SEC’s Proposed Amendments to Accelerated and Large Accelerated Filer Definitions

On May 9, 2019, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed revisions to the accelerated filer and large accelerated filer definitions in 17 CFR 12b-2 (Rule 12b-2). These proposed changes would reduce the number of issuers that qualify as accelerated filers and reduce compliance costs for smaller reporting companies. 

If the proposal is adopted, certain low-revenue issuers would not be subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) Section 404(b) auditor attestation requirements regarding internal control over financial reporting (ICFR).  In addition, these low-revenue issuers would not need to comply with the shorter SEC reporting deadlines that apply to accelerated and large accelerated filers.