FTC Fines Frozen: Blame Missing Inflation Data, Says Gov
Published Date: 9/15/2026
Notice
Summary
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) won’t raise any fines in 2026 because the government couldn’t get the inflation data needed to update them. So, businesses and folks facing penalties will see the same fine amounts as in 2025. This freeze kicks in starting September 15, 2026, keeping things steady for now.
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
FTC Penalties Stay at 2025 Levels
The FTC says its civil penalty amounts will not change in 2026 and it will keep using the 2025 penalty levels. This notice is effective September 15, 2026, and follows OMB Memorandum M-26-11 (April 17, 2026) which cancelled 2026 inflation adjustments because the BLS could not produce the October 2025 CPI-U data due to a government shutdown.
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Key Dates
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