EDGAR Next: Account Roles, Enrollment, and Annual Confirmation

The SEC’s EDGAR Next filing system requirements center on individual identity: every person who touches a filing signs in with their own Login.gov credentials, every filer designates named administrators through an amended Form ID, and every account must be confirmed once a year to stay active. Mandatory compliance took effect September 15, 2025, and the legacy shared-password model is gone.¹

Individual Login.gov Credentials for Every Filer

Every person who accesses EDGAR on behalf of a filer must obtain their own Login.gov account, the sign-in service run by the U.S. General Services Administration. Credentials identify the specific person taking action and cannot be shared with colleagues or anyone else.²

Login.gov requires identity proofing. You upload a government-issued ID such as a driver’s license or state ID card and complete multifactor authentication. Anyone can create a Login.gov account regardless of citizenship, which matters for foreign filers who submit documents with the SEC.²

The old system let anyone with a company’s shared codes submit filings under that company’s name, with no way to trace which human clicked “submit.” Under EDGAR Next, every filing, edit, and account change is linked to a named individual.

The Three Account Roles and Minimum Counts

Access is organized around three roles, and the counts your organization needs are set by rule, not by preference.

Account Administrators

Account administrators hold the broadest authority. They add and remove individuals on the account, delegate filing authority to outside entities, generate CIK Confirmation Codes, create user groups, and perform the annual confirmation. Every filer must authorize and maintain at least two account administrators. The only exception is for individuals and single-member companies, which may keep just one.³⁴

The two-administrator minimum has a practical reason. If a lone administrator leaves the company or becomes unavailable, the filer would otherwise be locked out during a reporting deadline. Administrators also serve as the SEC staff’s primary point of contact for the account.

Users

Users can submit filings and view the filer’s CIK Confirmation Code, but they cannot manage the account itself. They cannot add or remove people, delegate authority, or perform the annual confirmation. Every function available to users is also available to administrators, so the same person cannot hold both roles at once.³

Technical Administrators

Technical administrators manage the filer’s connection to EDGAR’s optional APIs. They generate and manage filer API tokens but cannot submit filings or manage account personnel. Any filer that connects to an EDGAR API must authorize at least two technical administrators, unless the filer uses the API connections of a delegated entity that already meets that requirement. A technical administrator may also hold the account administrator role for the same filer.³⁴

Enrolling With the Amended Form ID

Enrollment runs on a modernized version of Form ID, submitted through the EDGAR Filer Management dashboard. Before you start, gather the following:

The applicant’s full legal name, or the name specified in the company charter.
Company information: tax identification number, state or country of incorporation, fiscal year end date, and Legal Entity Identifier if the company has one.
Each prospective account administrator’s full legal first, middle, and last names, plus the email addresses EDGAR will use for identification and notifications.
A billing contact to receive account information and invoices.
A PDF of the notarized Form ID authenticating document, showing the notary’s signature and seal. The notary cannot be one of the account administrators.

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The notarization requirement is where many filers stumble. The SEC accepts remote online notarization, so no in-person appearance is required. Foreign filers without a U.S. notary can use a local equivalent recognized in their jurisdiction, or a remote online notary recognized by any U.S. state or territory.⁵

If a prospective account administrator is not an employee of the applicant or its affiliate, attach a notarized power of attorney authorizing that person to manage the EDGAR account. Names on Form ID must match the legal identification used during Login.gov verification exactly. Mismatches cause rejections and delay the filer’s ability to submit.

The person who physically prepares and submits Form ID does not have to be named on it as an administrator. Outside counsel or a filing agent can handle the submission without being listed on the form.²

Delegating to Filing Agents or Counsel

Filers that rely on law firms, filing agents, or financial printers use EDGAR Next’s delegation process to formalize the relationship. Delegation lets a filer grant another EDGAR account the ability to submit filings on the filer’s behalf.⁶

An account administrator sends the invitation from the dashboard, and delegation only becomes effective once an administrator at the invited entity accepts it. A filer can terminate a delegation at any time by selecting “Cancel delegation” on the dashboard, and the delegated entity does not need to accept the cancellation for it to take effect. Administrators can also configure defaults to automatically accept delegation invitations, which helps filing agents managing high client volume.⁶

API Tokens for Automated Filing

Filers that submit through software rather than the web interface use API tokens, and the two types work differently.⁷

Filer API tokens are valid for one year and identify the filer entity connecting to the API. Only a technical administrator can generate them, and the filer must have at least two technical administrators before any tokens are generated. A filer can hold multiple active tokens at once, and durations can overlap. A filer can instead use the filer API token of its delegated entity if that entity meets its own technical administrator requirements.
User API tokens are valid for 30 days and identify the specific person making a submission. Each individual can have only one active user API token at a time; creating a new one automatically deactivates the previous one. Administrators and users generate their own on the dashboard. A technical administrator cannot generate a user API token unless they also hold the administrator or user role.

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Filers using third-party filing software cannot submit by presenting a user API token belonging to someone at the software company. The person whose token is presented is the person on record for that submission.²

Annual Confirmation Keeps the Account Active

Enrollment is not a one-time event. Each filer must complete an annual confirmation certifying that all administrators, users, technical administrators, and delegated entities on the dashboard are still authorized and that all company information is accurate.⁴

The confirmation falls at the end of the quarter the filer selects as its ongoing confirmation date: March 31, June 30, September 30, or December 31. EDGAR sends reminder emails and dashboard notifications to administrators starting six weeks before the deadline.⁸

Missing the deadline does not immediately lock you out. The SEC provides a three-month grace period during which administrators receive daily reminders, and the filer keeps full EDGAR access and filing capability. If confirmation still isn’t complete by the end of the grace period, the account is deactivated.⁸

What Deactivation Costs

Getting a deactivated account back online is not a quick fix. The filer must re-apply for EDGAR access by submitting a new Form ID. If the SEC grants the application, the filer keeps its original CIK and filing history, but all previously authorized individuals are removed and all prior delegations become ineffective. The administrators named on the new Form ID must re-invite every user, technical administrator, and delegated entity from scratch.⁸

For a public company with reporting deadlines, that disruption can cascade into late filings, SEC enforcement exposure, and delisting risk. Aligning the annual confirmation with other recurring compliance obligations is the simplest way to avoid it.

Keeping Dashboard Information Current

Beyond the annual check-in, filers have a continuous obligation to keep dashboard information accurate. That covers mailing and business addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers. When an employee who holds an EDGAR role leaves the company or changes responsibilities, administrators should update the dashboard promptly rather than waiting for the next confirmation cycle.⁴

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U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Submit Filings
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U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EDGAR Next Frequently Asked Questions
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U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Understand EDGAR Next Roles
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U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EDGAR Filer Access and Account Management – Final Rule
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U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Prepare and Submit My Form ID Application for EDGAR Access
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U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Understand and Manage Delegation
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U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Create and Manage Filer and User API Tokens
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U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Complete Annual Confirmation for an EDGAR Account