Federal taxesFiscal year 2025IRS Data Book
How much federal tax does California pay?
California paid $766.5 billion in federal taxes in FY2025: $19,478 per person, 10th of 51.That is what the IRS collected from individuals and businesses with an address in California in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), before refunds. After $57.9 billion of refunds, $708.7 billion remained.
California ranks 10th of 51 for federal tax per person
IRS gross collections per resident, FY2025, 50 states and DC, highest to lowest. Dashed line: US average.
What the total is made of
Most federal tax is taken from pay. In California, income tax withheld by employers together with Social Security and Medicare payroll tax came to $494.5 billion, 64.5% of the total. The IRS reports withholding and payroll tax as one figure for each state, because employers pay them in together.
Corporate income tax was $109.4 billion (14.3%), against 9.1% across all states. Corporate tax is counted at a company's principal office, so states with many head offices show more of it.
Where California's $767B of federal tax came from
IRS gross collections by type of tax, FY2025.
| Type of tax | FY2025 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax withheld + Social Security and Medicare payroll tax | $494.5 billion | 64.5% |
| Individual tax payments + self-employment tax | $143.6 billion | 18.7% |
| Corporate income tax | $109.4 billion | 14.3% |
| Excise taxes | $8.7 billion | 1.1% |
| Estate and trust income tax | $3.8 billion | 0.5% |
| Estate tax | $4.7 billion | 0.6% |
| Unemployment, railroad retirement and gift tax | $1.9 billion | 0.3% |
Source: IRS Data Book Table 5.
Federal taxes paid in California by year
California: $767B in FY2025, up 62% on FY2019
IRS gross collections, FY2019–FY2025, nominal dollars.
Every year as a table, with refunds and per person
| Fiscal year | Gross collections | Refunds | After refunds | Per person | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2019 | $472.0B | $42.3B | $429.7B | – | – |
| FY2020 | $467.4B | $71.3B | $396.1B | $11,825 | -1.0% |
| FY2021 | $587.6B | $117.9B | $469.7B | $15,008 | 25.7% |
| FY2022 | $696.8B | $62.4B | $634.4B | $17,810 | 18.6% |
| FY2023 | $569.0B | $70.1B | $498.8B | $14,522 | -18.3% |
| FY2024 | $805.7B | $47.4B | $758.3B | $20,466 | 41.6% |
| FY2025 | $766.5B | $57.9B | $708.7B | $19,478 | -4.9% |
Source: IRS Data Book Tables 5 and 8 / 1-8.
Collections in California rose from $472.0 billion in FY2019 to $766.5 billion in FY2025. Across all states they rose 49% over the same years. The biggest one-year move was in FY2024 (+42%). Year-to-year swings can reflect when tax was paid, such as filing deadlines postponed after a disaster, rather than what was owed.
Is California a donor state?
For every $1 of federal tax the IRS collected in California in FY2025, $0.57 came back as federal contracts, grants, loans and direct payments ($440.4 billion in all, excluding Medicare). Across all states the figure was $0.76, so California gets less back than the typical state: 44th of 51, where 1st gets the most back per $1.
Per person, that is $19,478 of federal tax collected against $11,189 of federal awards. On this measure it is on the donor side: it sends in more, relative to what comes back, than most states. Where the money goes in California: federal money to California by agency and program. All states: donor states and taker states.
How this is measured, and what it leaves out
How California compares
Questions and answers
- How much federal tax does California pay?
- The IRS collected $766.5 billion in federal taxes in California in fiscal year 2025 (gross collections, before $57.9 billion of refunds), according to the IRS Data Book. That is 14.5% of the total for the 50 states and DC.
- How much federal tax does California pay per person?
- About $19,478 per resident in FY2025, using the Census Bureau's July 2025 population estimate of 39,355,309. The average for the 50 states and DC was $15,462.
- Where does California rank for federal taxes?
- 1st of 51 by total and 10th per person in FY2025 (50 states and DC).
- Is California a donor state?
- On the IRS and USAspending figures for FY2025, California received $0.57 in federal awards for every $1 of federal tax collected there, against $0.76 for all states together, so it gets less back than the typical state (44th of 51). Medicare, federal salaries and interest are not in the awards figure.
- Did California pay more federal tax in 2025 than in 2024?
- No. Gross collections were $766.5 billion in FY2025 against $805.7 billion in FY2024, a change of -4.9%.
Sources and notes
- Internal Revenue Service, SOI Tax Stats, IRS Data Book Table 5 (gross collections by type of tax and state), FY2019–FY2025. Amounts are gross collections, including penalties and interest, before refunds. The IRS assigns them to the filer's address; for businesses, the principal office. Public domain. Retrieved 2026-10-07.
- Internal Revenue Service, IRS Data Book Table 8 / Table 1-8 (amount of refunds issued, including interest and refundable credits, by state), FY2019–FY2025. Public domain.
- USAspending.gov (U.S. Treasury): federal contract, grant, loan and direct-payment obligations by place of performance, excluding Medicare. Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates (July 1 of each year), used for per-person figures.
- How the site works and what each dataset leaves out: sources and methods.