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The Free Financial Advisor
The Free Financial Advisor
Amanda Blankenship

FTC Freezes Civil Penalty Amounts for 2026 After Government Shutdown Disrupted Inflation Data

FTC civil penalties 2026
The Federal Trade Commission says its civil penalty amounts will remain at 2025 levels throughout 2026 because the government shutdown prevented federal officials from producing the October 2025 inflation data required to calculate the annual increase. Tada Images/Shutterstock

The Federal Trade Commission will keep its civil penalty amounts at 2025 levels for the remainder of 2026 after a government shutdown prevented federal officials from producing inflation data required to calculate this year’s increase.

The FTC formally announced the unusual move in a Federal Register notice published September 15. Federal law normally requires agencies to adjust applicable civil monetary penalties annually for inflation, but 2026 will be different.

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