By GARRY RAYNO, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD — After a preliminary accrual of last fiscal year’s revenues, state budget officials believe the state took in $3.27 billion.
That figure is unaudited and could change as the official figure will be released with the state’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report at the end of the calendar year.
Total revenues indicate the state had a $170 million revenue surplus and collected $168.5 million more than in fiscal year 2025.
The figures are slightly lower than the ones released earlier last month by the Department of Administrative Services, which indicated the state raised $3.28 million for the 2026 fiscal year.
Department officials said the state’s total was adjusted down by $12.3 million from the earlier report.
Business taxes were also adjusted downward from earlier figures to $1.124 billion from $1.137 billion which is a $13 million true up.
The overall state budget figures was buoyed by $103.8 million from a tax amnesty program budget writers believed would produce between $5 million and $8 million.
But department officials note, the windfall aside, the state would have had a $71.2 million revenue surplus without the additional money.
The state’s revenue collection was also boosted by an additional $42 million in transfers to the state Education Trust Fund, totaling $251 million from the Lottery Commission.
That figure was adjusted upward by about $200,000 from the earlier report.
The state’s second largest levy, the Rooms and Meals Tax took in $350 million, which was adjusted up by about $11.3 million for the fiscal year.
The total was below estimates by about .4 percent but above the 2025 fiscal year by about 3.2 percent.
Budget officials note that $140.2 million was transferred to municipal revenue sharing with cities and towns before the final total is determined.
The Real Estate Transfer Tax raised $235.8 million in fiscal 2026, which is $21.4 million more than estimates and $12.8 million more than in fiscal 2025.
The tax total for fiscal 2026 was adjusted upward by almost $5 million from earlier reports.
The Securities Tax was also adjusted upward by $200,000 to $44.1 million, although it was below budget estimates by $300,000.
The Other category comprised of a number of assessments including interest earned from investments of federal COVID relief and rescue money and past state surpluses, showed earnings of $163 million for the state, which was $27 million more than estimates, but $21 million less than collected in fiscal 2025.
The 2026 fiscal year included a new revenue stream from video lottery terminals at charity gambling facilities that lawmakers estimated would produce $60 million. Installation was slowed and operational machines did not begin reporting until late October, putting revenues well behind for the fiscal year target by 63.6 percent.
The terminals which split their state earnings between the state general fund and Education Trust Fund, although the state constitution calls for all lottery earnings to go just to the education fund, only produced $22 million in their first year of operation.
While the state’s Interest and Dividends Tax was repealed beginning Jan, 1 2025, budget writers had anticipated it would produce $8.7 million in fiscal 2026, but only $500,000 was collected.
The last full fiscal year of its collection in fiscal 2024, the tax produced $184 million.
The total Highway Fund revenue, mostly generated by the gas tax and vehicle registrations, was 2 percent above its estimates for the fiscal year and 2.5 percent above the fiscal 2025 collections.
The Fish and Game Fund, generated by hunting and fishing licenses, was 6 percent above its estimates, and .7 percent above its fiscal 2025 earnings.
The state’s budget surplus at the end of fiscal 2026 will be determined by the actual amount of revenues collected and what state government actually spent.
That figure will be determined by the state’s annual audit and released in the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.
Garry Rayno may be reached at garry.rayno@yahoo.com.