The FOIA allows the FTC to charge fees to process your FOIA request. If we estimate that the fees for processing your request will exceed $25, we will not begin to process it without your permission. Fees are determined based on the type of requester you are (commercial use, news media/education/non-commercial scientific institution, and all others, including members of the general public) as set out in 16 C.F.R. § 4.8(b).
- Commercial use requesters such as law firms and businesses must pay for search and review time and reproduction costs.
- Requesters that qualify as news media/education/scientific/non-commercial scientific institution are not charged for search and review costs and only pay reproduction costs after the first 100 pages. If you are one of these organizations, you may request a fee waiver. You may request documents and a waiver of fees in the same request.
- Members of the general public pay search costs after the first two hours but do not pay review costs and only pay reproduction costs after the first 100 pages.
You may indicate in your request your willingness to pay fees and the amount. We will not process your request until we have an agreement with you about fees. If the fees total more than $250, the FTC may request payment in advance.
Fee Schedule
Fees for processing FOIA requests depend on the status of the requester. See the chart below:
Requester Fee Categories
Requester Category | Searching | Reviewing | Duplication Charges |
| Commercial (including law firms) | Fee | Fee | Fee for all Duplication |
| Educational, Non-commercial Scientific Institution, or News Media | No Fee | No Fee | No Fee for first 100 pages |
| All other requesters (including members of the general public) | Fee after 2 hours | No Fee | No Fee for first 100 pages |
*The new FOIA fee structure below is effective April 14, 2025:
Search and Review Fees (per quarter hour): | |
| Clerical | $12.00 |
| Other Professional | $21.00 |
| Attorney/Economist Attorney/Economist (Non-SES/SL) Attorney/Economist (SES/SL) | $26.00 $29.00 |
| No fees to be charged if cost for all services is below this amount | $25.00 |
Duplication: | |
| Paper to paper copy (up to 8.5″ × 14″) | $0.14 per page |
| Converting paper into electronic format (scanning) | Quarter hour rate of operator (Clerical, Other Professional, Attorney/Economist) |
| Other reproduction (e.g., computer disk or printout, microfilm, microfiche, or microform) | Actual direct cost, including operator time |
Electronic Services: | |
| Preparing electronic records and media | $10.00 per qtr. hour |
| Compact Disc (CD) | $3.00 per disc |
| DVD | $3.00 per disc |
| Videotape Cassette | $2.00 per cassette |
Microfilm Services: | |
| Conversion of existing fiche/film to paper | $0.14 per page |
Other Fees: | |
| Certification | $25.00 each |
| Express Mail | U.S. Postal Service Market Rates |
| Records maintained at Iron Mountain or Washington National Records Center facilities (records retrieval, re-filing, etc.) | Contract Rates |
| Other Services as they arise | Market Rates |
*The old FOIA processing fee structure is below:
Search and Review Fees (per quarter hour): | |
| Clerical | $8.00 |
| Other Professional | $13.00 |
| Attorney/Economist | $20.00 |
| No fees to be charged if cost for all services is below this amount | $25.00 |
Duplication: | |
| Paper to paper copy (up to 8.5″ × 14″) | $0.14 per page |
| Converting paper into electronic format (scanning) | Quarter hour rate of operator (Clerical, Other Professional, Attorney/Economist) |
| Other reproduction (e.g., computer disk or printout, microfilm, microfiche, or microform) | Actual direct cost, including operator time |
Electronic Services: | |
| Preparing electronic records and media | $10.00 per qtr. hour |
| Compact Disc (CD) | $3.00 per disc |
| DVD | $3.00 per disc |
| Videotape Cassette | $2.00 per cassette |
Microfilm Services: | |
| Conversion of existing fiche/film to paper | $0.14 per page |
Other Fees: | |
| Certification | $25.00 each |
| Express Mail | U.S. Postal Service Market Rates |
| Records maintained at Iron Mountain or Washington National Records Center facilities (records retrieval, re-filing, etc.) | Contract Rates |
| Other Services as they arise | Market Rates |