SEC Publishes CD&I On Filer Status Determination

On August 27, 2025, the SEC published a new compliance and disclosure interpretation (CD&I) providing guidance on when an issuer may become an accelerated or large accelerated filer after losing its status as a smaller reporting company.

New CD&I

New CD&I question 130.05 provides:

Question: An issuer is a smaller reporting company under the revenue test in paragraph (2) or (3)(iii)(B) of the “smaller reporting company” definition in Rule 12b-2. On the last business day of its second fiscal quarter of 2025, the issuer conducts its annual determination of smaller reporting company status and determines that it no longer qualifies as a smaller reporting company. When the issuer assesses its accelerated filer or large accelerated filer status, as of the end of fiscal year 2025, will this issuer become an accelerated filer or large accelerated filer?

Answer: No. When determining its accelerated filer or large accelerated filer status as of the end of its fiscal year, the issuer must

SEC Adopts Amendments To Accelerated And Large Accelerated Filer Definitions

In March, 2020 the SEC adopted amendments to the definitions of an “accelerated filer” and “large accelerated filer.”  The amendments were adopted largely as proposed in May 2019 (see HERE).

A company that is classified as an accelerated or large accelerated filer is subject to, among other things, the requirement that its outside auditor attest to, and report on, management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the issuer’s internal control over financial reporting (ICFR) as required by Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX).  The JOBS Act exempted emerging growth companies (EGCs) from this requirement.  Moreover, historically the definition of a smaller reporting company (SRC) was set such that an SRC could never be an accelerated or large accelerated filer, and as such would never be subject to Section 404(b) of SOX.

In June 2018, the SEC amended the definition of an SRC to include companies with less than a $250 million public float (increased