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How close did US debt come to its ceiling in 2021?

In 2021, through , room under the debt limit was lowest on , at $24.00 million; it was under $1 billion on 88 statement days, and the limit was suspended on 146 days.

The debt limit in 2021 at a glance

The debt limit in 2021
MeasureValue
Statement days held252
Lowest room left ($ million)24
Day of the lowest room
Near the limit: room under this amount ($ million)1,000
Statement days near the limit88
Statement days with the limit suspended146

Room left under the limit in 2021

$ trillion

Room left under the limit in 20210.01.02.03.02 August 202131 December 2021Room left under the limit in 20210.01.02.03.02 August 202131 December 2021

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

How much room was left at the end of each month of 2021?

Last statement day of each month ($ million)
MonthDateSubject to the limitLimitRoom leftCash balance
January 202127,757,191n/an/a1,611,352
February 202127,871,301n/an/a1,414,465
March 202128,100,561n/an/a1,121,951
April 202128,143,582n/an/a970,716
May 202128,168,249n/an/a776,700
June 202128,501,529n/an/a851,929
July 202128,401,438n/an/a459,402
August 202128,401,43928,401,46324355,984
September 202128,401,43728,401,46326215,160
October 202128,881,43828,881,46325278,023
November 202128,881,43828,881,46325213,153
December 202129,590,00131,381,4631,791,462406,108

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

When did the limit change in 2021?

Changes in the statutory limit ($ million; a dash means suspended)
First statement dayLimit beforeLimit after
n/a28,401,463
28,401,46328,881,463
28,881,46331,381,463

Every statement day

Each Daily Treasury Statement of 2021 ($ million)
DateSubject to the limitLimitRoom leftCash balance
29,590,00131,381,4631,791,462406,108
29,468,06631,381,4631,913,397284,174
29,447,23231,381,4631,934,231283,995
29,443,66931,381,4631,937,794268,208
29,365,97331,381,4632,015,490202,813
29,339,92231,381,4632,041,541183,671
29,338,26831,381,4632,043,195176,914
29,344,58331,381,4632,036,880197,516
29,297,07731,381,4632,084,386146,518
29,200,69831,381,4632,180,76564,905
Show 242 more rows
DateSubject to the limitLimitRoom leftCash balance
29,192,58731,381,4632,188,87647,877
29,179,69531,381,4632,201,76842,111
28,881,43828,881,4632558,294
28,881,43828,881,4632579,505
28,881,43828,881,46325133,605
28,881,43828,881,46325114,680
28,881,43728,881,46326118,145
28,881,43928,881,46324125,144
28,881,43828,881,46325144,924
28,881,43828,881,46325106,980
28,881,43728,881,46326101,192
28,881,43828,881,46325125,195
28,881,43828,881,46325159,148
28,881,43828,881,46325213,153
28,881,43828,881,46325143,941
28,881,43828,881,46325137,091
28,881,43828,881,46325141,042
28,881,43828,881,46325165,160
28,881,43728,881,46326163,242
28,881,43728,881,46326170,311
28,881,43828,881,46325168,229
28,881,43828,881,46325178,972
28,881,43828,881,46325198,696
28,881,43828,881,46325211,700
28,881,43828,881,46325219,793
28,881,43828,881,46325231,421
28,881,43828,881,46325255,937
28,881,43928,881,46324270,273
28,881,43828,881,46325263,023
28,881,43928,881,46324268,350
28,881,43828,881,46325286,959
28,881,43828,881,46325311,302
28,881,43828,881,46325269,343
28,881,43828,881,46325278,023
28,881,43828,881,46325259,761
28,881,43828,881,46325236,495
28,881,43828,881,46325261,071
28,881,43828,881,46325219,868
28,881,43828,881,46325208,815
28,853,86028,881,46327,603149,154
28,801,52128,881,46379,942117,364
28,815,11928,881,46366,344132,525
28,793,90328,881,46387,560134,768
28,726,67528,881,463154,78850,846
28,700,75428,881,463180,70946,508
28,401,43828,401,4632572,460
28,401,43828,401,4632558,993
28,401,43828,401,4632581,803
28,401,43828,401,4632586,339
28,401,43828,401,4632595,854
28,401,43828,401,4632599,385
28,401,43828,401,46325141,318
28,401,43828,401,46325132,452
28,401,43728,401,46326215,160
28,401,43828,401,46325173,745
28,401,43728,401,46326172,920
28,401,43828,401,46325217,019
28,401,43728,401,46326215,533
28,401,43828,401,46325173,922
28,401,43828,401,46325272,679
28,401,43828,401,46325295,620
28,401,43728,401,46326324,877
28,401,43928,401,46324315,003
28,401,43828,401,46325317,970
28,401,43828,401,46325344,668
28,401,43828,401,46325211,227
28,401,43828,401,46325225,075
28,401,43828,401,46325208,035
28,401,43728,401,46326207,218
28,401,43728,401,46326200,702
28,401,43828,401,46325231,654
28,401,43828,401,46325262,488
28,401,43828,401,46325292,163
28,401,43728,401,46326296,934
28,401,43928,401,46324355,984
28,401,43728,401,46326262,895
28,401,43828,401,46325262,811
28,401,43828,401,46325239,304
28,401,43728,401,46326258,200
28,401,43728,401,46326284,110
28,401,43828,401,46325317,103
28,401,43828,401,46325309,820
28,401,43828,401,46325321,137
28,401,43828,401,46325313,651
28,401,43828,401,46325338,853
28,401,43928,401,46324362,012
28,401,43828,401,46325335,190
28,401,43828,401,46325351,572
28,401,43828,401,46325389,747
28,401,43828,401,46325416,199
28,401,43828,401,46325444,212
28,401,43828,401,46325442,557
28,401,43728,401,46326466,601
28,401,43728,401,46326505,871
28,401,43828,401,46325507,848
28,401,43728,401,46326555,569
28,401,438n/an/a459,402
28,432,364n/an/a501,179
28,455,847n/an/a536,966
28,460,134n/an/a564,799
28,460,520n/an/a591,368
28,447,138n/an/a588,083
28,443,458n/an/a590,042
28,446,363n/an/a616,294
28,465,495n/an/a647,533
28,505,407n/an/a700,041
28,495,167n/an/a697,581
28,494,267n/an/a690,107
28,433,336n/an/a657,542
28,449,242n/an/a676,800
28,462,412n/an/a718,474
28,457,628n/an/a718,092
28,452,275n/an/a727,336
28,444,605n/an/a724,898
28,437,687n/an/a733,889
28,452,678n/an/a757,682
28,458,574n/an/a784,035
28,501,529n/an/a851,929
28,301,770n/an/a711,267
28,320,693n/an/a734,915
28,306,714n/an/a733,226
28,291,321n/an/a723,946
28,274,323n/an/a733,877
28,288,084n/an/a744,249
28,273,116n/an/a745,970
28,265,324n/an/a730,159
28,265,232n/an/a728,246
28,280,460n/an/a765,114
28,291,051n/an/a765,721
28,176,353n/an/a622,178
28,168,527n/an/a597,051
28,168,243n/an/a633,055
28,187,166n/an/a673,555
28,202,854n/an/a728,517
28,233,651n/an/a737,590
28,227,448n/an/a740,611
28,211,203n/an/a750,152
28,246,152n/an/a812,087
28,231,183n/an/a817,789
28,168,249n/an/a776,700
28,132,773n/an/a745,973
28,156,860n/an/a778,912
28,173,803n/an/a800,118
28,182,753n/an/a824,521
28,172,527n/an/a816,930
28,170,841n/an/a832,974
28,186,383n/an/a860,833
28,200,983n/an/a896,013
28,202,674n/an/a939,902
28,108,858n/an/a843,078
28,107,414n/an/a836,852
28,126,170n/an/a864,253
28,141,926n/an/a885,779
28,149,723n/an/a911,337
28,143,781n/an/a906,936
28,145,238n/an/a909,277
28,146,803n/an/a946,134
28,144,319n/an/a945,860
28,131,337n/an/a968,663
28,143,582n/an/a970,716
28,058,468n/an/a903,015
28,080,263n/an/a932,287
28,100,538n/an/a958,871
28,111,281n/an/a982,206
28,102,393n/an/a974,621
28,097,189n/an/a976,597
28,123,269n/an/a1,003,443
28,138,658n/an/a1,018,382
28,135,784n/an/a1,032,722
28,123,717n/an/a1,015,480
28,113,179n/an/a1,010,328
28,051,763n/an/a921,685
28,065,738n/an/a924,784
28,059,775n/an/a932,525
28,051,083n/an/a923,929
28,049,591n/an/a924,880
28,057,200n/an/a954,968
28,053,676n/an/a994,366
28,049,675n/an/a1,016,158
28,041,746n/an/a1,019,804
28,049,119n/an/a1,045,816
28,100,561n/an/a1,121,951
27,958,551n/an/a1,003,516
27,960,138n/an/a1,019,013
27,956,776n/an/a1,013,861
27,932,368n/an/a994,029
27,948,998n/an/a1,031,908
27,965,593n/an/a1,101,256
27,939,005n/an/a1,054,770
27,934,830n/an/a1,058,913
27,935,941n/an/a1,063,289
27,944,085n/an/a1,089,501
27,952,769n/an/a1,361,274
27,971,150n/an/a1,379,152
27,869,444n/an/a1,269,979
27,869,486n/an/a1,268,214
27,895,701n/an/a1,310,273
27,913,813n/an/a1,349,174
27,929,240n/an/a1,373,951
27,923,468n/an/a1,368,265
27,923,957n/an/a1,382,253
27,948,468n/an/a1,420,238
27,961,668n/an/a1,462,558
27,973,332n/an/a1,500,687
27,871,301n/an/a1,414,465
27,846,104n/an/a1,379,961
27,892,004n/an/a1,439,646
27,858,637n/an/a1,480,606
27,903,550n/an/a1,550,121
27,896,150n/an/a1,557,254
27,894,830n/an/a1,567,702
27,893,113n/an/a1,568,893
27,893,401n/an/a1,595,279
27,824,122n/an/a1,560,063
27,820,233n/an/a1,564,862
27,819,417n/an/a1,576,744
27,837,898n/an/a1,603,403
27,828,816n/an/a1,619,357
27,825,477n/an/a1,613,958
27,827,757n/an/a1,620,963
27,823,731n/an/a1,629,729
27,837,889n/an/a1,654,919
27,801,809n/an/a1,664,596
27,757,191n/an/a1,611,352
27,733,753n/an/a1,593,973
27,742,378n/an/a1,613,377
27,755,632n/an/a1,631,783
27,746,239n/an/a1,641,392
27,733,456n/an/a1,636,166
27,730,148n/an/a1,639,728
27,725,725n/an/a1,638,331
27,726,643n/an/a1,652,048
27,720,547n/an/a1,630,897
27,655,948n/an/a1,574,375
27,653,148n/an/a1,575,875
27,670,515n/an/a1,592,556
27,661,974n/an/a1,601,940
27,656,703n/an/a1,592,940
27,656,883n/an/a1,576,756
27,672,646n/an/a1,607,396
27,671,793n/an/a1,600,257
27,651,913n/an/a1,563,361

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

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

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