SEC Approves 2026 PCAOB Budget and Accounting Support Fee

The Securities and Exchange Commission today approved the 2026 budget for the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and the related accounting support fee. The 2026 PCAOB budget totals $362.1 million. The 2026 budget reflects a 9.4% ($37.6 million) decrease from the prior year and includes a 52% and 42% reduction in the chairperson and other Board members’ compensation, respectively. The accounting support fee (ASF) totals $306.0 million, an 18.4% ($68.9 million) decrease from the prior year, of which $280.3 million will be assessed on public company issuers and $25.7 million will be assessed on brokers and dealers. “Both during my time as a Commissioner and now as Chairman, I have recognized–and continue to recognize–the importance of driving improvements in audit quality.