Meta capital expenditure
Meta capex: quarterly spending and annual guidance
Track Meta’s reported quarterly and year-to-date capital expenditure, current annual capex guidance, source filings, definitions, and coverage gaps.
Meta Platforms, Inc. (META)
Reported spend and current outlook
- Latest quarter
- $19.8B
- Latest YTD
- $48.3B
- Issuer guidance
- $125B–$145B
- Reviewed observations
- 54
Q1 2026
Through Sep 30, 2025
Fiscal 2026
complete expected-slot coverage
Source-reported history
Available quarterly capital expenditure
USD billions
The chart uses only issuer-reported quarterly durations. It leaves gaps where no standalone quarter was disclosed and does not manufacture a fourth-quarter value by subtracting year-to-date spending from the fiscal-year total.
Quarterly observations
| Period | Reported capex | Native metric | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | $19.8B | Capital expenditures | 10-Q |
| Q1 2025 | $12.9B | Payments to Acquire Property, Plant, and Equipment | 10-Q |
| Q1 2024 | $6.4B | Payments to Acquire Property, Plant, and Equipment | 10-Q |
| Q1 2023 | $6.8B | Payments to Acquire Property, Plant, and Equipment | 10-Q |
| Q1 2022 | $5.4B | Payments to Acquire Property, Plant, and Equipment | 10-Q |
| Q1 2021 | $4.3B | Payments to Acquire Property, Plant, and Equipment | 10-Q |
| Q1 2020 | $3.6B | Payments to Acquire Property, Plant, and Equipment | 10-Q |
| Q1 2019 | $3.8B | Payments to Acquire Property, Plant, and Equipment | 10-Q |
YTD and fiscal-year context
These reporting horizons overlap with the quarterly series. They are useful checkpoints, but they should not be added to the quarterly bars.
Definitions stay attached to the data
Meta’s management-defined capital expenditure includes purchases of property and equipment plus principal payments on finance leases. It is companywide and must not be added to the separate cash-capex line or treated as AI-only spending.
Payments to Acquire Property, Plant, and Equipment
The cash outflow associated with the acquisition of long-lived, physical assets that are used in the normal conduct of business to produce goods and services and not intended for resale; includes cash outflows to pay for construction of self-constructed assets.
Cash capex · companywide · SEC XBRL Company Facts (US GAAP)
Capital expenditures
Purchases of property and equipment plus principal payments on finance leases.
Management-defined capex · companywide · Accounting basis not separately stated
Coverage gaps and cautions
- Standalone fourth-quarter cash capex is not synthesized when the issuer reports only annual and nine-month totals.
- Companywide capex is not treated as AI-only, cloud-only, or data-center-only spending.
- Outlooks are forward-looking claims and remain separate from recognized cash spending.
- The SEC Company Facts duration is preserved exactly; overlapping reporting horizons must not be summed.
- Issuer-reported reconciliation; do not relabel finance-lease principal as new asset additions.
Last successful source sync: July 23, 2026. Latest reviewed evidence: April 30, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What does Meta capex include?
Meta’s management-defined capital expenditure includes purchases of property and equipment plus principal payments on finance leases. It is companywide and must not be added to the separate cash-capex line or treated as AI-only spending.
Is all Meta capex AI or data-center spending?
No. The reported figures are companywide and can include data centers, servers, offices, logistics assets, and other property or equipment. The tracker does not relabel the full amount as AI spending.
How is the Meta annual capex outlook treated?
Meta’s current figure is formal companywide capital-expenditure guidance. The approximate range supports AI efforts and the core business; the range remains intact and is not presented as recognized spending.
Are quarterly and year-to-date figures added together?
No. Quarterly, year-to-date, and fiscal-year observations are overlapping reporting horizons. They are displayed separately and are never summed.
Publication policy
Published metrics use reviewed observations. Pending review candidates are excluded from values, and missing disclosures stay missing. We preserve source units and distinguish actual spending, guidance, contractual commitments, trade values, weights, and price indices.
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Primary sources
- SEC EDGAR
Meta Platforms, Inc. filings and SEC Company Facts supply source-reported cash capital expenditures.
- Meta Investor Relations
Official investor materials are used for annual outlooks and the issuer’s native definition.