Supported by
The president’s taxes
Trump Paid $750 in Federal Income Taxes in 2017. Here’s the Math.
Figures drawn from President Trump’s tax-return data show how that number was calculated.
The small amount of federal income taxes President Trump paid in both 2016 and 2017 — just $750 each year — has become the focus of much attention since it was revealed in a New York Times investigation. The figures below, drawn from Mr. Trump’s tax-return data for 2017, show how his accountants arrived at that figure for one of those years.
Donald J. Trump’s income in 2017
$373,629
Wages
Includes pro-rated presidential salary and small amounts for film and television appearances.
+
6,758,494
Taxable interest
Almost $6 million of this is interest income from his investment with Vornado Realty Trust.
+
21,984
Ordinary dividends
Includes $13,123 from trusts established by his parents and $7,000 from Deutsche Bank.
+
7,562,038
Capital gain and other gains
Profits from the sale of property or other investments.
+
84,351
Pensions and annuities
Includes a Screen Actors Guild Producers pension of $77,808.
–
15,313,785
Losses on his businesses
Losses after deducting expenses from the $536.6 million in gross receipts at Mr. Trump’s core businesses.
–
12,306,111
Other income
Losses from prior years, counted with other income, further dragged the total into the red.
–$12,819,400
Total
income
$373,629
Wages
Includes pro-rated presidential salary and small amounts for film and television appearances.
+
6,758,494
Taxable interest
Almost $6 million of this is interest income from his investment with Vornado Realty Trust.
+
21,984
Ordinary dividends
Includes $13,123 from trusts established by his parents and $7,000 from Deutsche Bank.
+
7,562,038
Capital gain and
other gains
Profits from the sale of property or other investments.
+
84,351
Pensions and annuities
Includes a Screen Actors Guild Producers pension of $77,808.
–
15,313,785
Business losses
Losses after deducting expenses from the $536.6 million in gross receipts at Mr. Trump’s core businesses.
–
12,306,111
Other income
Losses from prior years, counted with other income, further dragged the total into the red.
–$12,819,400
Total
income
Although Mr. Trump donates his salary to the government, it is subject to income tax along with his other earnings. But because Mr. Trump’s overall income was negative, he did not owe regular income tax on any of it.
He was, however, still subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax, a parallel tax system that reduces the benefit of some deductions, preventing wealthy people from erasing their tax liability altogether. Most significantly, the A.M.T. formula disallowed $45 million in losses that Mr. Trump had carried over from prior years.
But tax laws gave him one more line on which to reduce the A.M.T. Mr. Trump had $22.7 million in General Business Credit, much of it carried forward from prior years, that he could apply. The credit is a smorgasbord of tax incentives and givebacks to business owners, and in Mr. Trump’s case they ranged from credits of $322,926 for Social Security and Medicare taxes paid on employee tips to at least $1.5 million related to rehabilitating the Old Post Office in Washington.
The business credit cannot be used to get a refund; it can only be applied against taxes owed. Mr. Trump had more than enough to cancel out his $7,435,857 tax bill. But on the Form 3800 for the General Business Credit, his accountants subtracted $750 from his allowable credit. Why they did that is not clear. But the result was a total federal income tax liability of $750.
Mr. Trump’s tax bill in 2017
$7,435,857
Alternative Minimum Tax
–
7,435,107
General Business Credit
$750
Total income
tax due
$7,435,857
A.M.T.
General Business
Credit
–
7,435,107
$750
Total income
tax due
Russ Buettner is a reporter on The New York Times investigations desk. Since 2016, his reporting has focused on the personal finances of Donald. J. Trump, including articles that revealed large business losses and tax avoidance schemes evidenced on several decades of his tax returns. In 2019, he shared a Pulitzer Prize for work that revealed the vast inheritance Mr. Trump had received from his father. More about Russ Buettner
Mike McIntire is a reporter with the investigations unit. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, and has written in depth on campaign finance, gun violence and corruption in college sports. More about Mike McIntire
Susanne Craig is an investigative reporter. She has been a Wall Street correspondent and bureau chief in Albany. She shared a Pulitzer Prize in 2019 for work that shattered Donald Trump’s myth that he is a self-made billionaire. More about Susanne Craig
Keith Collins is a reporter and graphics editor. He specializes in visual storytelling and covers a range of topics, with a focus on politics and technology. He has a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. More about Keith Collins
Advertisement