Treasury cash balance hits 2-year high as tax payments rise

The U.S. Treasury's cash balance surged on Monday as payments poured in at the government's mid-April deadline for income taxes. 

The cash pile rose by $172 billion to $897 billion on Monday, the highest since May 2022, according to data released Tuesday. That's the largest increase since the 2022 tax collection deadline. 

Taxpayers are expected to owe Uncle Sam more this year than usual due to higher incomes and a booming stock market. How much the Treasury collects could have implications for not only government debt issuance, but also for bank funding as taxes tend to be paid out of accounts at depository institutions. 

There was also settlement of mid-month coupon auctions that raised about $52 billion of new cash on net, data show.

Pedestrians walk near the U.S. Treasury building in Washington, D.C.
Pedestrians walk near the U.S. Treasury building in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, July 16, 2018. The House this week plans to consider a minibus spending bill that combines legislation funding the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with another bill keeping the Interior Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) running. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

The Treasury collected roughly $63.5 billion in corporate taxes on Monday, in addition to $86.6 billion in non-withheld individual electronic payments, and another $4.66 billion in non-withheld individual "other" payments, or paper filings, the statement shows. 

By comparison, Wrightson ICAP estimated an $863 billion cash balance on April 15, with about $59 billion of corporate taxes collected, $72 billion via e-filings and another $6 billion from paper submissions. 

To date, the Treasury has collected roughly $290 billion in tax-related income this month, according to the latest data. Two years ago, the government collected nearly $600 billion in tax revenues due to an exuberant stock market and a powerful economic recovery, according to government figures.

Bloomberg News
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