SEC Filing Metadata

SEC Filing Metadata

Access structured metadata for SEC filings through the FinFeedAPI SEC Filings API.

Query filings by company ticker, CIK, form type, filing date, report date, or disclosed items. Sort and paginate results, identify relevant filings, and use the returned accession numbers to extract filing content, download original EDGAR documents, or convert XBRL data into JSON.

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What Is SEC Filing Metadata?

SEC filing metadata is the structured information used to identify, organize, search, and classify filings submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A lightweight index over EDGAR

Instead of downloading and processing complete EDGAR filing documents, applications can first retrieve a lightweight representation of every filing. This metadata provides the information needed to determine which company submitted the filing, what type of report it is, when it was filed, which reporting period it covers, whether XBRL data is available, and which document should be retrieved next.

This creates a searchable index over SEC filings. Instead of scanning large collections of EDGAR documents, applications can query structured metadata to locate the filings they need before downloading documents, extracting filing sections, performing full-text search, or converting financial statements into structured JSON.

A metadata record can include

  • filing accession number
  • issuer CIK
  • form type
  • filing date
  • report date
  • SEC acceptance timestamp
  • filing size
  • disclosed items
  • XBRL status
  • primary document name
  • primary document description
  • EDGAR source-file path

Why Use SEC Filing Metadata?

Most applications use metadata to discover relevant filings before retrieving filing documents, extracting disclosure sections, performing full-text search, or processing XBRL financial statements.

Discover filings before downloading them

Before downloading documents or extracting filing content, applications need an efficient way to identify which filings are relevant. Structured metadata allows developers to perform that discovery using indexed attributes instead of parsing raw EDGAR archives.

Using filing metadata helps applications:

  • search SEC filings by company ticker or CIK
  • filter filings by form type, filing date, or reporting period
  • monitor newly published regulatory filings
  • build searchable SEC filing databases
  • identify filings containing specific disclosed items
  • organize historical filing archives
  • determine XBRL availability before conversion
  • retrieve accession numbers for downstream processing

Because metadata queries return only structured filing information, applications can reduce unnecessary document downloads and process only filings that match their business logic.

SEC Filing Metadata Available Through the API

Each filing metadata record provides the information required to uniquely identify a filing and determine how it should be processed. Depending on the filing, responses can include issuer identifiers, filing dates, reporting periods, document information, filing characteristics, disclosed items, and indicators showing whether structured XBRL data is available.

Response fields

FieldDescription
accession_numberUnique SEC filing accession number
cikCentral Index Key of the issuer
formSEC filing form type
filing_dateDate the filing was submitted
report_dateDate associated with the reporting period
acceptance_date_timeTime the filing was accepted
itemsItems associated with the filing
sizeFiling document size
is_xbrlIndicates XBRL availability
is_inline_xbrlIndicates Inline XBRL availability
primary_documentMain filing document name
primary_doc_descriptionDescription of the primary document
source_filePath to the EDGAR source file

Additional response fields can include the SEC act, file number, film number, and core filing type.

Search SEC Filings

Instead of manually navigating the EDGAR archive, developers can retrieve SEC filing metadata using structured search parameters. The API supports multiple ways to search SEC filings depending on how your application organizes regulatory data.

Search by company

Find filings using either a stock ticker or the company's SEC Central Index Key (CIK).

http
GET /v1/filings?ticker=AAPL
http
GET /v1/filings?cik=320193

Ticker searches are commonly used by investor-facing applications, while CIK provides a permanent SEC identifier suitable for internal databases and compliance systems.

Search by filing type

Retrieve one or more SEC filing types.

http
GET /v1/filings?form_type=10-K
http
GET /v1/filings?form_type=10-K,10-Q,8-K

Searching by form type allows applications to separate annual reports, quarterly reports, current reports, and other regulatory disclosures.

Search by filing date

Limit results to filings submitted during a specified period.

http
GET /v1/filings?filling_date_start=2025-01-01&filling_date_end=2025-03-31

Useful for daily filing monitors, historical synchronization, and incremental ingestion. Filing-date filters use filling_date_start and filling_date_end.

Search by reporting period

Retrieve filings covering a specific fiscal reporting period.

http
GET /v1/filings?report_date_start=2024-01-01&report_date_end=2024-12-31

Unlike filing dates, report dates identify the financial period represented by the filing.

Search by disclosed filing items

Filter filings whose metadata references a particular SEC filing item.

http
GET /v1/filings?form_type=8-K&items_contain=1.01

This allows applications to identify filings likely to contain specific disclosures before extracting individual filing sections.

Sort and Paginate Filing Results

The SEC Filing Metadata API is designed to support both targeted company searches and large-scale historical filing discovery.

Order by the attributes you use most

Results can be ordered by the attributes most commonly used when working with regulatory filings. Applications can retrieve the newest filings first, process records chronologically, or organize results by reporting period depending on the workflow.

  • AccessionNumber
  • FilingDate
  • ReportDate
  • AcceptanceDateTime
  • Size
http
GET /v1/filings?ticker=AAPL&sort_by=FilingDate&sort_order=desc

Page through large archives

For larger datasets, the API supports page-based pagination using page_size and page_number.

http
GET /v1/filings?form_type=10-K&page_size=100&page_number=2

Pagination makes it practical to synchronize historical SEC filing databases, perform incremental imports, or process large filing archives without requesting every result in a single response.

Build Metadata-First SEC Filing Workflows

SEC filing metadata serves as the entry point for the broader FinFeedAPI SEC Filings platform. Instead of downloading every filing document published in EDGAR, applications can first identify the relevant filing using structured metadata and then retrieve only the information they need.

A typical workflow

  1. 1Search SEC filing metadata
  2. 2Select the appropriate filing
  3. 3Use the accession number
  4. 4Extract filing sections, download original documents, or convert XBRL into JSON

This approach separates filing discovery from document processing, making SEC data pipelines more efficient while reducing unnecessary downloads.

From accession number to analysis

  1. Search metadata
  2. Accession number
  3. Extract sections
  4. Download documents
  5. Convert XBRL

Use Accession Numbers Across the SEC Filing API

Every filing returned by the metadata endpoint contains an accession number, the unique identifier that connects filing discovery with the rest of the FinFeedAPI SEC Filings API.

The primary workflow identifier

After locating a filing, the accession number can be used to continue into extraction, download, and XBRL conversion without performing another search.

  • extract classified filing content
  • retrieve individual filing items
  • download original EDGAR documents
  • convert XBRL filings into structured JSON
  • continue downstream processing without performing another search

Using accession numbers as the primary workflow identifier allows applications to move from discovery to analysis while keeping each stage of the pipeline independent.

Example SEC Filing Metadata Request

Retrieve the latest annual, quarterly, and current reports for a company. The API requires an API key in the Authorization header.

Request

bash
curl -X GET \
  "https://api.sec.finfeedapi.com/v1/filings?ticker=AAPL&form_type=10-K,10-Q,8-K&page_size=10&page_number=1&sort_by=FilingDate&sort_order=desc" \
  -H "Authorization: YOUR_API_KEY"

Example response

json
{
  "cik": 1234567890,
  "accession_number": "0001140361-21-012345",
  "filing_date": "2021-03-15",
  "report_date": "2020-12-31",
  "acceptance_date_time": "2021-03-15T16:30:00.0000000Z",
  "form": "10-K",
  "items": "1,1A,2",
  "size": 15000000,
  "is_xbrl": true,
  "is_inline_xbrl": true,
  "primary_document": "form10k.htm",
  "primary_doc_description": "Form 10-K Annual Report",
  "source_file": "edgar/data/1234567890/0001140361-21-012345.txt"
}

REST, MCP, and JSON-RPC Access

SEC filing metadata is available through multiple FinFeedAPI interfaces.

REST API

Use the REST endpoint for direct request-response access from applications, data pipelines, and backend systems.

http
GET /v1/filings

MCP

The hosted SEC MCP server exposes filing metadata through the filings_query tool. MCP is designed for AI agents and compatible tools that need self-describing access to SEC filing discovery and extraction workflows.

json
{
  "tool": "filings_query",
  "arguments": {
    "ticker": "AAPL",
    "form_type": "10-K,10-Q,8-K",
    "page_size": 10,
    "sort_by": "FilingDate",
    "sort_order": "desc"
  }
}

JSON-RPC

The JSON-RPC interface acts as a thin proxy to the REST API at https://api.sec.finfeedapi.com/jsonrpc. Set the method to v1/filings and pass endpoint filters inside params.

json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "v1/filings",
  "params": {
    "ticker": "AAPL",
    "form_type": "10-K,10-Q",
    "page_number": 1
  },
  "id": "filing-query-001"
}

Why Developers Start With Filing Metadata

Downloading every SEC filing is rarely the most efficient way to work with regulatory data. Structured filing metadata provides a searchable layer that helps applications identify the correct filing before retrieving large documents or processing financial disclosures.

Metadata-first workflows

  • reduce unnecessary EDGAR downloads
  • locate filings faster
  • organize historical filing archives
  • build repeatable ingestion pipelines
  • simplify AI and document-processing workflows
  • connect filing discovery with structured financial data

For most applications, filing metadata becomes the foundation of the entire SEC filing workflow.

SEC Filing Metadata

Start Searching SEC Filing Metadata

Query SEC filings by company, form type, filing date, report date, or disclosed items.

Use structured metadata to discover the correct filing, capture its accession number, and continue into document extraction, original file download, or XBRL conversion through the FinFeedAPI SEC Filings API.

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