Where your taxes goFY2025
What percentage of your taxes goes to welfare and food stamps (income security)?
About 10%, or 10¢ of every federal dollar: Income security (SNAP, SSI, tax credits, unemployment, federal pensions) cost $701.6 billion in FY2025.Welfare, food stamps and income support was the 6th largest of 17 federal budget functions, down from 13.3% in FY2015.
On your tax bill
Your federal tax times the FY2025 share (9.8%).
| Federal tax you pay | Goes to welfare, food stamps and income support |
|---|---|
| $2,000 | $195 |
| $5,000 | $488 |
| $10,000 | $976 |
| $20,000 | $1,952 |
| $50,000 | $4,880 |
Share by year
Welfare, food stamps and income support: share of federal spending
Percent of gross function outlays · * = fiscal year to date
Amounts and shares as a table
| Year | Outlays | Share |
|---|---|---|
| FY2015 | $509.4 billion | 13.3% |
| FY2016 | $514.6 billion | 12.9% |
| FY2017 | $504.0 billion | 12.3% |
| FY2018 | $495.8 billion | 11.8% |
| FY2019 | $515.4 billion | 11.3% |
| FY2020 | $1.26 trillion | 19.0% |
| FY2021 | $1.65 trillion | 23.8% |
| FY2022 | $865.4 billion | 13.2% |
| FY2023 | $774.2 billion | 12.3% |
| FY2024 | $671.1 billion | 9.7% |
| FY2025 | $701.6 billion | 9.8% |
| FY2026* | $645.2 billion | 9.3% |
U.S. Treasury, Monthly Treasury Statement, Table 9.
Dollars by year
Federal outlays on welfare, food stamps and income support
Nominal dollars · * = fiscal year to date
U.S. Treasury, Monthly Treasury Statement, Table 9.
What this covers
What the federal budget function "Income Security" covers: SNAP (food stamps), Supplemental Security Income, the refundable parts of the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits, unemployment benefits, housing assistance, child nutrition, and federal civilian and military retirement and disability pay.
In FY2026 through August 2026, the share was 9.3% ($645.2 billion 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.
Other parts of the budget
Share of FY2025 federal spending.
- Social Security22%
- Medicare14%
- Health care and Medicaid14%
- Interest on the national debt13%
- The military13%
- 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 welfare, food stamps and income support?
- About 10%: welfare, food stamps and income support took 9.8% of federal spending in FY2025 ($701.6 billion). 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 welfare, food stamps and income support?
- $701.6 billion in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), according to the Monthly Treasury Statement. That is about $2,053 for every person in the United States.
- How much of my taxes goes to welfare, food stamps and income support?
- $98 of every $1,000 you pay in federal tax, using FY2025 spending shares.
- Has spending on welfare, food stamps and income support gone up?
- In FY2025 it was 9.8% of federal spending, down from 13.3% in FY2015. In dollars it went from $509.4 billion to $701.6 billion.
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.