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Social Security Administration
Most recent quarterly backlog
1,738
End of FY2026 Q2 (Jan 1 – Mar 31, 2026)
Latest annual report
1,689
End of FY2024 (Sept 30, 2024)
17-year change
+59%
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: 1,060
FY10: 834
FY12: 590
FY14: 2,504
FY16: 787
FY18: 524
FY20: 1,908
FY22: 637
FY24: 1,689
Dashed verticals mark presidential inaugurations.
Recent quarterly activity
Last 20 quarters of received, processed, and backlog. Most recent: FY2026 Q2 (Jan 1 – Mar 31, 2026).
Backlog
1,738
Received per quarter
3,463
Processed per quarter
3,337
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 | 2021-02-26 | 895 | 2.5 |
| #2 | 2021-03-31 | 872 | 2.4 |
| #3 | 2021-05-06 | 846 | 2.3 |
| #4 | 2021-06-01 | 829 | 2.3 |
| #5 | 2021-06-21 | 816 | 2.2 |
| #6 | 2021-11-18 | 712 | 2.0 |
| #7 | 2021-12-20 | 692 | 1.9 |
| #8 | 2021-12-28 | 687 | 1.9 |
| #9 | 2022-02-03 | 662 | 1.8 |
| #10 | 2022-04-22 | 607 | 1.7 |
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
11
Equivalent FTE
21.0
Total FTE
32.0
Annual report history
| FY | Received | Processed | Pending end |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | 12,582 | 11,354 | 1,689 |
| FY2023 | 10,130 | 10,305 | 462 |
| FY2022 | 11,762 | 11,811 | 637 |
| FY2021 | 13,440 | 14,662 | 686 |
| FY2020 | 9,688 | 8,143 | 1,908 |
| FY2019 | 14,987 | 15,148 | 363 |
| FY2018 | 16,427 | 16,631 | 524 |
| FY2017 | 21,560 | 21,619 | 728 |
| FY2016 | 29,631 | 31,634 | 787 |
| FY2015 | 23,208 | 22,922 | 2,790 |
| FY2014 | 26,899 | 24,689 | 2,504 |
| FY2013 | 39,159 | 39,455 | 294 |
| FY2012 | 31,329 | 31,584 | 590 |
| FY2011 | 32,456 | 32,445 | 845 |
| FY2010 | 32,997 | 33,012 | 834 |
| FY2009 | 31,340 | 31,551 | 849 |
| FY2008 | 34,444 | 34,666 | 1,060 |
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