SEC Adopts Improvements to EDGAR System to Enhance Security, Filer Access, and Account Management

The Securities and Exchange Commission today adopted rule and form amendments intended to enhance the security of its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval (EDGAR) system and improve filers’ access and account management capabilities.

“The public and the SEC long have benefited from the EDGAR electronic filing system,” said SEC Chair Gary Gensler. “Today’s amendments are an important next step for EDGAR account access protocols.”

The amendments require EDGAR filers to authorize identified individuals who will be responsible for managing their accounts, and individuals acting on behalf of EDGAR filers will need to present individual account credentials obtained from Login.gov to access those EDGAR accounts and make filings. Form ID, the application for access to EDGAR, will be modernized to make the form more user-friendly. 

The SEC also will offer filers optional Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), a machine-to-machine method of making submissions, retrieving information, and performing account management tasks that will improve the efficiency and accuracy of filers’ interactions with EDGAR. Among other things, these APIs will allow filers to manage their EDGAR accounts with minimal manual interaction with EDGAR.

On Sept. 30, 2024, the SEC will open for filer testing and feedback a beta software environment that will reflect the adopted rule and form amendments and the related technical changes. Information about signing up for beta testing and extensive additional information about the rule adoption and related technical changes can be found on the SEC website: EDGAR Next – Improving Filer Access and Account Management

Compliance with amended Form ID is required on March 24, 2025. All rule and form amendments will be effective on that date, and filers will be required to comply with all rule and form amendments by Sept. 15, 2025.