US Government Budget Surplus Jumps in April

2025-05-12 18:07 By Mojdeh Kazemi 1 min. read

The US government posted a $258 billion budget surplus in April, up 23% from the same month last year, driven by strong tax receipts and higher import duty collections.

The surge came during the final month of the tax season, when revenue typically peaks.

Net customs duties alone totaled $16 billion for the month, a $9 billion increase from the prior year, as steep tariffs on Chinese goods—some as high as 145%—and at least 10% tariffs on other imports boosted collections.

On average, the US collected over $500 million per day in tariffs during April, although this is down from the $2 billion per day President Trump claimed previously.

The surplus was also supported by $85 billion in deferred tax receipts from California and calendar effects that shifted some April expenses into earlier months.

However, officials expect tariff revenue to drop in the coming months following a temporary US-China agreement to reduce tariffs.



News Stream
US Budget Gap Widend in December
The US government recorded a $144.7 billion budget deficit in December 2025, compared with a $86.7 billion deficit in the same month a year earlier. Receipts rose 6.6% year on year to $484.4 billion, driven by individual income taxes ($242.34 billion), social insurance and retirement receipts ($143.16 billion), and customs duties ($27.89 billion). The increase reflected seasonal and collection timing effects that supported tax and customs receipts in the month. Meanwhile, outlays rose 16.3% year on year to $629.1 billion, with Social Security ($144.90 billion), Health and Medicare ($216.54 billion), and national defense ($98.30 billion) the largest spending categories, while the timing of several payments, including Medicare and veterans’ benefits, influenced the monthly outturn.
2026-01-13
US Budget Gap Narrows in November
The US government recorded a $173.3 billion budget deficit in November 2025, compared with a $366.8 billion deficit in the same month a year earlier. Receipts rose 11.4% year-on-year to $336.0 billion, driven by individual income taxes ($146.96 billion), social insurance and retirement receipts ($134.29 billion), and customs duties ($30.76 billion). The increase reflected seasonal and collection-timing effects that lifted tax and customs receipts in the month. Meanwhile, outlays fell 23.8% year-on-year to $509.3 billion, with Social Security ($133.97 billion), Health/Medicare ($25.10 billion) and national defense ($65.48 billion) the largest spending categories; several payments (including Medicare and veterans’ benefits) affected the timing of outlays.
2025-12-10
US Budget Deficit Widens Slightly
The US government recorded a $284.4 billion budget deficit in October 2025, compared with a $257.5 billion deficit in the same month a year earlier. Receipts rose 23.8% year-on-year to $404.4 billion, driven by individual income taxes ($216.95 billion), social insurance and retirement receipts ($123.85 billion), and customs duties ($31.35 billion). The increase reflected seasonal and collection timing effects that lifted tax and customs receipts in the month. Meanwhile, outlays rose 17.9% to $688.7 billion, with Medicare ($150.56 billion), Social Security ($134.14 billion), and national defense ($99.94 billion) the largest spending categories; several payments (including Medicare and veterans’ benefits) accelerated into October because the normal November payment date fell on a non-business day.
2025-11-25