# The Debt Clock — Full machine-readable documentation

## Data contract

The canonical current response is https://thedebtclock.com/api/current.json and the historical response is https://thedebtclock.com/api/history.json. Amounts are numeric nominal U.S. dollars. Dates are ISO YYYY-MM-DD.

## Projection

Confirmed total: 40046178322792.78
Confirmed date: 2026-09-11
Daily projection rate: 4768924692.327943
Rate window: 31 records across 43 calendar days
Build timestamp: 2026-09-15T07:52:55.259Z

The live projection anchors at the close of the confirmed record date in U.S. Eastern time. A trailing daily rate is computed after rejecting extreme operational changes. The projection is labelled; the confirmed figure remains visible. At 31 days without a new source record the browser freezes the projection.

## Denominators

- Resident population: 341784857; U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 National Population Estimates; as of 2025-07-01
- Taxable returns: 104000000; individual income tax returns with a positive total tax liability (taxable returns), not all filers; IRS Statistics of Income, Individual Income Tax Returns; as of 2022
- Nominal GDP SAAR: 31865721000000; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, GDP (third estimate), nominal SAAR; as of 2026-Q1
- Annual gross interest expense: 1200000000000; U.S. Treasury, Interest Expense on the Debt Outstanding (FY2025); GAO Schedules of Federal Debt; as of FY2025

## Historical coverage

The Debt to the Penny daily API begins on 1993-12-31. The annual series selects the final available Treasury publication in each calendar year. Administration comparisons select the first publication on or after inauguration and the last publication before departure. They describe chronology, not sole presidential responsibility.

## Editorial policy

The site is independent and does not claim government affiliation. Estimates are identified as estimates. Source dates and definitions are printed beside figures. Debt per person is never described as a literal personal obligation.

## License

Site data presentation and original explanatory text are published under CC BY 4.0. Underlying U.S. government data remains subject to its source terms.