Operating
Deferred Taxes
Microsoft Deferred Taxes decreased by 41.5% to $2.60B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 216.0%, from -$2.24B to $2.60B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Deferred Taxes shows a downward trend with a 161.9% CAGR.
Analysis
StatementCash Flow Statement
SectionOperating
CategoryLiquidity
SignalContext dependent
VolatilityVolatile
First reportedQ1 2014
Last reportedQ3 2026Apr 29, 2026
How to read this metric
Positive values indicate tax benefits that improve cash flow, while negative values indicate cash tax outflows exceeding accounting expense.
Detailed definition
This reflects the difference between income tax expense recognized in the financial statements and the actual tax payabl...
Peer comparison
Common across all industries; highly dependent on specific tax jurisdictions and capital expenditure cycles.
Metric ID:
deferred_income_taxesHistorical Data
20 periods
| Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | Q2 '26 | Q3 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | -$34.00M | -$5.97B | $183.00M | -$198.00M | $0.00 | -$1.19B | -$1.31B | -$1.68B | -$1.89B | -$568.00M | -$1.70B | -$1.32B | -$1.15B | -$1.43B | -$1.16B | -$2.24B | -$2.22B | $2.49B | $4.45B | $2.60B |
| QoQ Change | — | <-999% | +103.1% | -208.2% | +100.0% | — | -9.6% | -28.4% | -12.7% | +69.9% | -199.6% | +22.3% | +13.5% | -25.2% | +19.2% | -93.8% | +1.0% | +212.2% | +78.5% | -41.5% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +100.0% | +80.1% | -813.1% | -746.0% | — | +52.3% | -30.4% | +21.0% | +39.4% | -152.3% | +32.0% | -69.6% | -94.0% | +273.8% | +483.9% | +216.0% |
Range-$5.97B – $4.45B
CAGR+149.2%
Avg YoY Growth-40.5%
Median YoY Growth+32.0%
Deferred Taxes at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Microsoft's deferred taxes?
- Microsoft (MSFT) reported deferred taxes of $2.60B in Q1 2026.
- How has Microsoft's deferred taxes changed year-over-year?
- Microsoft's deferred taxes increased by 216.0% year-over-year, from -$2.24B to $2.60B.
- What is the long-term trend for Microsoft's deferred taxes?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Microsoft's deferred taxes has grown at a 161.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from -$150.00M to -$7.06B.
- What does deferred taxes mean?
- The difference between tax reported on the income statement and actual cash taxes paid.