State budget

State checkbook

What state agencies paid out, added up by agency, by kind of spending and by the organizations paid. From the state’s own checkbook, FY14 to FY26.¹ The state budget · The source data

$11.09B

paid to vendors and others, FY20

$9.90B

to organizations we can name (89%)

$1.18B

to individuals and others, unnamed (11%)²

$8.87B

more in transfers between state accounts³

Year by year

Payments to vendors and others by fiscal year, not counting transfers.

$17.02B

Show the numbers

Year	Paid	Individuals and others	Transfers
FY26	$17.02B	$1.24B	$9.20B
FY25	$13.40B	$1.24B	$12.41B
FY24	$13.10B	$1.17B	$11.38B
FY23	$13.05B	$1.19B	$9.89B
FY22	$13.68B	$1.57B	$8.57B
FY21	$12.46B	$1.36B	$8.64B
FY20	$11.09B	$1.18B	$8.87B
FY19	$11.25B	$1.27B	$6.91B
FY18	$10.34B	$1.34B	$7.32B
FY17	$10.20B	$1.26B	$7.34B
FY16	$10.24B	$1.43B	$7.59B
FY15	$9.87B	$1.53B	$7.50B
FY14	$9.42B	$1.61B	$6.83B

By agency, FY20

Education$4.15B37%
Transportation$1.70B15%
Revenue$1.51B14%
Treasurer of State$805.7M7%
Human Services Assistance Payments$444.6M4%
Alcoholic Beverages$257.4M2%
Iowa Economic Development Authority$184.1M2%
Homeland Security and Emergency Management$179.9M2%
Workforce Development$178.7M2%
Public Health$162.9M1%
Administrative Services$140.7M1%
Management$138.0M1%

Every agency

Agency	Paid	Individuals and others	Transfers
Education	$4.15B	$116.0M	$280K
Transportation	$1.70B	$270.2M	$246K
Revenue	$1.51B	$24.8M	$9.2M
Treasurer of State	$805.7M	$44.0M	$61.1M
Human Services Assistance Payments	$444.6M	$170.1M	$6.51B
Alcoholic Beverages	$257.4M	$90.8M	$58K
Iowa Economic Development Authority	$184.1M	$46.0M	$284K
Homeland Security and Emergency Management	$179.9M	$22.2M	$1.3M
Workforce Development	$178.7M	$6.7M	$424.4M
Public Health	$162.9M	$32.1M	$35.7M
Administrative Services	$140.7M	$30.1M	$325.6M
Management	$138.0M	$11.3M	$490.0M
Board of Regents	$129.6M	$11.5M	$493.0M
College Aid	$83.4M	$28.5M	$36K
Natural Resources	$80.5M	$15.3M	$2.7M
Human Rights	$78.3M	$31.0M	$35K
Iowa Lottery Authority	$54.1M	$23.0M	$18.6M
State Accounting Trust Accounts	$45.5M	$3.9M	$278.4M
General Services Capitals	$43.9M	$5.5M	$2,456
Agriculture and Land Stewardship	$42.9M	$21.5M	$342K
Chief Information Officer	$39.9M	$14.3M	$110K
State Public Defender	$37.9M	$20.9M	$137K
Attorney General	$34.4M	$12.4M	$1.5M
Iowa Department on Aging	$30.6M	$5.8M	$14K
IPERS	$30.3M	$12.1M	$162.4M
Human Services Administration	$30.0M	$9.2M	$152K
Public Safety	$29.5M	$9.7M	$31.9M
Public Defense	$28.6M	$7.0M	$791K
Iowa Communications Network	$23.3M	$3.3M	$448K
Soybean Promotion Board	$23.2M	$0	$0
Corn Promotion Board	$23.0M	$0	$0
Vocational Rehabilitation	$22.1M	$7.5M	$577K
CBC District V	$22.0M	$0	$0
Corrections Industries	$21.7M	$8.9M	$893K
Human Services Community Serv	$19.7M	$2.3M	$105K
Finance Authority	$15.5M	$79K	$130K
CBC District I	$15.2M	$0	$0
CBC Dictrict VI	$15.1M	$0	$0
Human Services Woodward	$12.8M	$5.6M	$928K
Corrections Iowa Medical and Classification Center	$12.1M	$1.4M	$1.9M
CBC Dictrict II	$11.8M	$0	$0
Racing Commission - Inspect and Appeals	$11.4M	$4.1M	$32K
Iowa Veterans Home	$11.1M	$2.8M	$2.8M
Regents, Capital Expenditures	$10.3M	$0	$0
State Fair	$9.3M	$9.3M	$0
Corrections Central Office	$9.1M	$405K	$45K
CBC District VIII	$8.5M	$0	$0
CBC District VII	$8.0M	$8.0M	$0
Human Services Glenwood	$7.8M	$2.8M	$2.1M
CBC District III	$7.3M	$0	$0
Cultural Affairs	$6.9M	$2.8M	$94K
Corrections Fort Madison	$5.9M	$2.7M	$850K
CBC District IV	$5.8M	$0	$0
Transportation, Capitals	$5.5M	$1.9M	$0
Corrections Newton	$4.0M	$2.0M	$690K
Education, Iowa Public Tv	$4.0M	$3.2M	$22K
Executive Council	$3.6M	$1.2M	$0
Secretary of State	$3.6M	$450K	$194K
Insurance	$3.4M	$1.1M	$66K
Corrections Anamosa	$3.2M	$1.6M	$1.7M
Corrections Clarinda	$3.1M	$1.2M	$767K
Human Services Independence	$2.9M	$887K	$212K
Corrections Mitchellville	$2.8M	$547K	$647K
Corrections Mt Pleasant	$2.7M	$1.1M	$683K
Corrections Fort Dodge	$2.5M	$933K	$2.1M
Inspections and Appeals	$2.5M	$1.1M	$90K
Treasurer of State Ust	$2.5M	$406K	$0
Iowa PBS	$2.4M	$968K	$52K
Utilities	$2.4M	$288K	$48K
Department for the Blind	$2.3M	$766K	$183K
Gov Off.of Drug Ctrl Policy	$2.3M	$251K	$4,693
DHS Trng School Eldora	$2.1M	$556K	$494K
Human Services Cherokee	$2.0M	$483K	$468K
Public Defense, Capitals	$2.0M	$245K	$0
Veterans Affairs	$1.8M	$383K	$26K
Ag- Cattle Promotion Board	$1.6M	$0	$0
Corrections Rockwell City	$1.6M	$507K	$571K
Civil Commitment Unit for Sexual Offenders	$1.2M	$699K	$72K
State Fair Capitals	$1.1M	$1.1M	$0
Ag- Egg Council	$1.0M	$0	$0
Law Enforcement Academy	$1.0M	$75K	$9,924
Judicial Capitals	$965K	$0	$0
Banking	$937K	$675K	$133K
Auditor of State	$817K	$352K	$25K
Corrections Farm Account	$794K	$260K	$2,049
Public Safety, Capitals	$769K	$0	$0
Ag- Loess Hills Soil	$490K	$490K	$0
Ag- Turkey Marketing Council	$332K	$0	$0
Governor	$232K	$37K	$29K
Credit Union	$228K	$149K	$2,490
Education, Infrastructure	$187K	$0	$0
Corrections Capitals	$177K	$27K	$0
Legislative Capital	$165K	$0	$0
Board of Educational Examiners	$156K	$116K	$10K
Public Employment Relations	$104K	$46K	$12K
Civil Rights Commission	$93K	$36K	$19K
Consumer Advocate	$91K	$72K	$5,870
Professional Licensing/reg	$88K	$55K	$8,503
St Historical Society Capitals	$65K	$0	$0
Ethics and Campaign Disclosure	$58K	$16K	$0
Parole Board	$40K	$9,837	$4,358
Trea of St Tobacco Settlement	$37K	$10K	$0
Public Information Board	$15K	$4,776	$0

By kind of spending, FY20

The state’s expense categories. “Aid to individuals” and “State aid” are money passed on to people, schools and local governments.

State Aid$4.81B43%
Refunds-Other$1.33B12%
Capitals$1.30B12%
Refunds-Local Option$948.2M9%
Outside Services$367.0M3%
Prof & Scientific Services$331.0M3%
Aid to Individuals$326.9M3%
Inventory$246.7M2%
Other Expenses & Obligations$241.3M2%
Intra-State Transfers$234.1M2%
Claims$100.5M1%
IT Outside Services$95.1M1%

Organizations paid the most, FY20

Des Moines Independent Community Schools$330.4M 3%
Cedar Rapids CSD$150.6M 1%
Sioux City Comm Sch Dist$145.7M 1%
Davenport Comm Sch Dist$139.7M 1%
Waterloo Comm Sch Dist$105.9M 1%
Area Education Agency 11$98.2M 1%
Iowa City Comm Sch Dist$94.9M 1%
Cramer & Assoc Inc$92.5M 1%
Des Moines City of$91.9M 1%
Internal Revenue Service-Ui-Dua Benefitsfema #1763$86.1M 1%
Dubuque Comm Sch Dist$85.9M 1%
Ankeny Comm Sch Dist$85.4M 1%
Council Bluffs Comm Schl$84.4M 1%
Polk Co Treasurer$83.2M 1%
Peterson Contractors Inc$82.7M 1%
Waukee Comm Sch Dist$74.2M 1%
Cedar Rapids City of$66.9M 1%
Internal Revenue Service-Benefit Fund$63.5M 1%
Southeast Polk Comm SD$57.8M 1%
Linn-Mar Comm Sch Dist$56.8M 1%

Share of all payments that year. Every agency’s payments added together.

Payments to individuals and others

In FY20, $1.18B (11% of payments) went to payees that aren’t named here: people, and payees whose names don’t show they’re an organization. The state also lists $395.3M of its transfers and other entries under RESTRICTED payees.⁴

Notes

The executive branch’s central accounting system only. It leaves out the Legislature and the courts, and spending recorded in other systems. A fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30, plus payments made in July and August for goods and services received by June 30. Refunds and voided payments count as negative amounts. ↩
Iowa Funnel names a payee only when its name shows it is an organization: a company (Inc, LLC, Corp and the like), a government, a school district, a college, a hospital, a bank, a church or another institution. Payments to everyone else are added into one total for each agency and year. Their names aren’t kept or searchable. When we can’t tell, a payee counts with individuals, so that total also holds some businesses. ↩
The state marks some entries as not a payment to an outside vendor: transfers between state accounts, payroll deductions and similar entries. They count in an agency’s total but not under any payee. ↩
The state removes names it must keep confidential under state or federal law and lists them as RESTRICTED. Among payments to vendors, they count with individuals here; most are recorded as transfers and other entries. Some payments are only recorded as totals in the state’s accounting system, such as Medicaid, IPERS pensions, unemployment benefits and tax refunds, so the people paid aren’t listed at all. ↩

Sources: State of Iowa Executive Branch Checkbook on the Iowa Data Hub (Iowa Department of Administrative Services): the full ledger (dataset 1021), its yearly files, and the last 90 days (1076) for the year still open.