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How much room is left under the US debt ceiling?

On , debt subject to the limit was $40.04 trillion, leaving $1.06 trillion of room under the statutory limit of $41.10 trillion.

Observed
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Room left under the limit

$1.06 trillion

Debt subject to the limit

$40.04 trillion

Limit $41.10 trillion

Treasury cash balance

$871.18 billion

How much of the debt limit is used

How much of the debt limit is used$40.04 trillion of a $41.10 trillion limit is used; $1.06 trillion is left.

Subject to the limit: $40.04 trillionRoom left: $1.06 trillionLimit: $41.10 trillion

Source: U.S. Treasury, Fiscal Data, Daily Treasury Statement, Table IIIC. Observed .

How has the room left changed?

Every year

Room left fell from $3.70 trillion on 22 September 2025 to $1.06 trillion on 2 October 2026

Room left under the debt limit, each statement day, $ trillion

Room left fell from $3.70 trillion on 22 September 2025 to $1.06 trillion on 2 October 20260.01.02.03.04.022 September 202531 March 20262 October 2026$1.06 trillionRoom left fell from $3.70 trillion on 22 September 2025 to $1.06 trillion on 2 October 20260.01.02.03.04.02 October 2026$1.06 trillion

Source: U.S. Treasury, Fiscal Data, Daily Treasury Statement. Observed .

Every statement day as a table
Room left each statement day ($ million)
DateRoom leftTreasury cash balance
1,060,859871,181
1,043,429893,699
1,124,867984,046
1,194,987936,600
1,188,584959,572
1,195,866945,290
1,224,994924,627
1,217,871947,317
1,194,352957,409
1,178,9331,004,391
Show 250 more rows
DateRoom leftTreasury cash balance
1,191,823985,932
1,200,738972,675
1,197,619991,708
1,178,011991,557
1,236,960871,224
1,247,478822,200
1,246,688818,110
1,217,911843,705
1,208,863880,019
1,199,629888,923
1,192,016903,928
1,173,507944,364
1,178,845942,793
1,114,0541,023,554
1,187,754971,343
1,215,078950,804
1,220,693959,435
1,192,336994,137
1,254,679966,849
1,259,443933,218
1,259,814935,077
1,278,138936,406
1,244,162961,952
1,303,769932,785
1,354,874959,184
1,354,437966,587
1,373,491959,405
1,345,831997,330
1,394,851966,851
1,403,588954,113
1,399,309961,726
1,455,412929,325
1,457,360924,219
1,545,393870,083
1,515,171876,566
1,441,517997,946
1,480,656970,442
1,483,840966,136
1,565,805902,751
1,589,523886,300
1,605,670877,201
1,644,540835,417
1,620,675874,980
1,691,623828,197
1,700,114815,418
1,763,802822,510
1,791,806795,976
1,810,965787,814
1,862,074750,282
1,869,069738,273
1,868,561744,637
1,883,386749,244
1,864,074784,964
1,890,171783,107
1,904,119776,843
1,905,541770,587
1,889,252807,359
1,816,313919,145
1,934,519876,961
1,944,410895,576
1,971,576871,469
1,959,994901,845
1,960,580925,876
1,956,595942,815
1,977,780915,085
1,997,974956,502
1,991,850981,113
1,987,783979,791
2,072,946816,023
2,062,835799,517
2,066,336801,084
2,038,571830,399
2,049,060844,229
2,061,938825,540
2,050,060844,521
2,075,203845,722
2,058,884866,075
2,084,477856,842
2,072,908903,881
2,106,775849,710
2,117,764842,660
2,110,599881,329
2,170,597825,550
2,212,200785,882
2,231,712781,979
2,211,279822,275
2,271,998785,925
2,285,778758,819
2,328,651802,412
2,336,490807,420
2,311,494844,036
2,332,097854,589
2,343,442839,161
2,349,940846,562
2,360,736862,757
2,369,629860,287
2,374,375879,968
2,399,287857,311
2,314,277969,383
2,326,835988,102
2,327,796990,422
2,317,8261,002,382
2,327,149974,251
2,346,012969,844
2,321,6551,007,172
2,300,9161,029,510
2,286,5961,038,035
2,302,112998,636
2,296,117971,155
2,289,843924,435
2,345,596779,506
2,323,289758,910
2,333,743703,218
2,338,184686,969
2,329,037697,079
2,309,711728,227
2,284,768775,433
2,299,200753,938
2,281,387776,076
2,263,475803,553
2,213,890893,000
2,251,307868,478
2,260,803848,655
2,286,745823,031
2,284,539837,412
2,275,984876,206
2,268,028909,509
2,275,012870,864
2,275,522882,822
2,296,990875,833
2,257,757929,668
2,281,412937,577
2,373,070806,335
2,375,530809,284
2,391,974805,806
2,356,236862,841
2,391,340858,548
2,406,425833,086
2,403,414840,850
2,417,316846,979
2,422,336859,738
2,450,242871,377
2,506,297798,943
2,491,223849,449
2,513,973838,975
2,491,770901,173
2,520,519888,165
2,531,660893,370
2,537,798904,858
2,560,145888,854
2,558,001924,659
2,631,120913,645
2,631,413920,999
2,656,385910,533
2,632,121948,634
2,683,675917,568
2,690,401905,282
2,692,020914,563
2,713,131907,737
2,714,054907,892
2,761,706897,983
2,757,357893,245
2,710,889968,066
2,734,852952,705
2,710,965974,848
2,763,581943,665
2,788,125900,542
2,789,027888,450
2,802,694871,169
2,792,046899,869
2,817,646868,226
2,825,458840,883
2,880,659777,061
2,843,550780,790
2,838,921797,322
2,845,348775,114
2,846,777773,709
2,845,205783,571
2,847,772771,936
2,836,305801,062
2,856,652781,204
2,763,278872,853
2,903,541826,406
2,888,528858,993
2,896,482833,784
2,921,269801,537
2,899,472824,439
2,895,641872,048
2,903,323839,799
2,901,534842,422
2,896,087861,417
2,879,620887,180
2,855,627912,994
2,937,634792,465
2,928,103792,667
2,923,809805,827
2,899,625837,306
2,879,971880,125
2,887,589870,232
2,889,484878,666
2,873,438908,523
2,853,940935,847
2,851,099948,079
2,881,298956,014
2,941,759899,678
2,916,925931,736
2,940,454906,547
2,945,433892,074
2,952,736909,575
2,978,232900,832
2,950,212928,422
3,033,359924,961
3,062,263959,113
3,066,016961,929
3,093,380943,145
3,088,608965,301
3,099,326949,804
3,099,020953,555
3,123,669942,700
3,168,691939,584
3,210,540924,957
3,177,023926,328
3,109,3821,000,632
3,135,859983,859
3,138,207984,857
3,171,914964,762
3,207,288942,495
3,208,913944,965
3,224,329905,074
3,195,925929,315
3,234,394905,754
3,239,563905,393
3,251,049899,682
3,272,887851,952
3,297,299841,366
3,331,939794,452
3,334,176796,023
3,352,233794,054
3,327,047823,736
3,352,566815,262
3,365,347798,367
3,336,892823,845
3,350,789819,378
3,577,676890,825
3,708,744805,674
3,717,699786,337
3,750,245761,087
3,761,657757,970
3,747,234781,512
3,704,268822,471

The limit in force today has applied since .

What the Daily Treasury Statement says

Treasury cash balance
The debt limit and Treasury's cash ($ million)
DateSubject to the limitStatutory limitRoom leftCash balance
2 October 202640,043,13741,103,9961,060,859871,181
Month start, 30 September 202639,979,12941,103,9961,124,867984,046

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

When will the US hit the debt ceiling again?

All projections

In CBO's February 2026 baseline, debt subject to the limit reaches $41.43 trillion at the end of fiscal year 2027, the first year-end above today's limit of $41.10 trillion. Under current law the limit would be reached before then, unless Congress raises or suspends it; extraordinary measures would then decide when borrowing has to stop.

ProjectionEnd of fiscal 2027End of fiscal 2028
Debt subject to the limit$41.43 trillion$43.45 trillion
Debt held by the public$34.01 trillion$36.09 trillion

CBO's estimates under current law, not Treasury figures, and not ours: February 2026 baseline.

How much does the US owe in total?

Total debt

Total public debt outstanding was $40.24 trillion on , from Treasury's Debt to the Penny.

The debt limit in each year

YearLowest room left, $ million
200576,970
200624
200734,823
2008338,762
200924,495
201089,554
Show 16 more rows
YearLowest room left, $ million
201123
201224
201324
201424
201524
2016n/a
201723
201825
201924
2020n/a
202124
202234,153
202324
2024n/a
202524
20261,043,429

About these figures

How the measure is built, extraordinary measures, limits and sources

What is debt subject to the limit?

The debt limit applies to debt subject to the limit, not to total public debt outstanding. It starts from total debt, leaves out some of it (such as unamortized discount on bills) and can add a little that is not in total debt, such as Federal Financing Bank debt.

How debt subject to the limit is built, 2 October 2026 ($ million)
PartAmount
Debt held by the public32,428,914
Intragovernmental holdings7,813,533
Less debt not subject to the limit199,310
Plus other debt subject to the limit0
Debt subject to the limit40,043,137

What are extraordinary measures?

When debt reaches the limit, Treasury cannot issue new debt that counts against it. It can still pay its bills for a while by using extraordinary measures: accounting steps the law allows, such as suspending new investment of some federal employee retirement funds, which lower debt subject to the limit and make room for new borrowing. Together with Treasury's cash balance, they set how long Treasury can keep paying after the limit is reached. The day they would run out is often called the X-date.

The Daily Treasury Statement does not report how much of the measures is left, so this page shows the room and the cash, not a date.

Total public debt outstanding

Total public debt outstanding ($ million)
PartAmount
Debt held by the public32,428,914
Intragovernmental holdings7,813,533
Total public debt outstanding40,242,447

Source: U.S. Treasury, Fiscal Data, Debt to the Penny. Observed .

What this number cannot tell you

  • Room left is not a deadline: extraordinary measures can keep borrowing going for a while after it runs out (see above).
  • The cash balance is Treasury's account at the Federal Reserve at the close of the day. It moves with tax receipts and spending, so one day says little about the next.

Source

Source: U.S. Treasury, Fiscal Data, Daily Treasury Statement, Table IIIC. Observed .

Sources and licence

Sources and licence

  • U.S. Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Fiscal Data (source). Licence: Public domain, a work of the US federal government
  • Congressional Budget Office (source). Licence: Public domain, a work of the US federal government

Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0. How to reuse and cite this page.