What is McDonald's's deferred tax assets?

McDonald's (MCD) reported deferred tax assets of $3.26B in Q4 2025.

How has McDonald's's deferred tax assets changed year-over-year?

McDonald's's deferred tax assets decreased by 8.1% year-over-year, from $3.54B to $3.26B.

What is the long-term trend for McDonald's's deferred tax assets?

Over 5 years (2020 to 2025), McDonald's's deferred tax assets has grown at a 10.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $2.03B to $3.26B.

What does deferred tax assets mean?

A tax overpayment or credit that the company can use to lower its tax bill in the future.

Deferred Tax Assets

Non-Current Assets

McDonald's Deferred Tax Assets increased by 123.5% to $3.26B in Q4 2025 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 8.1%, from $3.54B to $3.26B. Over 5 years (FY 2020 to FY 2025), Deferred Tax Assets shows an upward trend with a 10.0% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.

Analysis

StatementBalance Sheet Statement

SectionNon-Current Assets

CategoryRisk

SignalHigher is better

VolatilityModerate

First reportedQ4 2009

Last reportedQ3 2025

How to read this metric

An increase suggests the company has more 'tax shields' to protect future earnings, while a valuation allowance against them would signal doubt about future profitability.

Detailed definition

An asset on the balance sheet that results from overpayment or advance payment of taxes, or from carryforwards of losses...

Peer comparison

Companies with significant R&D operations typically carry higher deferred tax assets due to government incentives for innovation.

Metric ID: deferred_tax_assets

Historical Data

18 periods

	Q2 '21	Q3 '21	Q4 '21	Q1 '22	Q2 '22	Q3 '22	Q4 '22	Q1 '23	Q2 '23	Q4 '23	Q1 '24	Q2 '24	Q3 '24	Q4 '24	Q1 '25	Q2 '25	Q3 '25	Q4 '25
Value	$364.00M	$364.00M	$364.00M	$2.05B	$2.25B	$2.15B	$2.48B	$1.88B	$1.62B	$3.02B	$1.80B	$1.61B	$1.17B	$3.54B	$1.72B	$1.42B	$1.46B	$3.26B
QoQ Change	—	+0.0%	+0.0%	+462.8%	+9.8%	-4.6%	+15.5%	-24.0%	-14.0%	+86.7%	-40.6%	-10.4%	-27.6%	+203.9%	-51.4%	-17.3%	+2.4%	+123.5%
YoY Change	—	—	—	—	+518.0%	+489.3%	+580.5%	-8.1%	-28.0%	+22.0%	-4.6%	-0.6%	—	+17.2%	-4.2%	-11.6%	+25.0%	-8.1%

Range$364.00M – $3.54B

CAGR+67.5%

Avg YoY Growth+122.1%

Median YoY Growth-0.6%

Current Streak2 quarters growth

Frequently Asked Questions

What is McDonald's's deferred tax assets?: McDonald's (MCD) reported deferred tax assets of $3.26B in Q4 2025.
How has McDonald's's deferred tax assets changed year-over-year?: McDonald's's deferred tax assets decreased by 8.1% year-over-year, from $3.54B to $3.26B.
What is the long-term trend for McDonald's's deferred tax assets?: Over 5 years (2020 to 2025), McDonald's's deferred tax assets has grown at a 10.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $2.03B to $3.26B.
What does deferred tax assets mean?: A tax overpayment or credit that the company can use to lower its tax bill in the future.