Skip to content

Federal Tax Data

Providing journalists, taxpayers, and policymakers with the latest data on taxes and spending is a cornerstone of the Tax Foundation’s educational mission.

As a nonpartisan, educational organization, the Tax Foundation has earned a reputation for independence and credibility. Our federal tax policy team regularly provides accessible, data-driven insights from sources such as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), and others. For more insights on the latest federal tax policies, explore the Tax Foundation’s general equilibrium Taxes & Growth (TAG) Model

All Federal Tax Data

338 Results
American retirement savings accounts including 401k and IRA contribution and withdrawals

American Retirement and Tax-Preferred Savings Accounts, Tax Year 2018

To encourage greater saving, the US federal income tax provides tax-neutral treatment to some types of saving through a variety of accounts. The type of tax treatment, contribution limits, withdrawal rules, and use cases for contributions all vary by account, leading to a complicated system for households to navigate.

11 min read
IRS compliance costs tax complexity and tax compliance costs US

Tax Complexity Now Costs the US Economy Over $546 Billion Annually

Americans will spend more than 7.9 billion hours complying with IRS tax filing and reporting requirements in 2024. This is equal to 3.8 million full-time workers doing nothing but tax return paperwork—roughly equal to the population of Los Angeles.

7 min read
Sources of personal income tax return data as of 2024 Tax Foundation

Sources of Personal Income, Tax Year 2021

Reviewing reported income helps to understand the composition of the federal government’s revenue base and how Americans earn their taxable income. The individual income tax, the federal government’s largest source of revenue, is largely a tax on labor.

9 min read