Total outstanding US federal debt stood at $40.4 trillion on Oct. 19, including debt held by the public and intragovernmental holdings, the US Department of the Treasury said.
Debt increased $294.9 billion, or 0.7%, from Sept. 18, the department said. It rose $2.42 trillion, or 6.4%, from Oct. 20, 2025, over the roughly one-year comparison period.
Debt held by the public accounted for $32.53 trillion of the outstanding balance on Oct. 19, the department said. Intragovernmental holdings totaled $7.86 trillion, making up the smaller of the two components.
Accrued interest expense totaled $63.1 billion in September, the department said. The fiscal year-to-date amount reached $800 billion for fiscal 2026 in the interest figures recorded for Sept. 30.
Treasury notes accounted for the largest interest expense in both September and the fiscal year-to-date figures. Interest on notes totaled $43.5 billion for the month and $498.3 billion for fiscal 2026, the department said.
Treasury bonds followed notes in both periods, with accrued interest of $15.3 billion in September and $178.2 billion for the fiscal year, the department said. Notes and bonds each exceeded every other listed category in both periods.
Inflation compensation on Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, or TIPS, accounted for $69.7 billion in fiscal 2026 interest expense, the department said. That placed the category behind notes and bonds in the fiscal year-to-date figures.
For September, however, the inflation compensation category recorded negative accrued interest expense of $452 million, the department said. It was the only category with a negative monthly amount among those listed.
Treasury floating rate notes generated $2.3 billion in September interest expense and $26.7 billion for fiscal 2026, the department said. Their expense exceeded the separately listed inflation-protected securities category in both the monthly and fiscal year-to-date figures.
That inflation-protected securities category accounted for $2.1 billion in September and $24.4 billion for fiscal 2026, the department said. The department listed those amounts separately from the inflation compensation expense.
The category covering state and local government certificates of indebtedness, notes and bonds recorded $218.9 million in September interest expense, the department said. Its fiscal year-to-date expense totaled $2.7 billion, below the other listed categories.
The September interest figures and the Oct. 19 debt balance cover different reporting dates. The department's debt comparisons run from Sept. 18 and Oct. 20, 2025, while the accrued interest figures cover September and fiscal 2026 through Sept. 30.
