, so it appears in the data and downloads but cannot be drawn as a flow.

What the flows show

Two taxes carry the budget: individual income taxes and payroll taxes together brought in $4,447 billion, 83 percent of all receipts. Corporate income taxes contributed $424 billion, less than a sixth of what individuals paid. On the way out, the three social insurance functions (Social Security, Medicare, and the Health function, mostly Medicaid) sum to $3,621 billion, half of all spending. Net interest is the fastest-rising flow of the decade and passed defense in 2024. And one flow in four is borrowed: $1,831 billion of the $7,199 billion spent had no tax behind it.