The Difference Between the Debt and the Deficit

In this age of stimulus spending and bailouts, “debt” and “deficit” are often used to describe the federal government’s financial situation. Many people use these words interchangeably, yet they have significantly different meanings. This explanation may help you understand the conversation.

Budget deficit. When the federal government spends more money in a fiscal year than it collects in tax revenue, it creates a budget deficit. In the rare instances when government expenditures are less than tax revenues, the result is a budget surplus. Budget deficits have been the norm in recent decades. For example, in the past 28 fiscal years (1982 to 2010), there were only four years in which the federal government ran budget surpluses.¹

National debt. How can the government spend more than it collects? By borrowing money. The total amount owed by the federal government is called the national debt. Because the federal government guarantees the timely payment of principal and interest, many individuals, corporations, state and local governments, foreign governments, and others are willing to lend their money. Although Treasury securities pay relatively low interest rates, they tend to appeal to investors seeking lower risk.

There’s also quite a bit of borrowing between federal agencies. For example, Congress has long been in the habit of borrowing excess Social Security revenues. As a result, the national debt is divided into two categories: debt held by the public and intragovernmental holdings.

As you can imagine, there’s considerable debate over how long the government can keep borrowing to finance spending. Regardless of how you feel about government spending, you might benefit from understanding the terminology.

1) Haver Analytics, 2010

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