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Taking a peek at Obama, Biden 2014 tax returns

April 16, 2015

Admit it. You'd love to know how much taxes your friends, coworkers, family members pay. 

Sorry. I can't help you find out those amounts. But I can offer an alternative to your tax voyeurism.

Check out the president's and vice president's 2014 tax returns.

What the Obamas owed: President Barack Obama and wife Michelle filed their joint Form 1040 a few days before the April 15 deadline.

Obama 2014 tax return
Click image to see the Obamas' complete 2014 tax return.

The 38 pages, which includes worksheets, gives you a good idea of how the First Family gets its money and what steps the Prez and First Lady took to reduce their eventual tax bill, although Jerry Lynch, a certified financial planner, chartered underwriter and chartered financial consultant, says the Obamas could have done more to save on taxes.

The bottom line for the current White House residents was a $93,362 tax liability.

Obama 2014 tax return total tax liability

Feeling a bit better now about what you owed the U.S. Treasury?

Overall, the Obamas in 2014 were in the 33 percent federal tax bracket on ordinary income and the 15 percent one for capital gains. But their tax liability divided by their adjusted gross income of $477,383 puts their tax year 2014 effective federal tax rate at just 19.6 percent.

The president also was subject to both of the Obamacare surcharges. There's the additional 0.9 percent collected on earned income and the 3.8 percent tallied on investment income.

And, like most Americans, the couple paid state income taxes. Although they bunk at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., their legal tax residency is Illinois. That state has a 5 percent flat income tax rate.

Joe and Dr. Jill: As for the Bidens, the veep and his wife filed joint federal and combined Delaware income tax returns. Dr. Biden filed a separate non-resident Virginia tax return.

Together, Joe and Jill Biden reported adjusted gross income of $388,844 and paid $90,506 in total federal tax for 2014. That's an effective tax rate of 23.3 percent.

Their state income tax payment to Delaware was $13,661. Dr. Biden paid $3,777 in Virginia income tax on her earnings in the Old Dominion.

Hmmmm. I wonder if the Obamas and Bidens plugged their tax numbers into the White House's new 2014 taxpayer receipt calculator.

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TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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