See where your taxes go.

Your federal, state, and local taxes in dollars, and the budgets each one pays for, for your ZIP code.

Before taxes, per year.

Filing status

You can add your home, dependents, and more on the next page.

Where do a Detroit renter's taxes go?

Single renter, $85,000 income, $1,600 a month in rent. Real numbers from the same calculator.

Total taxes this year

$27,172

32% of $85,000 income

  • Federal$16,37360%
  • State · Michigan$3,36212%
  • Local · Local$7,43827%

Where most of it goes

  1. Social Security (federal)$5,270
  2. Health Programs (federal)$4,197
  3. General Fund/General Purpose (state)$2,178
  4. National Defense (federal)$1,629
  5. Net Interest (federal)$1,595
See the full Detroit breakdown

How it works

  1. 1

    Enter your ZIP code, income, and filing status. Add your home and family on the results page to make it exact.

  2. 2

    We calculate your federal, state, and local taxes with each government's own rules.

  3. 3

    Each dollar is traced to the budget it funds, from defense to your city's police and parks.

Where do my state taxes go?

23 states so far. Each guide explains its income and property taxes and the official sources behind them.

Questions

Where do my federal taxes go?

As of fiscal year 2024, the latest year in our OMB data, the federal government spent $6.96 trillion. The largest shares went to health programs (24.5%), social security (21.0%), national defense (13.0%), net interest (12.8%), income security (10.9%). Social Security and most of Medicare are funded by payroll (FICA) taxes, while individual income tax mainly funds defense, interest on the debt, veterans' benefits, and other programs. Source: OMB Historical Table 3.2 - FY2024 Outlays (from FY2025 President's Budget, March 2024).

How does Where Your Taxes Go calculate where my taxes go?

You enter a ZIP code, income, and filing status. The tool calculates your federal income tax, Social Security, and Medicare, your state taxes, and your local property and income taxes, then splits each one across the budget it funds, using official federal, state, and municipal data for that ZIP code.

Which states does Where Your Taxes Go cover?

23 states today: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. More states are added as their official data is verified.

Do I need to own a home to use it?

No. Renters enter their monthly rent, and the tool estimates the share of property tax that landlords pass through in rent, then shows which local governments and schools it funds.

Is Where Your Taxes Go free, and is it tax advice?

It is free and needs no account. Results are educational estimates from public data, not tax advice or a tax return.