An SEC accession number is the unique identifier that EDGAR assigns to every submission it receives, formatted as XXXXXXXXXX-YY-XXXXXX. It’s how the SEC, filers, and anyone researching a company points to one exact filing among the millions in the database. You’ll find it on the filing detail page in EDGAR, and it’s also embedded in the filing’s URL.
How the Number Is Structured
Each accession number has three parts, and once you know what they mean you can read one at a glance:1U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EDGAR Filer Manual (Volume II) – Section: After a Submission is Filed
- The first ten digits are the CIK (Central Index Key) of the account that logged in to submit the filing. Shorter CIKs are padded with leading zeros.2EDGAR Company Database. CIK Number
- The next two digits are the calendar year of transmission.
- The final digits are a sequential counter for that CIK, generally reset on the first business day of each year.
So 0000950123-25-004817 tells you CIK 950123 submitted the filing in 2025, and it was the 4,817th submission logged under that account for the year. The SEC notes the counter is not always reset annually, but the reset is the norm.3U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Accessing EDGAR Data Once assigned, the number never changes.
Finding an Accession Number in EDGAR
The fastest route is EDGAR’s search tool at sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar. Enter a company name, ticker, or CIK, and EDGAR returns a chronological list of that entity’s filings. Click through to any filing’s detail page and the accession number sits near the top, next to the CIK and file number.
You can also read it directly out of a filing URL. EDGAR’s archive path is /Archives/edgar/data/[CIK]/, followed by the accession number with dashes stripped as a subdirectory.3U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Accessing EDGAR Data A URL containing 000119312525004817 maps to accession number 0001193125-25-004817.
Building a Direct Link From a Number You Have
If someone gives you an accession number and you want to jump straight to the filing, you can construct the URL yourself. For submissions after May 2000, the index page is at:
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/[CIK]/[AccessionNumberWithoutDashes]/[AccessionNumber]-index.htm
That index page lists every document in the submission, with links to the primary filing, each exhibit, and any attached data files.3U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Accessing EDGAR Data
Accession Number vs. CIK vs. File Number
EDGAR pages show three identifiers, and mixing them up is common. Each answers a different question.
- The CIK identifies the filer. It’s permanent, public, and assigned to every account, whether the filer submits electronically or on paper. Use it to pull up every filing a company has ever made.4U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Understand and Utilize EDGAR CIK and CIK Confirmation Code
- The file number is tied to a specific registration, application, or ongoing reporting obligation.5U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EDGAR Glossary
- The accession number identifies one submission at one moment. Use it when you need to point to one exact document.
What the Accession Number Does
The number’s core job is precise retrieval. A company might file dozens of documents in a single year, and citing “the 2025 annual report” leaves room for confusion about versions or amendments. An accession number resolves to one exact submission and nothing else.
It also holds a submission together. A 10-K, for example, typically bundles the annual report with exhibits, officer certifications, and interactive XBRL data. Every attached document on the filing index shares the same accession number, so the boundaries of the submission are unambiguous.
For automated retrieval, the accession number is what makes programmatic access work. The SEC publishes RESTful APIs on data.sec.gov that deliver JSON-formatted filing data and structured XBRL financials.6U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EDGAR Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) Because the archive directory is built around accession numbers, any tool that knows the CIK and accession number can construct the file path and pull the raw filing without a browser.3U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Accessing EDGAR Data
Amendments Get a New Accession Number
When a company files an amendment, such as a 10-K/A correcting an earlier annual report, EDGAR treats it as a new submission and assigns a fresh accession number.7U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EDGAR Filer Manual (Volume II) The original filing keeps its original number, and both stay in EDGAR permanently. That’s how the history of a disclosure gets tracked: two numbers, two versions, both retrievable.
Suspended and Rejected Filings
An accession number confirms only that EDGAR received the transmission. It does not mean the SEC accepted the filing.5U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EDGAR Glossary If EDGAR suspends a filing over formatting errors or similar problems, the accession number assigned at transmission still works for checking status or referencing the submission with SEC staff.8U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Prepare and Submit My Form ID Application for EDGAR Access
The window to do that is short. Information about suspended filings remains available in EDGAR for only six business days, and test filing data disappears after two.9U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EDGAR Filer Manual (Volume II) Accepted live filings stay accessible for at least thirty business days through the status inquiry tool, and the filings themselves live in the public archive permanently. If a submission gets suspended, write the accession number down right away.