AC 05.2026
Date: March 09, 2026
Memorandum to Federal Agency Records Officers and Annual Reporting Contacts: 2025 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Reporting Period Now Open
The Federal Agency Records Management Annual Reporting period is now open! The deadline to submit the required reports is May 15, 2026.
Agencies are required to submit three reports related to their records management programs and one additional spreadsheet to help NARA plan for future accessioning, preservation, and access to born-digital records. Agencies must submit:
- Records Management Self-Assessment (RMSA) via the survey tool
- Federal Electronic Records and Email Management Report (FEREM) via the survey tool
- Senior Agency Official for Records Management (SAORM) Annual Report, submitted separately via email using a template sent to SAORMs today and which is also available on our website
- Inventory of permanent electronic records other than Capstone email and electronic messages over 5 terabytes, submitted separately via email using the Permanent Electronic Records Over 5 TB spreadsheet on our website
SURVEY LINKS HAVE GONE OUT for the RMSA and the FEREM
As someone designated to respond to the 2025 Federal Agency Records Management Annual Reporting, you should have received two separate survey links to enter your agency’s RMSA and FEREM data from NARA@qualtrics-survey.com.
If you did not receive these survey links or if you received the links and are no longer responsible for completing the RMSA and/or the FEREM for your agency, please contact rmselfassessment@nara.gov as soon as possible.
QUESTIONNAIRES ARE ONLINE
For your convenience, Word versions of the 2025 RMSA and FEREM questionnaires are available on our website. (The SAORM Annual Report template has also been published there for your reference.) Please do not return these forms to us. Your agency’s official response to the RMSA and the FEREM must be entered into the survey tool using your survey links.
SURVEY TOOL DEADLINE
You have until 11:59 pm ET Friday, May 15, 2026, to complete the RMSA and the FEREM. We will be unable to accept submissions after this date.
TRANSPARENCY
Your responses to the RMSA may be subject to public release pursuant to FOIA. Please note that if NARA receives a FOIA request for your responses to questions in this assessment, we will refer the requester to your agency for a response.
REPORT VALIDATION
As in previous years, we will be conducting a validation process. Your agency may be selected at random to provide additional documentation and/or take part in interviews to discuss your records management program activities.
If you have any questions regarding annual reporting, please contact rmselfassessment@nara.gov.
WILLIAM FISCHER
Acting Chief Records Officer
for the U.S. Government (Acting)