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Securities and Exchange Commission
Most recent quarterly backlog
1,036
End of FY2026 Q2 (Jan 1 – Mar 31, 2026)
Latest annual report
1,262
End of FY2024 (Sept 30, 2024)
17-year change
+40%
FY2008 → FY2024 (Oct 1, 2007 – Sept 30, 2024)
Annual backlog, FY2008–FY2024
Pending requests at end of each fiscal year (Oct 1, 2007 – Sept 30, 2024). Federal fiscal year runs Oct 1 – Sept 30, named for the year it ends.
FY08: 899
FY10: 399
FY12: 382
FY14: 595
FY16: 550
FY18: 540
FY20: 641
FY22: 977
FY24: 1,262
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).
Backlog
1,036
Received per quarter
2,521
Processed per quarter
3,120
10 oldest pending requests, end of FY2024 (Sept 30, 2024)
Days pending counts forward from the day the request was received. The longer this list runs, the more litigation-ripe the agency’s backlog.
| Rank | Date received | Days pending | Years pending |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 2017-07-07 | 1,801 | 4.9 |
| #2 | 2018-06-27 | 1,558 | 4.3 |
| #3 | 2019-07-17 | 1,296 | 3.6 |
| #4 | 2019-08-07 | 1,281 | 3.5 |
| #5 | 2019-12-18 | 1,190 | 3.3 |
| #6 | 2020-01-07 | 1,179 | 3.2 |
| #7 | 2020-05-19 | 1,087 | 3.0 |
| #8 | 2020-05-27 | 1,082 | 3.0 |
| #9 | 2020-08-11 | 1,029 | 2.8 |
| #10 | 2021-03-29 | 875 | 2.4 |
Exemption invocations, FY2024 (Oct 1, 2023 – Sept 30, 2024)
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, FY2024 (Oct 1, 2023 – Sept 30, 2024)
Full-time employees
29
Equivalent FTE
8.2
Total FTE
37.2
Annual report history
| FY | Received | Processed | Pending end |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | 10,811 | 10,985 | 1,262 |
| FY2023 | 9,481 | 9,022 | 1,436 |
| FY2022 | 10,000 | 9,856 | 977 |
| FY2021 | 12,363 | 12,171 | 833 |
| FY2020 | 13,300 | 13,258 | 641 |
| FY2019 | 11,546 | 11,487 | 599 |
| FY2018 | 14,229 | 14,248 | 540 |
| FY2017 | 13,063 | 13,069 | 559 |
| FY2016 | 14,458 | 15,196 | 550 |
| FY2015 | 16,898 | 16,207 | 1,298 |
| FY2014 | 14,862 | 14,757 | 595 |
| FY2013 | 12,275 | 12,167 | 490 |
| FY2012 | 11,292 | 11,302 | 382 |
| FY2011 | 11,555 | 11,562 | 392 |
| FY2010 | 10,461 | 10,554 | 399 |
| FY2009 | 7,878 | 8,285 | 492 |
| FY2008 | 9,586 | 15,596 | 899 |
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