US budget deficit, fiscal year to date
Cumulative federal deficit since the start of the fiscal year (1 October), as reported in the Monthly Treasury Statement.
Deficit, fiscal year to date
$3,741.0 billion
Data for: August 31, 2026
Previous: $3,574.2 billion (July 31, 2026)
Receipts, fiscal year to date
$10,080.1 billion
Data for: August 31, 2026
Previous: $9,720.0 billion (July 31, 2026)
Outlays, fiscal year to date
$13,821.0 billion
Data for: August 31, 2026
Previous: $13,294.2 billion (July 31, 2026)
What it is
The deficit is the gap between what the federal government spends (outlays) and what it collects (receipts). The US fiscal year runs from 1 October to 30 September, so figures reset every October. A negative number would mean a surplus.
Why it matters
Deficits are financed by issuing Treasury securities, which adds to the national debt and to future interest costs. The monthly statement shows whether spending or revenue is driving the change.
Recent history
| Date | Deficit, fiscal year to date | Receipts, fiscal year to date | Outlays, fiscal year to date |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 31, 2026 | $3,741.0 billion | $10,080.1 billion | $13,821.0 billion |
| July 31, 2026 | $3,574.2 billion | $9,720.0 billion | $13,294.2 billion |
| June 30, 2026 | $3,141.9 billion | $9,386.0 billion | $12,527.9 billion |
| May 31, 2026 | $3,021.6 billion | $8,890.3 billion | $11,911.8 billion |
| April 30, 2026 | $2,728.9 billion | $8,554.7 billion | $11,283.7 billion |
| March 31, 2026 | $2,943.9 billion | $7,717.4 billion | $10,661.4 billion |
| February 28, 2026 | $2,779.8 billion | $7,332.5 billion | $10,112.4 billion |
| January 31, 2026 | $2,472.3 billion | $7,019.3 billion | $9,491.7 billion |
| December 31, 2025 | $2,377.7 billion | $6,459.4 billion | $8,837.1 billion |
| November 30, 2025 | $2,233.0 billion | $5,975.0 billion | $8,208.0 billion |
| October 31, 2025 | $2,059.7 billion | $5,639.0 billion | $7,698.7 billion |
| September 30, 2025 | $3,592.1 billion | $10,152.7 billion | $13,744.9 billion |
| August 31, 2025 | $3,790.1 billion | $9,609.1 billion | $13,399.2 billion |
| July 31, 2025 | $3,460.9 billion | $9,264.7 billion | $12,725.7 billion |
| June 30, 2025 | $3,169.8 billion | $8,926.3 billion | $12,096.0 billion |
| May 31, 2025 | $3,197.1 billion | $8,399.8 billion | $11,596.9 billion |
| April 30, 2025 | $2,881.1 billion | $8,028.6 billion | $10,909.7 billion |
| March 31, 2025 | $3,139.5 billion | $7,178.4 billion | $10,317.9 billion |
| February 28, 2025 | $2,979.0 billion | $6,810.8 billion | $9,789.8 billion |
| January 31, 2025 | $2,672.0 billion | $6,514.3 billion | $9,186.3 billion |
| December 31, 2024 | $2,543.3 billion | $6,001.0 billion | $8,544.4 billion |
| November 30, 2024 | $2,456.6 billion | $5,546.6 billion | $8,003.2 billion |
| October 31, 2024 | $2,089.8 billion | $5,244.9 billion | $7,334.7 billion |
| September 30, 2024 | $3,528.1 billion | $9,358.0 billion | $12,886.1 billion |
How to read
Latest: $3,741.0 billion
Where it comes from
U.S. Treasury, Fiscal Data: Monthly Treasury Statement (Table 1)
Careful
Information, not advice
What to do
Compare with the related indicators
Reading the us budget deficit, fiscal year to date figure
What the latest us budget deficit, fiscal year to date reading says
The most recent value on this page is $3,741.0 billion, for August 31, 2026. Against the previous reading of $3,574.2 billion, that is +$166.8 billion — a move up. Monthly, around the eighth business day is how often U.S. Treasury, Fiscal Data: Monthly Treasury Statement (Table 1) publishes it, so a single reading is a snapshot and not a trend. The 24 observations in the table above, from September 30, 2024 onwards, are what gives the figure context.
Where the us budget deficit, fiscal year to date figure sits in its own history
Across the 24 readings loaded here, the series moved between $2,059.7 billion and $3,790.1 billion. The latest value sits inside that range, so nothing in this window is exceptional. A window this short cannot show a cycle. It shows the direction of travel and the size of the usual swing, which is enough to tell a normal move from an unusual one, and no more than that.
Who sets the us budget deficit, fiscal year to date and who it affects in United States
U.S. Treasury, Fiscal Data: Monthly Treasury Statement (Table 1) publishes the us budget deficit, fiscal year to date series, and the page links the exact dataset and its licence below. Nothing here is a second-hand copy: the figure above is read from that source and shown with the date the source gave it. People reach this page searching for "us budget deficit", and the honest answer is the published figure plus its date. A national figure is an average: your own rate, bill or salary in United States will sit above or below it.
Glossary
Basis point
One hundredth of a percentage point. Central banks and markets talk in basis points because "a 0.25 point cut" and "a 25 basis point cut" are the same thing, and the second wording leaves no room for doubt.
Real rate
An interest rate after inflation is taken out, roughly the quoted rate minus the inflation rate. A savings account paying less than inflation has a negative real rate, which means the money loses purchasing power.
Revision
A later correction of a published figure, as the statistics office receives more complete data. Values marked provisional or estimated are the ones most likely to change, which is why the page keeps the source flag.
National average
A figure averaged over a whole country, and therefore not a quote for you. Your own mortgage rate, salary or grocery bill depends on your region, your lender or your shop and will sit above or below the average.
Year-on-year inflation
The change in a price index against the same month a year earlier. It can fall while prices are still rising, because it measures the speed of the increase, not the level of prices.
Yield
The annual return an investor earns by lending money through a bond, expressed as a percentage of its price. Price and yield move in opposite directions: when a bond gets cheaper, its yield rises.
Update frequency: Monthly, around the eighth business day
Information only, not financial advice. Figures come from the official source shown and may be revised.