In a move promoting transparency, the White House released the 2023 joint tax return of President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden on Monday, the deadline for Americans to file their taxes. The tax return reveals that the first couple earned $619,976 in 2023.
The tax return of Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff was also made public, showing the pair’s earnings of $450,299 for the same year.
“President Biden believes that all occupants of the Oval Office should be open and honest with the American people,” the White House stated on Monday. “He upholds the longstanding tradition of annually releasing presidential tax returns.”
This statement could be interpreted as a subtle critique of former President Donald Trump, who refrained from voluntarily disclosing his tax returns during his presidency. The House Ways and Means Committee released six years of Trump’s tax returns, including those from his presidential term, at the end of 2022.
The majority of the Bidens’ income was derived from President Biden’s congressionally mandated $400,000 salary and pensions. Dr. Jill Biden also contributed to their earnings with her $85,985 salary from her teaching position at Northern Virginia Community College.
The Bidens paid $146,629 in federal income tax in 2023, reflecting a federal income tax rate of 23.7%. They reported charitable contributions totaling $20,477 to 17 different organizations, including a $5,000 donation to the Beau Biden Foundation, a charity named after the president’s late son that aims to protect children from abuse.
Harris and Emhoff paid $88,570 in federal income tax, with a tax rate of 19.7% for 2023. They reported charitable contributions of $23,026, including donations to the DC Central Kitchen, Howard University, and the University of Southern California.
The Bidens have disclosed 26 years of tax returns in total, while Harris has released 20 years’ worth. The Bidens’ income saw an increase from $579,514 in 2022 to $619,976 in 2023. Harris and Emhoff reported an income of $456,918 in 2022 and $1.6 million in 2021, the year they sold a house.
The tradition of the first family releasing their tax returns was reinstated by the current first couple upon their assumption of office in 2021.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.