Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has made a fresh claim about how much tax he expects to pay in his lifetime. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he said he believes he will end up paying more than $500 billion in taxes. His comment comes at a time when his personal wealth has surged to about $852 billion this month.
This sharp rise in his fortune followed a major merger between his rocket company SpaceX and his artificial intelligence firm xAI. The deal created a combined company valued at $1.25 trillion, significantly boosting Musk’s net worth.
Replying to a video in which he joked about being the “largest individual taxpayer in history”, Musk said he has already paid more than $10 billion in taxes.
I will probably end up paying over $500B in taxes, inclusive of death https://t.co/xVQHxhRzxU
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 20, 2026
“I’m the largest individual taxpayer in history. I paid over $10 billion in tax. I thought, maybe the IRS would send me like a little trophy or something,” Musk said, drawing laughter from the audience.
“Like one of those like doesn’t have to be expensive. It could be one of those things you get for when kids win a karate competition But I didn’t get anything,” he added.
“I will probably end up paying over $500B in taxes, inclusive of death,” he said in a response to the video.
$84 billion jump in a single day
Earlier this month, Musk’s net worth jumped by $84 billion in just one day after the SpaceX-xAI merger. The deal reshaped his ownership structure and gave him a 43% stake in the new company, which is valued at around $542 billion.
His wealth could grow even further. Tesla shareholders have approved a “Mars shot” pay package for him. If Tesla achieves its growth targets over the next 10 years, Musk could receive up to $1 trillion worth of additional shares. If that happens, he could become the world’s first trillionaire.
Musk currently owns about a 12% stake in Tesla, valued at around $178 billion. In addition, he holds stock options worth another $124 billion.
With his net worth now estimated at around $852 billion, Musk is widely seen as the frontrunner to become the world’s first trillionaire. No other billionaire is currently close to that mark. Most of the world’s wealthiest individuals are valued in the $100–$250 billion range, meaning Musk’s fortune is hundreds of billions of dollars ahead of even his nearest rivals.