Briefings
NFA Wait Time Briefings
A regular read on how long NFA approvals are actually taking — what changed recently, which kinds of filings are moving fastest, and how much waits vary from person to person. Built from approval dates reported by people who filed.
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On Form 1, individuals are clearing faster than trusts — 29 days vs 71 days at the median.
Form 4 individuals are the fastest right now at 5 days. Form 1 trusts are the slowest at 71 days.
Half of Form 1 individuals waited between 6 and 63 days — a quarter came in faster, a quarter slower.
Based on 1,383 approvals reported in the last 90 days.
Approval speeds were unpredictable across the past 4 days. Filers who submitted around the same time saw noticeably different results.
Over the past 4 days, ATF slipped 1 month further behind. ATF is working through filings submitted about 2 months ago.
Approvals stayed concentrated on a narrow band of filing dates — ATF worked one stretch of the backlog rather than picking at it broadly.
Approval speeds swung around week to week, so recent numbers are a rough guide rather than a reliable estimate.
What this means
Inconsistent timing paired with a flat or falling pace usually means something is disrupting processing. Plan with more margin than the typical wait suggests.
Compared with recent days
Wait times have stayed unpredictable for 4 days running. ATF slipped slightly further behind over the past 4 days.
Highlights
Wait times have been unpredictable for 4 days straight.
Over the past 4 days, ATF slipped 1 month further behind.
Waits still vary widely depending on what you filed and how you filed it.
unpredictable · 4 days
For 31 days running, at least one kind of filing has had uneven or unpredictable wait times. This is not a one-off rough patch — it keeps recurring.
Outcomes have been splitting apart across multiple kinds of filings for 31 days. This looks systemic rather than isolated.
Conditions are steadying across more than one kind of filing, not just one.
Form 4 — Individual is holding onto its lead as the fastest-moving category.
Form 4 — Individual filings are moving fastest right now.
Form 1 — Trust filings are the slowest — ATF is still working on older ones than in any other category.
The gap between the fastest and slowest filing types is about 3 months.
Form 4 — Individual waits are by far the least predictable, while Form 4 — Trust has been the steadiest.
Longer pieces that dig into a single question in detail, with the full statistics behind it. Published occasionally, when the data supports one.
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No fixed schedule — only when the data warrants it.
Briefings are generated automatically from approval dates reported by filers. No editorializing, no AI-written text. Read the methodology →