Where Do My Tax Dollars Go Calculator
Where do my tax dollars go: split the federal tax you paid across Social Security, Medicare, defense, interest and more.
Editorial review: Farrow (pseudonym; identity and professional credentials are not disclosed). This page is for educational purposes, not professional advice.
Your inputs
Results update as you type. Nothing you enter leaves your device.
Results
- Health (Medicaid, ACA, other) (13.5%)
- $1,350.00
- Net interest on the debt (13.1%)
- $1,310.00
- Medicare (12.9%)
- $1,290.00
- National defense (12.9%)
- $1,290.00
- Income security (SNAP, tax credits, other) (9.9%)
- $990.00
- Veterans benefits (4.9%)
- $490.00
- Education, training, social services (4.6%)
- $460.00
- Everything else (6.6%)
- $660.00
Example with the starting values
These results use the calculator's initial inputs. Change the values above to calculate your own estimate.
Inputs
- Federal tax you paid
- 10000 $
Results
- Social Security (21.6%)
- $2,160.00
- Health (Medicaid, ACA, other) (13.5%)
- $1,350.00
- Net interest on the debt (13.1%)
- $1,310.00
- Medicare (12.9%)
- $1,290.00
- National defense (12.9%)
- $1,290.00
- Income security (SNAP, tax credits, other) (9.9%)
- $990.00
- Veterans benefits (4.9%)
- $490.00
- Education, training, social services (4.6%)
- $460.00
- Everything else (6.6%)
- $660.00
How does the Where Do My Tax Dollars Go Calculator work?
A federal tax receipt is a breakdown of what your income tax would fund if it were spent in the same proportions as the federal budget.
Your federal tax payment is divided in proportion to each budget function's share of total federal outlays in fiscal year 2024, using Treasury and CBO figures rounded to one decimal.
This is an illustration. Social Security and Medicare are mainly funded by payroll taxes, and part of federal spending is financed by borrowing rather than taxes.
For example, $10,000 in federal tax splits into about $2,160 for Social Security, $1,350 for health programs, $1,310 for net interest on the debt, $1,290 for Medicare and $1,290 for national defense.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find how much federal tax I paid?
Use the total tax line on your Form 1040. Add Social Security and Medicare taxes from your W-2 if you want to include payroll taxes.
Is this partisan?
No. It uses official spending totals and makes no judgment about any program.
What is the biggest item in the federal budget?
Social Security, at about 21.6% of fiscal 2024 federal outlays, followed by health programs, net interest on the debt, Medicare and defense.
How much does the government spend on interest on the debt?
Net interest was about 13.1% of federal outlays in fiscal 2024, slightly more than national defense.