Press Release  August Revenue Collections Total $2.788 Billion

(Boston, MA) — Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) Commissioner Geoffrey Snyder today announced that preliminary revenue collections for August totaled $2.788 billion, $167 million or 6.4% more than actual collections in August 2024.

FY2026 year-to-date collections totaled approximately $5.483 billion, which is $175 million or 3.3% more than actual collections in the same period of FY2025.

“August revenue included increases relative to August 2024 collections in withholding and ‘all other’ tax,” said Commissioner Snyder. “These increases were partially offset by decreases in non-withheld income tax, sales and use tax, and corporate and business tax. The increase in withholding is due, in part, to M&A activity. The increase in ‘all other’ tax is due, primarily, to an increase in estate tax, a category that tends to fluctuate. The decrease in non-withheld income is mostly due to an unfavorable increase in refunds. The decrease in sales and use tax is due to normal periodic fluctuations in collections. The decrease in corporate and business tax is due to a decrease in estimated tax and return payments, partially offset by a favorable decrease in refunds."

The reported collections are not being measured against fiscal year 2026 benchmarks, which are expected to be established in September.

August is typically one of the smaller months for revenue collections because neither individual nor business taxpayers make significant estimated payments during the month. Historically, roughly 6.4% of annual revenue, on average, has been received during August.

Given the brief period covered in the report, August results should not be used as a predictor for the rest of the fiscal year.

Details:

• Income tax collections for August totaled $1.713 billion, $173 million or 11.3% more than August 2024.
• Withholding tax collections for August totaled $1.648 billion, $188 million or 12.8% more than August 2024.
• Income tax estimated payments for August totaled $54 million, $1 million or 1.9% more than August 2024.
• Income tax returns and bills for August totaled $65 million, $4 million or 6.2% less than August 2024.
• Income tax cash refunds for August totaled $54 million in outflows, $11 million or 25.6% more than August 2024.
• Sales and use tax collections for August totaled $777 million, $13 million or 1.7% less than August 2024.
• Corporate and business tax collections for August totaled $58 million, $22 million or 27.2% less than August 2024.
• “All other” tax collections for August totaled $240 million, $29 million or 13.6% more than August 2024.

August 2025 Tax Collections Summary (in $ millions) Preliminary as of September 4, 2025 (PDF)

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