Securities and Exchange Commission
- [OMB Control No. 3235-0049]
Upon Written Request, Copies Available From: Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of FOIA Services, 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549-2736
Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) (“PRA”), the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC” or “Commission”) is soliciting comments on the collection of information summarized below. The Commission plans to submit this existing collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget for extension and approval.
The title for the collection of information is “Form ADV” (17 CFR 279.1). Form ADV is the investment adviser registration form and exempt reporting adviser reporting form filed electronically with the Commission pursuant to rules 203-1 (17 CFR 275.203-1), 204-1 (17 CFR 275.204-1) ( printed page 28089) and 204-4 (17 CFR 275.204-4) under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80b-1 et seq.) (“Advisers Act”) by advisers registered with the Commission or applying for registration with the Commission or by exempt reporting advisers filing reports with the Commission. The information collected takes the form of disclosures to the adviser's clients and potential clients. The purpose of this collection of information is to provide advisory clients, prospective clients, and the Commission with information about the adviser, its business, its conflicts of interest and personnel. Clients and prospective clients use certain of the information to determine whether to hire an adviser and, if hired, how to manage that relationship.
The information collected provides the Commission with knowledge about the adviser, its business, its conflicts of interest and personnel. The Commission uses the information to determine eligibility for registration with the Commission and to manage its regulatory, examination, and enforcement programs. Part 1 of Form ADV contains information used primarily by the Commission staff and Part 2 is the client brochure. Part 3 requires registered investment advisers that offer services to retail investors to prepare and file with the Commission a relationship summary.
The Commission recently updated the data sources and methodology that it generally uses for calculating occupational hourly rates that are used in estimating certain PRA burdens.[1]
Respondents to this information collection are investment advisers registered with the Commission or applying for registration with the Commission and exempt reporting advisers. Our latest data indicate that there were approximately 16,442 advisers registered with the Commission, 6,389 exempt reporting advisers as of December 31, 2025. The Commission has estimated that the total annual reporting and recordkeeping burden of the collection of information for each respondent is 10.85 hours. Based on this figure, the Commission estimates a total annual burden of 251,851.53 hours for this collection of information.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.
Written comments are invited on: (a) whether this proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the SEC, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the SEC's estimate of the burden imposed by the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and the assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated, electronic collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Please direct your written comments on this 60-Day Collection Notice to Austin Gerig, Director/Chief Data Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission, c/o Tanya Ruttenberg via email to PaperworkReductionAct@sec.gov by July 14, 2026. There will be a second opportunity to comment on this SEC request following the Federal Register publishing a 30-Day Submission Notice.
Dated: May 12, 2026.
Vanessa A. Countryman,
Secretary.