There is no initial fee to file a FOIA request. The regulations and the FOIA Reform Act set forth three levels of fees, which are to be assessed according to the categories of the requester, and the intended use of the documents sought.

1. Commercial use requesters are assessed 10 cents per photocopied page with no pages free. Fees are charged for search, review and redaction at the rate of pay plus 16% of the employee(s) doing the task. No search or redaction time is provided without charge.

2. Educational and scientific institutions and news media are charged for photocopying only (whose purpose is scholarly or scientific research; or a representative of the news media) with the first 100 pages given without charge. No search or review time is charged.

3. All other requesters are assessed ten cents per photocopied page with 100 pages without charge. Search time is charged at the rate of pay plus 16%, with the first two hours given without charge. No review time is charged.

If you expect that a fee will be charged, you may request a fee waiver. However, fee waivers are granted only if a requester can show that the disclosure of the information is in the public interest because it will contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations and activities of the government. Requests for fee waivers should be directed to the FOIA officer.

For all requesters, if the total fee for your request is less than $5, you will not be charged. You will be notified if your fees exceed $25. If the fees total more than $250, ED will request payment in advance.

• Department of Justice

• American Civil Liberties Union

• Department of Defense

• National Archives and Records Administration

• Public Citizen

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Annual Reports are availabe at http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/foia/index.html.