Civil Penalty Inflation Adjustments

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Federal Trade Commission AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In accordance with guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”), the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”)'s civil penalty amounts will remain unchanged during 2026. The FTC will continue to apply the 2025 civil penalty levels. DATES: Effective September 15, 2026. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marie Choi, Attorney (202-326-3368), Office of the General Counsel, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act (“FCPIAA”) of 2015 directs Federal agencies to annually adjust each civil monetary penalty under their jurisdiction for inflation pursuant to a cost-of-living adjustment. [ 1 ] The cost-of-living adjustment is based on the percent change between the U.S. ( printed page 58447) Department of Labor's Consumer Price Index for All-Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”) for the month of October preceding the date of the adjustment, and the CPI-U for October of the prior year. [ 2 ] Under the FCPIAA, the OMB Director must annually provide agencies with guidance on carrying out civil penalty inflation adjustments. [ 3 ] On April 17, 2026, the OMB Director issued Memorandum M-26-11, Cancellation of Penalty Inflation Adjustments for 2026, Regarding the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, which …