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Debt limit · 2012, Daily Treasury Statement, Table IIIC

How close did US debt come to its ceiling in 2012?

In 2012, through , room under the debt limit was lowest on , at $24.00 million; it was under $1 billion on 18 statement days.

Room left under the debt limit, each statement day of 2012

251 statements, to Lowest on

Room left under the debt limit, each statement day, 3 January 2012 to 31 December 2012

Debt subject to the limit and the statutory limit, each statement day of 2012

251 statements, to Lowest on

Debt subject to the limit and the statutory limit, each statement day, 3 January 2012 to 31 December 2012, Room under the limit shaded

The tinted band is the room between the debt subject to the limit and the statutory limit (U.S. Treasury, Fiscal Data, Daily Treasury Statement, Debt Subject to Limit): debt $16.39T, limit $16.39T on .

The linesLatest:

  • Debt subject to the limit$16.39T
  • Statutory limit$16.39T

Treasury's cash balance at the close of each statement day of 2012

251 statements, to Lowest on

Treasury's cash balance at the close of each statement day, 3 January 2012 to 31 December 2012

Each point is one Daily Treasury Statement; pointing at the chart shows its date and figures. A gap is a day the limit was suspended.

Select a line to followLatest:

Inspect and compare dates

The year's last statement beside the day room left was lowest and the year's first statement. Every statement day of 2012 is in the table under "The numbers behind the chart".

MeasureLast statementLowest roomFirst statement
Statement day
Subject to the limit16,393,97515,193,97615,183,641
Statutory limit16,394,00015,194,00015,194,000
Room left252410,359
Cash balance92,72087,03188,451

Observed .

In 2012

Room left fell from $10.36 billion on to $25.00 million on .

Room left was under $1 billion on 18 statement days of the year's 251.

Every year, side by side

The limit

From , the limit was $16.39 trillion, up from $15.19 trillion.

The limit in force today

Understanding near the limit

Where it stands today

Room left was under $1 billion on 18 statement days of 2012; the lowest was $24.00 million, on .

What counts as near the limit?

A statement day counts as near the limit when room left is under $1 billion: under extraordinary measures Treasury keeps a small room, never exactly zero.

The numbers behind the chart

What did each statement day of 2012 say?251 days, newest first, $ million
Each Daily Treasury Statement of 2012 ($ million)
DateSubject to the limitLimitRoom leftCash balance
16,393,97516,394,0002592,720
16,298,02116,394,00095,97958,766
16,299,79216,394,00094,20854,749
16,299,42316,394,00094,57755,679
16,299,09416,394,00094,90663,586
16,297,71816,394,00096,28252,097
16,295,70516,394,00098,29549,800
16,313,53516,394,00080,46575,017
16,321,23716,394,00072,76380,337
16,312,66016,394,00081,34084,145
16,321,00516,394,00072,99538,806
16,331,39916,394,00062,60128,987
Show 239 more rows
DateSubject to the limitLimitRoom leftCash balance
16,327,89416,394,00066,10631,399
16,337,33316,394,00056,66738,011
16,331,50116,394,00062,49941,608
16,326,77616,394,00067,22439,477
16,327,83016,394,00066,17043,412
16,299,34016,394,00094,66021,431
16,308,45316,394,00085,54719,121
16,299,47716,394,00094,52323,983
16,330,89516,394,00063,10548,947
16,283,98816,394,000110,01226,607
16,267,63916,394,000126,36116,103
16,278,59516,394,000115,40527,014
16,270,63816,394,000123,36236,034
16,268,35016,394,000125,65033,513
16,244,03116,394,000149,96915,639
16,253,54616,394,000140,45423,412
16,246,95316,394,000147,04728,306
16,242,13516,394,000151,86526,768
16,239,72616,394,000154,27423,374
16,205,24916,394,000188,75126,859
16,209,14616,394,000184,85440,613
16,205,51216,394,000188,48839,622
16,206,10916,394,000187,89144,691
16,174,79716,394,000219,20323,970
16,175,16216,394,000218,83821,624
16,170,75116,394,000223,24927,142
16,166,88216,394,000227,11825,516
16,182,42716,394,000211,57346,728
16,222,23416,394,000171,76699,966
16,165,03116,394,000228,96943,543
16,159,95116,394,000234,04949,775
16,158,73616,394,000235,26445,559
16,157,99016,394,000236,01047,373
16,155,72116,394,000238,27952,847
16,164,76216,394,000229,23864,204
16,159,58216,394,000234,41866,750
16,156,92116,394,000237,07963,289
16,159,03116,394,000234,96965,500
16,154,02316,394,000239,97768,600
16,160,48516,394,000233,51577,480
16,151,87716,394,000242,12376,731
16,118,40616,394,000275,59445,276
16,119,12216,394,000274,87850,672
16,118,62516,394,000275,37553,452
16,128,79116,394,000265,20969,447
16,122,67816,394,000271,32267,010
16,122,67816,394,000271,32269,978
16,114,13516,394,000279,86573,488
16,131,84216,394,000262,15894,981
16,120,27916,394,000273,72196,649
16,027,02116,394,000366,97985,446
15,976,23716,394,000417,76361,623
15,976,96316,394,000417,03765,665
15,983,85616,394,000410,14475,406
15,978,94116,394,000415,05979,661
15,977,16616,394,000416,83473,039
15,975,47616,394,000418,52472,824
15,974,08516,394,000419,91575,676
15,982,07616,394,000411,92479,451
15,970,02816,394,000423,97274,230
16,006,83616,394,000387,16463,322
16,006,71916,394,000387,28133,687
16,007,39516,394,000386,60538,483
16,015,99716,394,000378,00346,323
16,009,05016,394,000384,95051,090
16,007,67516,394,000386,32547,502
16,006,49416,394,000387,50650,732
15,981,68316,394,000412,31726,561
15,969,05016,394,000424,95029,357
15,976,71116,394,000417,28930,121
15,952,02816,394,000441,97233,934
15,939,69416,394,000454,30625,021
15,940,41516,394,000453,58522,188
15,936,70716,394,000457,29328,178
15,936,25716,394,000457,74324,377
15,937,95516,394,000456,04527,840
15,921,97416,394,000472,02613,680
15,931,62916,394,000462,37121,420
15,926,24916,394,000467,75127,134
15,923,50216,394,000470,49825,007
15,919,39516,394,000474,60531,008
15,906,32616,394,000487,67419,906
15,880,93316,394,000513,06728,968
15,876,98116,394,000517,01931,612
15,876,37116,394,000517,62929,169
15,877,20116,394,000516,79930,793
15,865,34516,394,000528,65526,113
15,873,45516,394,000520,54527,183
15,870,08016,394,000523,92035,188
15,865,97416,394,000528,02633,960
15,881,92416,394,000512,07658,993
15,868,49116,394,000525,50952,683
15,894,57716,394,000499,42390,485
15,834,79116,394,000559,20932,855
15,839,36316,394,000554,63729,308
15,840,53316,394,000553,46730,768
15,835,89816,394,000558,10238,258
15,843,51816,394,000550,48242,658
15,838,24916,394,000555,75148,459
15,835,85716,394,000558,14346,187
15,835,33416,394,000558,66650,820
15,835,03216,394,000558,96858,670
15,845,12916,394,000548,87167,054
15,836,69716,394,000557,30372,364
15,832,09416,394,000561,90660,142
15,832,42816,394,000561,57262,635
15,837,39116,394,000556,60975,287
15,846,77616,394,000547,22484,407
15,840,17316,394,000553,82787,513
15,840,40516,394,000553,59587,967
15,837,51616,394,000556,48493,693
15,841,85816,394,000552,14297,508
15,849,60216,394,000544,398124,415
15,815,88616,394,000578,11491,419
15,740,41316,394,000653,587112,110
15,738,43516,394,000655,565117,923
15,748,57716,394,000645,423127,556
15,742,03116,394,000651,969133,810
15,737,86616,394,000656,134130,293
15,739,06016,394,000654,940133,876
15,737,38916,394,000656,611139,880
15,744,10016,394,000649,900139,775
15,735,55116,394,000658,449130,343
15,731,55616,394,000662,444118,143
15,696,33916,394,000697,66138,792
15,694,56716,394,000699,43336,248
15,703,73416,394,000690,26641,410
15,697,27216,394,000696,72844,015
15,694,69316,394,000699,30741,931
15,692,68516,394,000701,31545,729
15,693,92816,394,000700,07254,040
15,692,72916,394,000701,27149,749
15,687,42216,394,000706,57855,859
15,684,18316,394,000709,81751,108
15,729,95016,394,000664,050112,369
15,674,28416,394,000719,71667,595
15,671,30316,394,000722,69770,312
15,669,20416,394,000724,79666,205
15,670,03816,394,000723,96271,897
15,671,90616,394,000722,09480,366
15,678,81516,394,000715,18591,111
15,673,04616,394,000720,95494,339
15,669,75816,394,000724,24290,860
15,670,36416,394,000723,63692,188
15,666,31416,394,000727,686101,035
15,673,66516,394,000720,335104,585
15,634,53516,394,000759,465101,061
15,631,68816,394,000762,31296,750
15,632,18316,394,000761,817102,204
15,631,56016,394,000762,440102,803
15,643,22916,394,000750,771113,248
15,633,28216,394,000760,718117,906
15,629,37616,394,000764,624115,184
15,628,65016,394,000765,350113,113
15,638,01216,394,000755,988136,746
15,630,73416,394,000763,266131,955
15,649,86316,394,000744,137166,619
15,580,42816,394,000813,572103,134
15,581,06816,394,000812,932100,513
15,580,02116,394,000813,979102,592
15,584,99216,394,000809,008108,364
15,576,88816,394,000817,11281,588
15,574,04216,394,000819,95865,797
15,572,26316,394,000821,73759,553
15,617,42516,394,000776,575103,093
15,618,25216,394,000775,748104,044
15,611,30616,394,000782,69465,129
15,572,36116,394,000821,63926,052
15,571,62016,394,000822,38023,565
15,574,73316,394,000819,26735,524
15,583,46716,394,000810,53345,935
15,578,07016,394,000815,93048,775
15,575,23216,394,000818,76846,172
15,576,32216,394,000817,67848,272
15,574,37116,394,000819,62956,774
15,573,48516,394,000820,51553,436
15,576,95316,394,000817,04779,611
15,538,68516,394,000855,31543,480
15,537,30316,394,000856,69764,030
15,537,68216,394,000856,31868,452
15,546,86816,394,000847,13282,286
15,543,52316,394,000850,47788,048
15,542,99516,394,000851,00586,184
15,542,31416,394,000851,68690,959
15,531,86216,394,000862,13887,172
15,540,80716,394,000853,19398,805
15,531,65216,394,000862,348107,604
15,523,95416,394,000870,046107,584
15,522,18316,394,000871,817101,083
15,473,84616,394,000920,15445,420
15,481,56416,394,000912,43649,778
15,476,51716,394,000917,48350,372
15,474,39716,394,000919,60335,753
15,475,13116,394,000918,86939,879
15,455,70616,394,000938,29426,437
15,456,41416,394,000937,58627,967
15,449,36316,394,000944,63735,979
15,447,22416,394,000946,77635,511
15,458,35616,394,000935,64461,827
15,446,26116,394,000947,73962,542
15,399,79416,394,000994,20625,595
15,396,18116,394,000997,81935,300
15,395,62316,394,000998,37736,343
15,393,31916,394,0001,000,68143,856
15,373,96816,394,0001,020,03236,033
15,377,43616,394,0001,016,56454,841
15,374,19216,394,0001,019,80857,347
15,370,62016,394,0001,023,38070,300
15,349,34816,394,0001,044,65250,066
15,316,99116,394,0001,077,00957,918
15,312,79616,394,0001,081,20465,442
15,311,67616,394,0001,082,32457,082
15,313,40016,394,0001,080,60061,670
15,293,28016,394,0001,100,72049,136
15,301,11016,394,0001,092,89072,497
15,295,47816,394,0001,098,52283,328
15,292,67816,394,0001,101,32293,899
15,308,96616,394,0001,085,034129,076
15,288,34516,394,0001,105,655120,691
15,313,69816,394,0001,080,302158,596
15,252,83116,394,0001,141,169108,977
15,193,97515,194,00025108,533
15,193,97515,194,00025109,018
15,193,97515,194,00025111,938
15,193,97615,194,00024118,680
15,193,97515,194,00025115,366
15,193,97515,194,00025106,676
15,193,97415,194,00026112,642
15,193,97515,194,00025108,203
15,193,97515,194,00025111,827
15,193,97515,194,0002565,264
15,193,97515,194,0002565,394
15,193,97515,194,0002566,067
15,193,97515,194,0002574,511
15,193,97515,194,0002580,892
15,193,97515,194,0002580,282
15,193,97515,194,0002585,528
15,193,97615,194,0002487,031
15,183,64115,194,00010,35988,451

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

What were the year's figures, at a glance?2012
The debt limit in 2012
MeasureValue
Statement days held251
Lowest room left ($ million)24
Day of the lowest room
Near the limit: room under this amount ($ million)1,000
Statement days near the limit18
Statement days with the limit suspended0
How much room was left at the end of each month of 2012?$ million
Last statement day of each month ($ million)
MonthDateSubject to the limitLimitRoom leftCash balance
January 201215,313,69816,394,0001,080,302158,596
February 201215,446,26116,394,000947,73962,542
March 201215,538,68516,394,000855,31543,480
April 201215,649,86316,394,000744,137166,619
May 201215,729,95016,394,000664,050112,369
June 201215,815,88616,394,000578,11491,419
July 201215,894,57716,394,000499,42390,485
August 201215,976,71116,394,000417,28930,121
September 201216,027,02116,394,000366,97985,446
October 201216,222,23416,394,000171,76699,966
November 201216,330,89516,394,00063,10548,947
December 201216,393,97516,394,0002592,720

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

When did the limit change in 2012?A dash means suspended
Changes in the statutory limit ($ million; a dash means suspended)
First statement dayLimit beforeLimit after
15,194,00016,394,000
When are the figures from?

Observed .

Room under the limit from the U.S. Treasury, Fiscal Data.

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