Merit Systems Protection Board
Annual backlog, FY2008–FY2025
Pending requests at end of each fiscal year (Oct 1, 2007 – Sept 30, 2025). Federal fiscal year runs Oct 1 – Sept 30, named for the year it ends.
Dashed verticals mark presidential inaugurations.
Recent quarterly activity
Last 22 quarters of received, processed, and backlog. Most recent: FY2026 Q2 (Jan 1 – Mar 31, 2026).
10 oldest pending requests, end of FY2025 (Sept 30, 2025)
Agencies report days pending in working days, counted from the day the request was received; the years column converts to calendar years. The longer this list runs, the more litigation-ripe the agency’s backlog.
| Rank | Date received | Working days pending | Years pending |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 2018-05-25 | 1,833 | 7.4 |
| #2 | 2018-07-02 | 1,808 | 7.2 |
| #3 | 2019-01-02 | 1,684 | 6.7 |
| #4 | 2019-03-18 | 1,633 | 6.5 |
| #5 | 2020-05-05 | 1,348 | 5.4 |
| #6 | 2020-11-05 | 1,220 | 4.9 |
| #7 | 2020-11-06 | 1,219 | 4.9 |
| #8 | 2021-01-06 | 1,181 | 4.7 |
| #9 | 2021-01-08 | 1,179 | 4.7 |
| #10 | 2021-05-10 | 1,096 | 4.4 |
Exemption invocations, FY2025 (Oct 1, 2024 – Sept 30, 2025)
How often each FOIA exemption (b1–b9) was invoked when redacting or denying records. Exemption 5 (deliberative process, attorney-client) is highlighted — it’s the most-fought exemption in FOIA litigation.
FOIA staffing, FY2025 (Oct 1, 2024 – Sept 30, 2025)
Annual report history
| FY | Received | Processed | Pending end |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 209 | 186 | 171 |
| FY2024 | 219 | 184 | 148 |
| FY2023 | 221 | 167 | 118 |
| FY2022 | 138 | 130 | 64 |
| FY2021 | 172 | 171 | 56 |
| FY2020 | 127 | 124 | 55 |
| FY2019 | 117 | 115 | 52 |
| FY2018 | 173 | 200 | 51 |
| FY2017 | 176 | 190 | 78 |
| FY2016 | 206 | 168 | 93 |
| FY2015 | 165 | 136 | 50 |
| FY2014 | 221 | 212 | 21 |
| FY2013 | 207 | 202 | 5 |
| FY2012 | 225 | 237 | 0 |
| FY2011 | 121 | 113 | 12 |
| FY2010 | 400 | 401 | 4 |
| FY2009 | 334 | 335 | 5 |
| FY2008 | 358 | 367 | 6 |
Every dataset behind this page is available as CSV. Filter by agency name in your spreadsheet of choice.