Office of Personnel Management
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 21 quarters of received, processed, and backlog. Most recent: FY2026 Q1 (Oct 1 – Dec 31, 2025).
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 | 2021-05-05 | 1,091 | 4.4 |
| #2 | 2021-06-07 | 1,069 | 4.3 |
| #3 | 2021-07-01 | 1,052 | 4.2 |
| #4 | 2021-12-01 | 950 | 3.8 |
| #5 | 2021-12-23 | 934 | 3.8 |
| #6 | 2022-01-17 | 919 | 3.7 |
| #7 | 2022-03-28 | 871 | 3.5 |
| #8 | 2022-03-28 | 871 | 3.5 |
| #9 | 2022-04-25 | 8,651 | 3.4 |
| #10 | 2022-05-19 | 833 | 3.4 |
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 | 2,142 | 694 | 1,764 |
| FY2024 | 968 | 783 | 325 |
| FY2023 | 581 | 586 | 148 |
| FY2022 | 456 | 508 | 156 |
| FY2021 | 640 | 842 | 220 |
| FY2020 | 8,123 | 8,140 | 242 |
| FY2019 | 10,495 | 10,493 | 261 |
| FY2018 | 10,668 | 10,575 | 306 |
| FY2017 | 10,029 | 9,966 | 213 |
| FY2016 | 10,189 | 11,104 | 150 |
| FY2015 | 10,720 | 10,854 | 199 |
| FY2014 | 8,302 | 8,463 | 677 |
| FY2013 | 11,188 | 12,184 | 547 |
| FY2012 | 9,519 | 10,610 | 356 |
| FY2011 | 7,844 | 7,643 | 573 |
| FY2010 | 3,009 | 3,056 | 8 |
| FY2009 | 3,273 | 3,317 | 55 |
| FY2008 | 6,236 | 7,123 | 99 |
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