# Audit Fees API Reference | SEC API

> Complete API reference for the SEC Audit Fees API. Every request parameter, every searchable field and every response attribute, with types, constraints and a live example response.

Source: https://sec-api.io/api-reference/audit-fees

Company and governance data

POST`https://api.sec-api.io/audit-fees`

Search the audit, audit-related, tax and other fees that public companies disclose to their independent auditors in Form DEF 14A proxy statements. Each record carries the fiscal year, the auditor and every fee category, covering more than 139,000 records from 69,000 filings filed since 2001.

[Read the guide for this API →](https://sec-api.io/docs/audit-fees-api)

## Authentication

Send the API key either as a header or as a query parameter. The header is preferred; the query parameter exists for cases where a header cannot be set, such as opening a URL directly in a browser.

Authorization: required header

The API key on its own. Do not prefix it with Bearer or any other word.

Example `Authorization: YOUR_API_KEY`

token: optional query parameter

The API key, appended to the URL. Use this only when a header is not possible.

## Request body

A JSON object. Content-Type must be application/json.

query: required string

The search expression in Lucene syntax, written as field:value. Every field listed under Searchable fields can be used, combined with AND, OR, NOT, ranges and wildcards.

Example `entities.ticker:NVDA`

from: string, Maximum 10000

Index of the first result to return, used for pagination. Increment by the value of size to page through results.

Default `"0"`

size: string, Maximum 50

Number of filings to return in one response. One filing carries all audit fee records extracted from it.

Default `"50"`

sort: array of object

Sort order. Each item maps one field to an order object, for example [{ "filedAt": { "order": "desc" } }].

Default `[{ "filedAt": { "order": "desc" } }]`

order: string

Either asc or desc.

## Searchable fields

Every field below can be used inside query. 22 fields are searchable, and they match the structure of the objects returned in the response.

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `accessionNo` | Filing accession number |
| `formType` | Form type — typically "DEF 14A" |
| `filedAt` | Date the filing was accepted by EDGAR |
| `periodOfReport` | Reporting period covered (fiscal year-end for annual reports) |
| `entities.cik` | Filer CIK (leading zeros omitted) |
| `entities.ticker` | Filer ticker symbol |
| `entities.companyName` | Filer legal name |
| `entities.irsNo` | IRS Employer Identification Number (EIN) |
| `entities.fiscalYearEnd` | Fiscal year-end as MMDD, e.g. "1231" |
| `entities.stateOfIncorporation` | State or country of incorporation |
| `entities.sic` | SIC industry code |
| `entities.act` | Regulatory act, e.g. "34" |
| `entities.fileNo` | SEC file number |
| `entities.filmNo` | EDGAR film number |
| `records.year` | Fiscal year of the audit fee record |
| `records.auditor` | Name of the independent accounting firm |
| `records.auditFees` | Audit fees in USD |
| `records.auditRelatedFees` | Audit-related fees in USD |
| `records.taxFees` | Tax compliance / advisory fees in USD |
| `records.allOtherFees` | All other fees in USD |
| `records.totalFees` | Total fees paid for the reporting year in USD |
| `id` | System-internal unique identifier of the filing record. |

## Response

A JSON object. Nested attributes are collapsed; expand one to see its fields.

total: object

How many audit fee records matched the query.

value: integer

Number of matching records, capped at 10000. A value of 10000 with relation gte means more than 10000 records matched.

relation: string

Either eq, meaning value is exact, or gte, meaning value is a floor.

data: array of object

The matching filings, at most size per response. One item holds the audit fee records extracted from one Form DEF 14A filing. Every field of an item is itself searchable.

id: string

System-internal unique identifier of the filing record.

accessionNo: string

Accession number of the Form DEF 14A filing, for example 0001193125-16-543341.

formType: string

Form type of the SEC filing, typically DEF 14A.

filedAt: string

Timestamp EDGAR accepted the filing, ISO 8601 in Eastern Time, for example 2024-05-15T16:17:15-04:00.

periodOfReport: string

Reporting period covered by the filing, YYYY-MM-DD. In annual reports this is the fiscal year end.

entities: array of object

The entities involved in the filing.

cik: string

Central Index Key (CIK) of the reporting entity, the unique identifier the SEC assigns to a filer. Leading zeros are omitted.

ticker: optional string

Stock ticker symbol of the entity, for example GOOGL.

companyName: string

Legal name of the issuer as reported in the filing, for example ALPHABET INC.

irsNo: optional string

IRS Employer Identification Number (EIN) of the reporting entity.

fiscalYearEnd: optional string

Fiscal year end of the entity as MMDD, for example 1231 for 31 December.

stateOfIncorporation: optional string

State or country where the entity is incorporated, given as a two-letter state code such as DE, or a country name for non-US entities.

sic: optional string

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code of the primary industry of the entity, for example 7372 for Prepackaged Software.

act: optional string

Regulatory act the entity files under, for example 34 for the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

fileNo: optional string

SEC file number used to track filings of the same process, for example 020-34763.

filmNo: optional string

Film number the SEC assigns to track a specific filing.

records: array of object

The audit fee records extracted from the filing, one per fiscal year. If the filing reports several auditors, one record is created for each auditor.

year: integer

Fiscal year of the audit fee record, for example 2024.

auditFees: number

Fees billed for the audit of the financial statements and of internal control over financial reporting, in USD. Null when the filing does not report them.

auditRelatedFees: number

Fees for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the audit or review of the financial statements, in USD. Null when the filing does not report them.

taxFees: number

Fees for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning services, in USD. Null when the filing does not report them.

allOtherFees: number

Fees for services that fall under none of the audit, audit-related or tax categories, in USD. Null when the filing does not report them.

totalFees: number

Sum of all fee categories for the reporting year, in USD.

auditor: string

Name of the independent accounting firm that performed the audit or the related services, for example PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

## Status codes

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| `200` | Success. The response holds total and data. |
| `400` | The request body could not be parsed, or the Lucene expression in query is malformed. |
| `403` | The API key is missing, or it is not valid. |
| `429` | Too many requests. Slow the request rate and retry. |
| `500` | Server error. Retry, and report it if it persists. |

## Request example

POST https://api.sec-api.io/audit-fees

```json
{
  "query": "formType:\"DEF 14A\"",
  "from": "0",
  "size": "1",
  "sort": [{ "filedAt": { "order": "desc" } }]
}
```

```python
from sec_api import AuditFeesApi

auditFeesApi = AuditFeesApi("YOUR_API_KEY")

response = auditFeesApi.get_data({
    "query": "formType:\"DEF 14A\"",
    "from": "0",
    "size": "1",
    "sort": [{"filedAt": {"order": "desc"}}],
})
```

```javascript
import { auditFeesApi } from "sec-api";

auditFeesApi.setApiKey("YOUR_API_KEY");

const response = await auditFeesApi.getData({
  query: 'formType:"DEF 14A"',
  from: "0",
  size: "1",
  sort: [{ filedAt: { order: "desc" } }],
});
```

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.sec-api.io/audit-fees \
  -H "Authorization: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "query": "formType:\"DEF 14A\"",
    "from": "0",
    "size": "1",
    "sort": [{ "filedAt": { "order": "desc" } }]
  }'
```

## Response example

200 OK · application/json

```json
{
  "total": { "value": 10000, "relation": "gte" },
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "a522dfd61d00caa01da0b4f4b38607c5",
      "accessionNo": "0001717547-26-000026",
      "formType": "DEF 14A",
      "filedAt": "2026-04-01T08:33:43-04:00",
      "periodOfReport": "2026-05-13",
      "entities": [
        {
          "cik": "1717547",
          "ticker": "BRSP",
          "companyName": "BrightSpire Capital, Inc. (Filer)",
          "irsNo": "384046290",
          "fiscalYearEnd": "1231",
          "stateOfIncorporation": "MD",
          "sic": "6798 Real Estate Investment Trusts",
          "act": "34",
          "fileNo": "001-38377",
          "filmNo": "26824836"
        }
      ],
      "records": [
        {
          "year": 2025,
          "auditFees": 1251363,
          "auditRelatedFees": null,
          "taxFees": null,
          "allOtherFees": null,
          "totalFees": 1251363,
          "auditor": "Deloitte & Touche LLP"
        },
        {
          "year": 2024,
          "auditFees": 1487239,
          "auditRelatedFees": null,
          "taxFees": 714695,
          "allOtherFees": null,
          "totalFees": 2201934,
          "auditor": "Ernst & Young"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```