CalculatorUnited StatesTax year 2026
Where do my taxes go? United States
Enter your income (or the tax you paid) to see how it is shared across United States government spending, based on official FY2025 figures.
Where it goes
Block size is each function's share of United States government spending, FY2025. Hover or tap a block; the full list is below.
Your tax, function by function
| Spending function | Share | Your tax | Government total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Security | 22.0% | $1,686 | $1.58 trillion |
| Medicare | 13.9% | $1,063 | $996.7 billion |
| Health (Medicaid, ACA subsidies, public health, research) | 13.6% | $1,044 | $978.9 billion |
| Net interest on the debt | 13.5% | $1,035 | $970.4 billion |
| National Defense | 12.8% | $978 | $916.6 billion |
| Income security (SNAP, SSI, tax credits, unemployment, federal pensions) | 9.8% | $749 | $701.6 billion |
| Veterans Benefits and Services | 5.2% | $402 | $377.2 billion |
| Transportation | 2.0% | $156 | $145.8 billion |
| Natural Resources and Environment | 1.2% | $94 | $88.3 billion |
| Administration of Justice | 1.2% | $91 | $85.2 billion |
| Community and Regional Development | 1.2% | $90 | $84.5 billion |
| Education, training, employment and social services | 1.0% | $74 | $69.2 billion |
| Agriculture | 0.7% | $53 | $49.3 billion |
| International Affairs | 0.6% | $48 | $45.2 billion |
| General Science, Space, and Technology | 0.6% | $45 | $42.1 billion |
| General Government | 0.5% | $39 | $36.3 billion |
| Energy | 0.3% | $22 | $20.9 billion |
How this calculator works
This calculator takes your income, estimates your 2026 federal income tax, and divides it across what the federal government spent in FY2025. Each slice matches that function's share of actual federal outlays reported by the Treasury: Social Security, Medicare, health programs such as Medicaid, interest on the national debt, defense, and the rest.
How the tax is estimated: your income minus the standard deduction ($16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly), taxed at the 2026 federal brackets. Credits (child tax credit, EITC), itemized deductions, capital gains rates, state and local income tax, and payroll taxes are not included. If you know the federal income tax on your return, switch to I know my tax and enter it.
Worked example: a single filer earning $75,000 owes about $7,670 in federal income tax. In FY2025, 22.0% of spending went to Social Security, so $1,686 of that bill is in effect Social Security spending.
Spending was larger than receipts: in FY2025 the government took in $5.23 trillion and spent $7.01 trillion, and borrowed the difference. This calculator spreads your tax across all spending in proportion. It does not assume your dollars pay for any one program first.
The spending figures: federal net outlays by budget function (actual) came to $7.19 trillion in FY2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), in 17 functions. The five largest took 75.7% of the total, and the smallest, energy, took 0.29%. Every share in the table is that function's amount divided by the total, and the amounts are USD as published in the source below.
Questions and answers
- What does most of my federal tax pay for?
- In FY2025 the largest items were Social Security (22.0%), Medicare (13.9%), Health (Medicaid, ACA subsidies, public health, research) (13.6%), Net interest on the debt (13.5%).
- How much of my taxes goes to interest on the debt?
- 13.5% of FY2025 spending was net interest.
- How much goes to the military?
- National defense was 12.8% of FY2025 outlays.
- How much goes to foreign aid?
- The international affairs function, which includes foreign aid and the State Department, was 0.6% of outlays.
- Are payroll taxes included?
- No. Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes are not estimated. If you want them included, add them to your income tax and enter the total with 'I know my tax'.
Related
- Where do my taxes go? United Kingdom2025-26
- Where do my taxes go? Canada2024-25
- Where do my taxes go? Australia2026-27
- Where do my taxes go? New Zealand2024-25
- US federal spending in FY2025Treasury
- Federal spending per person by stateRanking
- How much federal money each state gets51 + territories
Sources and notes
- Spending data: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Monthly Treasury Statement, Table 9 (September 2025, year-end). Federal net outlays by budget function (actual), FY2025 (October 2024 to September 2025). Licence: U.S. Government work, public domain. Published 2025-10.
- Tax rules: IRS, tax year 2026 inflation adjustments (Rev. Proc. 2025-32, including One, Big, Beautiful Bill amendments).
- Shares are each function's part of the positive spending lines (total $7.19 trillion). Your tax is spread in proportion. Method. Page built 2026-10-07.