Archived Edition
Week of September 28, 2026
Operational briefing as published at the close of this week. Archived editions are immutable — they preserve the queue narrative exactly as it stood.
On Form 1, individuals are clearing faster than trusts — 18 days vs 42 days at the median.
Form 4 individuals are the fastest right now at 5 days. Form 1 trusts are the slowest at 42 days.
Half of Form 1 individuals waited between 4 and 48 days — a quarter came in faster, a quarter slower.
Based on 1,188 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 a month 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.
Fewer approvals were reported to us than usual during this period.
unpredictable · 4 days
Captured October 4, 2026 from live queue analytics and approval reports contributed by filers. Read the methodology →