Data accuracy and freshness
SpendQuery checks its own numbers every day against the official sources. This page shows the latest results; the methods are on How SpendQuery answers.
Federal totals vs USAspending.gov
Checked 2026-09-30: every agency × award type × fiscal year total compared with USAspending.gov's own figures. A cell is off when it differs by at least $1 million and 0.5%.
| Fiscal year | SpendQuery | USAspending.gov | Difference | Totals compared | Off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | $4.83T | $4.83T | 0.00% | 157 | 0 |
| FY2024 | $4.95T | $4.95T | -0.00% | 161 | 0 |
| FY2025 | $5.32T | $5.32T | 0.00% | 159 | 0 |
| FY2026 (in progress) | $5.10T | $5.14T | -0.67% | 155 | 69 |
The year in progress differs most because agencies keep reporting late actions (Defense contracts arrive about 90 days late); SpendQuery loads updates nightly.
The question library
Every night all 427 checked questions in the library run again on the new data: 426 answered, 16 flagged for a look (last run 2026-09-30 11:27 UTC).
The whole budget vs award spending
USAspending.gov's home page shows what every federal account obligated: $9.41T in FY2026 through Jul 31, 2026. That includes federal salaries, interest on the debt, tax refunds and money moved between government accounts. SpendQuery answers from award data: contracts, grants, loans and direct payments to named recipients, which came to $4.74T (50%) over the same months. The rest, $4.67T, is spending that never becomes an award.
Our FY2026 total elsewhere on the site runs through Sep 28, 2026; this comparison stops at Jul 31, 2026 so both cover the same months.
| Award spending by type | FY2026 through Jul 31, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Direct payments (benefits such as Social Security and Medicare) | $2.95T |
| Grants | $1.13T |
| Contracts | $643.32B |
| Loans (subsidy cost; can be negative) | -$5.13B |
| Other aid | $16.17B |
Where the difference sits
The agency breakdown is left out today: the agency figures didn't pass the daily checks.
The whole budget by function
| Budget function | FY2026 through Jul 31, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Medicare | $1.69T |
| Social Security | $1.46T |
| National Defense | $1.34T |
| Net Interest | $1.19T |
| Health | $1.13T |
| Income Security | $639.54B |
| General Government | $443.82B |
| Veterans Benefits and Services | $372.04B |
| Administration of Justice | $321.45B |
| Unreported Data | $172.40B |
Source: USAspending.gov Spending Explorer and agency profiles, for the latest month agencies have reported (account data arrives about six weeks after each month ends). Award spending is SpendQuery's warehouse for the same fiscal year and dates.
When each source was last loaded
Federal updates last loaded 2026-09-30 08:28.
| Source | Data through |
|---|---|
| Federal awards (USAspending.gov) | 2026-09-28 |
| California | 2026-05-31 |
| California counties | 2024-06-30 |
| Connecticut | 2026-09-24 |
| Delaware | 2026-08-31 |
| Florida | 2026-07-02 |
| Indiana | 2026-06-30 |
| Maryland | 2026-09-25 |
| Massachusetts | 2026-09-30 |
| Missouri | 2026-06-30 |
| New Jersey | 2026-06-30 |
| New York City | 2026-09-30 |
| Oregon | 2025-06-30 |
| Riverside County | 2026-08-31 |
| South Carolina | 2025-06-30 |
| Texas | 2024-08-31 |
| Vermont | 2026-06-30 |
| Virginia | 2026-08-31 |
| Washington | 2026-08-31 |
Sources and what each leaves out: Where the numbers come from · Methods