Data methodology

Table 1 Reconciliation

AccountableGuv uses Monthly Treasury Statement (MTS) Table 4 for net income and Table 5 for net spending. Their detail supports analysis of where money comes from and where it goes, even when the sums differ slightly from Table 1's summary totals.

Why use Tables 4 and 5?

Table 4 reports receipts, refunds, and net receipts, which this site calls net income. Table 5 reports gross outlays, applicable receipts that offset spending, and net outlays, which this site calls net spending. These tables provide the source, agency, and program detail needed to explore the totals.

Table 1 provides a summary of receipts, outlays, and the deficit or surplus. Comparing the sums used in this site's analysis with Table 1 makes any differences visible.

In the years compared for this site's analysis, the sums from Tables 4 and 5 match Table 1 in most years. In the years where they differ, the differences are less than 0.1% of the corresponding Table 1 total. At that scale, the differences do not change the broad trends or directional conclusions drawn from the data.

Precision and monthly insight

Using the annual Combined Statement tables could improve precision, though it would not provide absolute precision. This site has chosen to retain Tables 4 and 5 because the small differences observed do not change the conclusions, and the monthly data supports a more detailed view of trends over time.

The Combined Statement is produced annually. The MTS is published monthly, allowing analysis of changes within a fiscal year, down to individual months. That frequency helps show when income and spending change, beyond what an annual total alone can reveal. In addition, users are able to compare current fiscal year data with prior year by filtering out to the processed months.

In general, the Table 4 and Table 5 totals align closely with Table 1, demonstrating the consistency of the data across these sources. In the interest of transparency and clarity, I am showing the values from all three tables and displaying the magnitude of differences when they occur (often times there are no discrepancies). As you can see, the differences are are a fraction of a fraction of a percent and don't materially change the conclusions drawn from the data.

Table 1 Reconciliation

The planned reconciliation will compare the net income and net spending sums used on this site with the corresponding Table 1 totals, showing the dollar and percentage differences by fiscal year.

Reconciliation visualization coming soon. The interactive comparison has not yet been embedded on this page.

Explore the MTS table guides or return to government data sources.