Live Answer · Updated Hourly
How long is the NFA wait in October 2026?
The current answer, computed live from approvals reported by real filers. The wait depends on which form you filed (Form 4 to buy from a dealer, Form 1 to make your own) and whether you filed as an individual or a trust — the four lanes below can run at very different speeds. Community data, not official ATF records.
~3 days
1–5 days typical
~2 days
1–4 days typical · turned around
~3 days
1–5 days typical · turned around
~3 days
2–5 days typical · turned around
From 118 approvals reported in the last 30 days
Full studies →As of October 17, 2026, from 118 approvals reported in the last 30 days. Medians are e-file waits; individual timelines vary.
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How this month compares to last month
Form 4's individual and trust lanes have not moved the same way since Apr 2026.
The Form 4 · Individual median has stayed between 3 and 8 days since Apr 2026 — close enough to level that month-to-month differences are within ordinary variation.
The Form 4 · Trust median changed direction inside this window: it rose from 26 days in Apr 2026 to 31 in Jul 2026, then fell to 3 in Sep 2026. One monthly average would describe neither half of that, so we are not quoting one.
The Form 1 · Individual median changed direction inside this window: it rose from 61 days in Apr 2026 to 69 in Jun 2026, then fell to 3 in Sep 2026. One monthly average would describe neither half of that, so we are not quoting one.
Why the two forms diverged — and what the $0 tax stamp did to the queue: NFA wait times after the $0 tax stamp.
See where you stand
National medians are the backdrop — your own filing date is what matters. Enter it to see what filers with nearby dates have reported.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the Form 4 wait in October 2026?
In October 2026, community-reported Form 4 e-file approvals are running about 3 days for individuals and about 2 days for trusts (medians over the last 30 days). This is community data, not official ATF records, and individual timelines vary.
How long is the Form 1 wait in October 2026?
In October 2026, community-reported Form 1 e-file approvals are running about 3 days for individuals and about 3 days for trusts (medians over the last 30 days). Form 1 ran well behind Form 4 for much of 2026 after the $0 tax stamp took effect. Community data, not official ATF records.
Why did Form 1 get so much slower than Form 4?
When the NFA tax stamp dropped to $0, the cost barrier to filing disappeared and application volume surged. Form 1, which covers making your own item including homemade suppressors under recent law, absorbed the bulk of that surge, and more applications against roughly the same processing capacity is what stretched its queue. Form 4 dealer transfers never saw the same surge and moved far less. The Form 1 · Individual median climbed to 69 days by Jun 2026 and has since come down to 3 in Sep 2026.
Is e-filing faster than paper?
E-file is generally the faster path — electronic submissions skip mail handling and manual intake. Too few paper approvals have been reported recently to quote a firm paper median, which itself says something about how dominant e-filing has become.
Does my state affect my NFA wait time?
Not meaningfully, in community-reported data. When we compare state-by-state medians for the same form and owner type, the differences are small and mostly noise from sample size — the queue is federal, and your form type and owner type matter far more than your address.
Where do these wait times come from?
Every figure on this page is computed live from approvals reported by NFA filers — 118 of them in the last 30 days, 4,333 overall. It is community-sourced data, not official ATF or government records, and medians shift as more filers report.
Get the monthly wait-time report
Once a month: Form 1 and Form 4 median waits for the month just closed, how they moved, and how many approvals were reported. One email a month — nothing else.
Waiting on a filing right now? Track it instead — you’ll get alerts when your own cohort moves, which is more useful than a monthly summary.
Monthly archive
This page always shows the current month. Each completed month is kept as a fixed record of what the queue looked like at the time.
Waiting on a stamp, or picking the next can? What I run →
NFA Watch is an independent community project and is not affiliated with the ATF or U.S. government. All data is self-reported by NFA filers and reflects community observations — not official ATF records. Wait times vary by individual application. This page updates automatically as new approvals are reported; the month in the title reflects the current calendar month. How these numbers are computed.