Real-time SEC Filings API
Last updated:
Business Quant's SEC Filings API exposes the complete SEC EDGAR index in real time. Query 20M+ filings across 400+ SEC form types dating back to 1993 by ticker, CIK, form type, and date range, and get accession, filer, timestamps, and document URLs as compact JSON.
How this fits the SEC API suite: Use this API to search filings and collect accession numbers. Then use the SEC Filing Documents & Exhibits API to download raw HTML, XBRL, PDF, and exhibit files from any filing. Or use the Section Extraction API to pull pre-extracted sections — Risk Factors, MD&A, Financial Statements — without any parsing.
https://data.businessquant.com/secfilings?ticker={ticker}&formtype={formtype}&api_key={api_key}
Query Parameters
Provide either ticker or cik to initiate a query. The API resolves tickers to their master CIK automatically. Other parameters let you filter by form type, date range, and pagination.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| api_key |
Required
Your unique API key for authentication. Pass it as a query parameter on every request.
|
| ticker |
Conditional
String
Stock ticker symbol (e.g., AAPL, MSFT). Required if cik is not provided. The API automatically resolves the ticker to its canonical SEC CIK.
|
| cik |
Conditional
Integer
The SEC Central Index Key (CIK). Use this for entities without a standard ticker — mutual funds, ETFs, individual insiders, or foreign filers. Required if ticker is not provided.
|
| formtype |
Optional
Filter by exact SEC form code. Accepts a comma-separated list of form types. Values are case-insensitive.
Examples:
10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, 4, S-1, DEF 14A, SC 13GMulti-type:
formtype=10-K,10-Q |
| formgroup |
Optional
Filter by a broader standardized form category — useful when you want all variations of a class without enumerating every sub-type. Accepts a comma-separated list.
Examples:
Quarterly & Annual Report, Insider Transaction, Registration Statement, Current Report, Proxy Statement |
| from_date |
Optional
Lower bound on the filing publication date (inclusive).
Strict Format:
DD-MM-YYYY — e.g., 01-01-2023 |
| till_date |
Optional
Upper bound on the filing publication date (inclusive).
Strict Format:
DD-MM-YYYY — e.g., 31-12-2024 |
| page |
Optional
Page number for cursor-based pagination. Starts at 1. The response includes total_pages so you can iterate through all results.
|
| page_size |
Optional
Number of records returned per page. Maximum is 1000. Default is 100.
|
{
"metadata": {
"cik": 320193,
"ticker": "AAPL",
"companyname": "Apple Inc.",
"from_date": null,
"till_date": null,
"page": 1,
"page_size": 100,
"total_records": 131,
"total_pages": 2
},
"data": [
{
"accession": "0000320193-26-000013",
"filingdate": "2026-05-01",
"reportperiod": "2026-03-28",
"publishdatetime": "2026-05-01 10:01:00",
"formtype": "10-Q",
"formgroup": "Quarterly & Annual Report",
"items": [
"part1_item1",
"part1_item2"
],
"filing_exhibits": [
{
"sequence": "1",
"description": "10-Q",
"type": "10-Q",
"size": "761",
"url_doc_sec": "https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000032019326000013/aapl-20260328.htm",
"url_doc_bq": "https://edgar.businessquant.com/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000032019326000013/aapl-20260328.htm"
}
],
"xbrl_attachments": [
{
"sequence": "5",
"description": "",
"type": "EX-101.SCH",
"size": "34",
"url_doc_sec": "https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000032019326000013/aapl-20260328.xsd",
"url_doc_bq": "https://edgar.businessquant.com/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000032019326000013/aapl-20260328.xsd"
}
],
"isinteractivefiling": "y",
"inline_xbrl": "y",
"url_sec": {
"url_edgar": "https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=320193",
"url_html": "https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000032019326000013/aapl-20260328.htm",
"url_txt": "https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000032019326000013/0000320193-26-000013.txt",
"url_index": "https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000032019326000013/0000320193-26-000013-index.htm"
},
"url_bq": {
"url_edgar": "https://edgar.businessquant.com/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=320193",
"url_html": "https://edgar.businessquant.com/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000032019326000013/aapl-20260328.htm",
"url_txt": "https://edgar.businessquant.com/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000032019326000013/0000320193-26-000013.txt",
"url_index": "https://edgar.businessquant.com/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000032019326000013/0000320193-26-000013-index.htm"
}
}
]
}
What this endpoint returns
Each result row represents a single SEC filing with normalized identifiers (ticker, CIK), form type, filed time, accession, and direct links to the EDGAR documents for that accession.
Search & Filtering Examples
Common patterns:
Latest 10-K for a company
?ticker=AAPL&formtype=10-K&page_size=1
All 8-K filings in a date range
?ticker=AAPL&formtype=8-K&from_date=01-01-2024&till_date=31-12-2024
All filings for a specific CIK
?cik=0000320193
Historical Coverage & Real-time Updates
Coverage: 20M+ SEC EDGAR filings across 400+ SEC form types from 1993 to present, including 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, 20-F, 40-F, 6-K, S-1, DEF 14A, Forms 3/4/5, 13D/13G, 13F, and more. New filings are indexed and exposed via this API within seconds of being accepted by EDGAR.
Output Format
The API returns a JSON array of filings. Each object includes accession, form type, filer name, CIK, ticker (when mapped), filed timestamp, and one or more EDGAR document URLs.
API Response Sample
Apple Inc. (AAPL) · Showing 3 of 131 total filings ·
GET /secfilings?ticker=AAPL&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY
| Filing Date | Form Type | Report Period | Accession Number | Items | Filing Exhibits | XBRL | Inline XBRL | View | Form Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-01 | 10-Q | 2026-03-28 | 0000320193-26-000013 | part1_item1part1_item2part1_item3part1_item4 | 10-QEX-31.1EX-31.2EX-32.1GRAPHIC | 6 | Yes | SEC BQ Index | Quarterly & Annual Report |
| 2026-01-30 | 10-Q | 2025-12-27 | 0000320193-26-000006 | part1_item1part1_item2part1_item3part1_item4 | 10-QEX-31.1EX-31.2EX-32.1GRAPHIC | 6 | Yes | SEC BQ Index | Quarterly & Annual Report |
| 2025-10-31 | 10-K | 2025-09-27 | 0000320193-25-000079 | item1item1aitem1bitem1c+18 more | 10-KEX-4.1EX-21.1EX-23.1EX-31.1+4 more | 6 | Yes | SEC BQ Index | Quarterly & Annual Report |
Endpoint Variations — All Supported Query Patterns
The SEC Filings endpoint is designed for flexible, composable querying. Below are the most common access patterns. Parameters can be freely combined — for example, you can filter by both formtype and a date range simultaneously.
https://data.businessquant.com/secfilings?ticker=AAPL&formtype=10-K,10-Q&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY
https://data.businessquant.com/secfilings?ticker=MSFT&formgroup=Quarterly%20%26%20Annual%20Report,Insider%20Transaction&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY
https://data.businessquant.com/secfilings?cik=320193&formtype=8-K&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY
https://data.businessquant.com/secfilings?ticker=AAPL&from_date=01-01-2023&till_date=31-12-2024&page=2&page_size=50&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY
https://data.businessquant.com/secfilings?ticker=TSLA&formtype=10-K&page_size=1000&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY
URL Architecture — Dual-Source Document Access
Every filing record returns two complete URL bundles — url_sec and url_bq — giving you direct access to documents on both the official SEC EDGAR servers and Business Quant's mirrored archive. Each bundle contains four distinct URL types for different access patterns.
Direct links to www.sec.gov. Authoritative source. Subject to SEC rate limiting under heavy programmatic load. Use for compliance or audit trails where official sourcing matters.
url_html → Rendered HTML document
url_txt → Raw .txt filing
url_index → Filing index manifest
Same content served from edgar.businessquant.com. Optimized for high-frequency programmatic access. Structurally identical to SEC content, so you can swap the domain without changing downstream parsing logic.
url_html → Rendered HTML document
url_txt → Raw .txt filing
url_index → Filing index manifest
The filing_exhibits Array
Contains each human-readable document attached to the filing — the primary filing document itself, all EX- exhibits (certifications, agreements, financial statements), and embedded graphic files. Each item carries both its SEC and BQ direct-download URLs.
The xbrl_attachments Array
Contains all XBRL taxonomy files attached to the filing — schema (.xsd), calculation linkbase, definition linkbase, label linkbase, presentation linkbase, and the inline XBRL instance document (.xml). Essential for machine-readable financial data extraction.
Complete Response Fields Reference
Every field returned by the SEC Filings API is documented below. The response is structured as a root object with two keys: metadata (pagination and identity context) and data (the array of matching filing records). Nested objects within each record are documented in separate subsections.
Common Use Cases for the SEC Filings API
📊 Quantitative Research Pipelines
Fetch all 10-K and 10-Q filings for a universe of companies, extract the XBRL attachments, and feed the structured data into financial models. The xbrl_attachments array gives you direct URLs to every taxonomy file without additional lookups.
⚖️ Compliance & Regulatory Monitoring
Monitor for new 8-K filings or insider Form 4 transactions in near real-time by polling the endpoint filtered by from_date set to today. The publishdatetime field gives minute-level precision for time-sensitive workflows.
📄 Document Retrieval & NLP
Use the url_html or url_txt fields from url_bq to fetch and parse the full text of any SEC filing — the starting point for LLM-based financial analysis, sentiment scoring, or MD&A extraction.
🔍 Due Diligence & Screening
Check whether a company has filed an S-1, S-3, or registration amendment — and retrieve the document directly — in a single API call. Combine with the Stocks Profile endpoint to build a full company intelligence layer.
📈 Financial Data Aggregation
Iterate over total_pages to collect a company's entire EDGAR history, then use the items array on each record to route filings to the appropriate Section Extraction sub-endpoint for structured content parsing.
🏦 Fund & Institutional Research
Query by cik rather than ticker to retrieve filings for mutual funds, ETFs, or institutional filers that don't have standard exchange tickers — enabling the same structured access for the entire EDGAR registrant universe.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many SEC filings does the Business Quant API cover?
The API indexes over 20 million SEC EDGAR filings across more than 400 form types, with historical coverage dating back to 1993. New filings are indexed within seconds of acceptance by EDGAR.
Can I search SEC filings by ticker symbol and CIK?
Yes. You can query by ticker symbol (e.g., AAPL) or by SEC Central Index Key (CIK). The API automatically resolves tickers to their canonical CIK. You can also filter by form type, date range, and paginate through results.
Is the SEC Filings API free to use?
Yes, the SEC Filings API is free to use. Sign up for an API key to start querying the complete EDGAR filing index immediately.
What SEC form types can I search with this API?
All 400+ SEC form types are supported, including 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, Form 4, S-1, DEF 14A, SC 13G, 20-F, 40-F, 6-K, 13F, 13D, and every other form type filed with EDGAR.
What data does each filing record return?
Each record includes the accession number, form type, filer name, CIK, ticker (when mapped), filing date, report period, publish timestamp, a list of sections present in the filing, exhibit URLs, XBRL attachment URLs, and direct document links on both SEC EDGAR and Business Quant domains.