Audit Fees API
The Audit Fees API provides structured information on audit-related expenses reported in SEC DEF 14A (proxy statement) filings. This dataset includes records of fees paid by public companies to their independent auditors. The records include the following categories of fees:
- audit fees: Fees billed for the audit of financial statements and internal control over financial reporting.
- audit-related fees: Fees for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the audit or review of financial statements.
- tax fees: Fees for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning services.
- other fees: Fees for services that do not fall under audit, audit-related, or tax categories.
- total fees: The sum of all categories of fees for a given year.
- auditor: The name of the independent accounting firm that performed the audit or related services.
Each record is linked to a specific company, fiscal year, and auditor. If multiple auditors are reported, a record is created for each auditor. Audit fee data is updated in real time as new DEF 14A filings are published by the SEC and is accessible via API endpoints for both targeted queries and bulk retrieval.
Form DEF 14A, or the definitive proxy statement, is filed annually with the SEC by public companies to inform shareholders about matters requiring a vote at the annual meeting. Among others, it includes detailed disclosures on executive compensation, board structure, and fees paid to the company's independent auditors.
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{
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"id": "dcfe557d7b36025fb47997b38c2dc46d",
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"accessionNo": "0001193125-16-543341",
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"fileNo": "001-34756",
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"formType": "DEF 14A",
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"filedAt": "2016-04-15T17:09:07-04:00",
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"periodOfReport": "2016-05-31",
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"entities": [
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{
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"cik": "1318605",
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"ticker": "TSLA",
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"companyName": "TESLA MOTORS INC (Filer)",
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"irsNo": "912197729",
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"fiscalYearEnd": "1231",
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"stateOfIncorporation": "DE",
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"sic": "3711 Motor Vehicles & Passenger Car Bodies",
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"act": "34",
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"fileNo": "001-34756",
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"filmNo": "161575120"
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}
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],
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"records": [
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{
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"year": 2014,
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"auditFees": 2969000,
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"auditRelatedFees": 6000,
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"taxFees": 10000,
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"allOtherFees": 2000,
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"totalFees": 2987000,
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"auditor": "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"
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},
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{
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"year": 2015,
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"auditFees": 4237000,
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"auditRelatedFees": 0,
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"taxFees": 0,
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"allOtherFees": 2000,
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"totalFees": 4239000,
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"auditor": "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"
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}
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]
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}
API Endpoint
Audit Fees Search API
The Audit Fees Search API allows searching and filtering all Audit Fee information extracted from Form DEF 14A filings submitted from 2001 to present. The API accepts search queries as JSON formatted payload and returns the matching audit fee records in JSON format. The API endpoint is:
Supported HTTP methods: POST
Request and response content type: JSON
Audit Fees Bulk Dataset Download
The complete set of audit fee records is available for bulk download in compressed JSONL (JSON line) files (.jsonl.gz). Each line in a .jsonl.gz file represents the full content of an API response for a single Form DEF 14A filing including all extracted audit fee records in structured JSON format. The dataset is organized by filing year and month of the Form DEF 14A, using the filename format YYYY-MM.jsonl.gz, where YYYY is the year (e.g., 2024) and MM is the month (e.g., 02 for February).
New filings are added daily to the bulk dataset between 1:00 AM and 4:00 AM ET.
An accompanying index.json file provides metadata for all available .jsonl.gz files, including:
key(string) - The file path, e.g.2025/2025-03.jsonl.gz.updatedAt(date) - The last update timestamp, e.g.2025-04-03T14:06:34.000Z.size(integer) - The file size in bytes, e.g.106764954.
The index.json file is especially useful for programmatic access and automation, allowing to monitor updates and manage downloads at scale.
| Endpoint | Description | HTTP Method | Response Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| /bulk/audit-fees/YEAR/YEAR-MONTH.jsonl.gz | Gzip-compressed JSONL file containing all DEF 14A filings for the specified year and month. | GET | jsonl.gz |
| /bulk/audit-fees/index.json | JSON file containing the paths, file update times and file sizes of all jsonl.gz files of all DEF 14A data files. | GET | json |
Bulk Download Endpoint Examples
https://api.sec-api.io/bulk/audit-fees/2025/2025-02.jsonl.gzhttps://api.sec-api.io/bulk/audit-fees/index.json
Authentication
To authenticate API requests, use the API key displayed in your user profile. Utilize the API key in one of two ways. Choose the method that best fits your use case:
- Authorization Header: Set the API key as an
Authorizationheader. For instance, before sending aPOSTrequest tohttps://api.sec-api.io/audit-fees, ensure the header is set as follows:Authorization: YOUR_API_KEY. Do not include any prefix likeBearer. - Query Parameter: Alternatively, append your API key directly to the URL as a query parameter. For example, when making
POSTrequests, use the URLhttps://api.sec-api.io/audit-fees?token=YOUR_API_KEYinstead of the base endpoint.
Request Structure
The following request parameters are supported:
query(string) - The search criteria in the formatfield:valuedefining thefieldto search in and thevalueto search for in this field. The search expression is written in Lucene syntax and supportsANDandORoperators. Examples:cik:4568orfiledAt:[2019-01-01 TO 2022-12-31].from(integer) - Pagination control to specify the starting position of the results. Max: 10000. Default: 0.size(integer) - The number of filings to be returned in one response. Default: 50. Max: 50.sort(array) - Specifies the field by which results should be sorted. By default, results are sorted byfiledAtin descending order, starting with the most recent filings:[{ "filedAt": { "order": "desc" } }]
Request Examples
Find the two most recently submitted Form DEF 14A filings with audit fees for the company with CIK 1277575.
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{
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"query": "cik:1277575",
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"from": "0",
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"size": "2",
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"sort": [{ "filedAt": { "order": "desc" } }]
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}
Retrieve the audit fee records associated with the file number 24R-00102 and sort them in descending order by the filing date.
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{
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"query": "fileNo:24R-00102",
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"from": "0",
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"size": "50",
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"sort": [{ "filedAt": { "order": "desc" } }]
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}
Find all audit fee records from Form DEF 14A filings filed in May 2024, sort them in descending order by the filing date, and limit the results to 5 filings.
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{
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"query": "filedAt:[2024-05-01 TO 2024-05-31]",
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"from": "0",
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"size": "5",
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"sort": [{ "filedAt": { "order": "asc" } }]
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}
Find the ten most recent Form DEF 14A filings reporting audit fees of more than $10,000,000.
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{
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"query": "auditFees > 10000000",
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"from": "0",
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"size": "10",
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"sort": [{ "filedAt": { "order": "desc" } }]
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}
Response Structure
When the API locates matches within the Audit Fees database, it returns a JSON response including two fields: total and data. The value field inside the total object indicates the total number of audit fee records that match the search criteria, while the data field contains an array of audit fee records that match the query. The maximum number of metadata objects inside thedata array is determined by the size and limited to 50. Each audit fee record comprises the following fields:
id(string) - System-internal unique identifier of the filing record.accessionNo(string) - Unique accession number of the Form DEF 14A filing, e.g.0001193125-16-543341.fileNo(string) - Unique identifier used to reference and track filings of the same process, e.g.001-34756formType(string) - The form type of the SEC filing.filedAt(date) - The timestamp when the filing was accepted by SEC EDGAR, e.g.2024-05-15T16:17:15-04:00.periodOfReport(date) - The reporting period covered by this Form DEF 14A submission. Format:YYYY-MM-DD, e.g.2024-06-30. In annual reports this corresponds to the fiscal year end.entities(array of object) - Array of entities involved in the filing.cik(string) - Central Index Key (CIK) of the reporting entity, e.g.1021408. This is a unique identifier assigned by the SEC to the filer. Leading zeros are omitted.ticker(string) - The stock ticker symbol used to identify the entity, e.g.GOOGL.companyName(string) - The legal name of the issuer as provided in the filing, e.g.ALPHABET INC.irsNo(string) - The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Employer Identification Number (EIN) of the reporting entity, e.g.,95-1234567.fiscalYearEnd(string) - The fiscal year-end of the reporting entity, represented as a four-digit month-day format, e.g.1231for December 31.stateOfIncorporation(string) - The U.S. state or country where the entity is legally incorporated, represented using a two-letter state code (e.g.,DEfor Delaware) or a country name for non-U.S. entities.sic(string) - The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code representing the primary industry of the entity, e.g.,7372for Prepackaged Software.act(string) - The regulatory act under which the entity files its reports, e.g.,1934for the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.fileNo(string) - Unique identifier used to reference and track filings of the same process, e.g.020-34763.filmNo(string) - A unique identifier assigned by the SEC to track a specific filing, e.g.,211234567.
records(array of object) - Array of audit fee records.year(number) - The fiscal year of the audit fee record, e.g.,2024.auditFees(number) - The audit fees paid to the auditor for the reporting period in USD, e.g.,2969000.auditRelatedFees(number) - The audit-related fees paid to the auditor for the reporting period in USD, e.g.,6000.taxFees(number) - The tax fees paid to the auditor for the reporting period in USD, e.g.,10000.allOtherFees(number) - The all other fees amount paid to the auditor for the reporting period in USD, e.g.,2000.totalFees(number) - The total fees paid to the auditor for the reporting period in USD, e.g.,2987000.auditor(string) - The name of the auditor for the reporting period, e.g.,PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
Response Example
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{
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"total": {
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"value": 10000,
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"relation": "gte"
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},
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"data": [
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{
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"id": "dcfe557d7b36025fb47997b38c2dc46d",
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"accessionNo": "0001193125-16-543341",
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"fileNo": "001-34756",
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"formType": "DEF 14A",
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"filedAt": "2016-04-15T17:09:07-04:00",
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"periodOfReport": "2016-05-31",
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"entities": [
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{
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"cik": "1318605",
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"ticker": "TSLA",
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"companyName": "TESLA MOTORS INC (Filer)",
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"irsNo": "912197729",
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"fiscalYearEnd": "1231",
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"stateOfIncorporation": "DE",
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"sic": "3711 Motor Vehicles & Passenger Car Bodies",
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"act": "34",
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"fileNo": "001-34756",
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"filmNo": "161575120"
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}
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],
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"records": [
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{
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"year": 2014,
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"auditFees": 2969000,
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"auditRelatedFees": 6000,
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"taxFees": 10000,
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"allOtherFees": 2000,
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"totalFees": 2987000,
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"auditor": "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"
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},
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{
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"year": 2015,
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"auditFees": 4237000,
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"auditRelatedFees": 0,
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"taxFees": 0,
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"allOtherFees": 2000,
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"totalFees": 4239000,
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"auditor": "PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP"
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}
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]
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},
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// cut off for brevity
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]
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}
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Response Structure of Bulk Download Endpoints
/bulk/audit-fees/YEAR/YEAR-MONTH.jsonl.gz
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{"formType":"DEF 14A","periodOfReport": "{...}","records": "{...}","accessionNo":"0001752724-25-025892","filedAt":"2025-04-01T17:30:54-04:00","id":"dcfe557d7b36025fb47997b38c2dc46d"}
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{ ... }
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{ ... }
/bulk/audit-fees/index.json
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[
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{
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"key": "2025/2025-05.jsonl.gz",
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"updatedAt": "2025-05-20T06:09:44.000Z",
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"size": 4456349
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},
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{
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"key": "2025/2025-04.jsonl.gz",
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"updatedAt": "2025-05-20T06:09:44.000Z",
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"size": 106764954
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},
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// ... more files
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]
References
For more information about Form DEF 14A filings and additional resources, visit the following websites: