Where your taxes goFY2025
What percentage of your taxes goes to Social Security?
About 22%, or 22¢ of every federal dollar: Social Security cost $1.58 trillion in FY2025.Social Security was the 1st largest of 17 federal budget functions, down from 23.1% in FY2015.
On your tax bill
Your federal tax times the FY2025 share (22.0%).
| Federal tax you pay | Goes to Social Security |
|---|---|
| $2,000 | $440 |
| $5,000 | $1,099 |
| $10,000 | $2,199 |
| $20,000 | $4,398 |
| $50,000 | $10,994 |
Share by year
Social Security: share of federal spending
Percent of gross function outlays · * = fiscal year to date
Amounts and shares as a table
| Year | Outlays | Share |
|---|---|---|
| FY2015 | $887.8 billion | 23.1% |
| FY2016 | $916.1 billion | 23.0% |
| FY2017 | $944.9 billion | 23.1% |
| FY2018 | $987.8 billion | 23.4% |
| FY2019 | $1.04 trillion | 22.8% |
| FY2020 | $1.10 trillion | 16.5% |
| FY2021 | $1.13 trillion | 16.3% |
| FY2022 | $1.22 trillion | 18.6% |
| FY2023 | $1.35 trillion | 21.6% |
| FY2024 | $1.46 trillion | 21.2% |
| FY2025 | $1.58 trillion | 22.0% |
| FY2026* | $1.53 trillion | 21.9% |
U.S. Treasury, Monthly Treasury Statement, Table 9.
Dollars by year
Federal outlays on Social Security
Nominal dollars · * = fiscal year to date
U.S. Treasury, Monthly Treasury Statement, Table 9.
What this covers
What the federal budget function "Social Security" covers: Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance benefits, paid mostly from the Social Security payroll tax through its trust funds.
In FY2026 through August 2026, the share was 21.9% ($1.53 trillion so far). Shares are of the sum of all budget functions with positive outlays, the same base as our federal budget pie chart and the tax calculator.
Unlike most spending, Social Security has its own tax: the 12.4% payroll tax (split between worker and employer) goes to its trust funds. If you want to know where your income tax goes, use the calculator below, which spreads your tax over all functions.
Other parts of the budget
Share of FY2025 federal spending.
- Medicare14%
- Health care and Medicaid14%
- Interest on the national debt13%
- The military13%
- Welfare, food stamps and income support10%
- Veterans5%
- Roads and transportation2%
- The environment and natural resources1%
- Law enforcement, courts and prisons1%
- Education1%
- Agriculture and farm subsidies1%
- Foreign aid and diplomacy1%
- NASA and science1%
Questions and answers
- What percentage of taxes goes to Social Security?
- About 22%: Social Security took 22.0% of federal spending in FY2025 ($1.58 trillion). Federal spending is paid for by all taxes plus borrowing, so the same share applies to your federal tax.
- How much does the US spend on Social Security?
- $1.58 trillion in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), according to the Monthly Treasury Statement. That is about $4,625 for every person in the United States.
- How much of my taxes goes to Social Security?
- $220 of every $1,000 you pay in federal tax, using FY2025 spending shares.
- Has spending on Social Security gone up?
- In FY2025 it was 22.0% of federal spending, down from 23.1% in FY2015. In dollars it went from $887.8 billion to $1.58 trillion.
Sources and notes
- U.S. Department of the Treasury, Monthly Treasury Statement, Table 9, September 2025 (year-end) and later months, Fiscal Data API. Public domain.
- Population: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates, 50 states and DC, July 2025.
- What each function covers: the budget function definitions of the Office of Management and Budget, summarised.