Office of Special Counsel
Annual backlog, FY2010–FY2025
Pending requests at end of each fiscal year (Oct 1, 2009 – 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 17 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 | 2024-11-13 | 220 | 0.9 |
| #2 | 2025-05-01 | 104 | 0.4 |
| #3 | 2025-05-14 | 95 | 0.4 |
| #4 | 2025-05-20 | 91 | 0.4 |
| #5 | 2025-06-30 | 64 | 0.3 |
| #6 | 2025-07-15 | 54 | 0.2 |
| #7 | 2025-07-24 | 47 | 0.2 |
| #8 | 2025-07-24 | 47 | 0.2 |
| #9 | 2025-07-25 | 46 | 0.2 |
| #10 | 2025-08-04 | 40 | 0.2 |
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 | 400 | 475 | 25 |
| FY2024 | 243 | 170 | 99 |
| FY2023 | 118 | 103 | 26 |
| FY2022 | 138 | 140 | 11 |
| FY2021 | 135 | 169 | 13 |
| FY2020 | 144 | 193 | 47 |
| FY2019 | 149 | 183 | 96 |
| FY2018 | 189 | 282 | 129 |
| FY2017 | 179 | 156 | 223 |
| FY2016 | 143 | 184 | 197 |
| FY2015 | 148 | 115 | 239 |
| FY2014 | 168 | 91 | 209 |
| FY2013 | 149 | 129 | 132 |
| FY2012 | 135 | 76 | 109 |
| FY2011 | 132 | 87 | 51 |
| FY2010 | 120 | 138 | 5 |
Every dataset behind this page is available as CSV. Filter by agency name in your spreadsheet of choice.