Number: RS22463
Title: Federal Monthly Budget Totals
Authors: Philip D. Winters, Government and Finance Division 
Abstract: The annual budget totals for the federal government obscure the variations in receipts, outlays, and the deficit or surplus that occur monthly. The annual deficits of the last four years (FY2001 through FY2005) were punctuated by monthly surpluses. The growth in outlays over those same years were not steady when viewed monthly. Receipts varied both annually and monthly. The monthly variations in receipts followed a pattern based on the timing of federal tax collections. The often substantial monthly changes in receipts produced almost all of the corresponding changes in monthly surpluses or deficits.
Pages: 4
Date: June 28, 2006