Gov. Scott Walker's administration says Wisconsin faces a $2.2 billion budget shortfall by mid-2017.
The Republican-controlled Legislature will have to tackle the problem next year as Walker is building his resume for a potential presidential run.
The estimate released Thursday takes into account spending requests made by state agencies for the next biennium.
The figures will be further refined by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau in January. Walker is expected to deliver his budget address for 2015-2017 in late January or February.