Follow the flow › Step 12 of 16 · Money path
12. Obligations: the promise to pay
When an agency signs a contract, hires someone, or approves a grant, it promises to pay. That promise is an obligation. Later the money actually leaves the Treasury; that payment is an outlay. Obligation first, outlay later.
Who holds the money or the vote here?
The money is still in the Treasury, set aside for the obligation until it is paid out.
How often does it happen?
Every day; reported monthly. Each appropriation can only be obligated for its allowed years.
Where the records come from
Federal data is the same for everyone. When you pick a state, the state and local rows are the places to look for your state. "Have now" means PSI Sci already collects it; "Planned" means we list the source but do not collect it yet.
| Level | Source | Format | How often | On PSI Sci |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | USAspending awards and account data (DATA Act) PSI Sci collects state, county and district totals | API/bulk | daily / monthly | Have now |
| State | State spending transparency (payments by agency and payee) (example: the Texas one) | bulk | monthly | Planned |
| County | County checkbook / accounts payable register | page/bulk | monthly | Planned |
| City | City checkbook / open data | page/bulk | monthly | Planned |
| District | USAspending by congressional district | API | monthly | Have now |
| ZIP | USAspending by recipient ZIP / place of performance ZIP | API | daily | Planned |
See these sources as searchable records (rendered live).
See it on PSI Sci now
Variable names
| Variable | Federal | State | County | City | District | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
obligation_amount | fed_obligation_amount | st_obligation_amount | cnty_obligation_amount | cty_obligation_amount | dist_obligation_amount | zip_obligation_amount |
outlay_amount | fed_outlay_amount | st_outlay_amount | cnty_outlay_amount | cty_outlay_amount | dist_outlay_amount | zip_outlay_amount |
award_id | award_id | award_id | award_id | award_id | award_id | award_id |
action_date | fed_action_date | st_action_date | cnty_action_date | cty_action_date | dist_action_date | zip_action_date |
object_class | fed_object_class | st_object_class | cnty_object_class | cty_object_class | dist_object_class | zip_object_class |
IDs (like bioguide_id, bill_id, piid, zcta) have no prefix because they already say what they point to.