Rachel Brass, Kristen Limarzi, Michael Perry, Bradley Smith
February 23, 2026
FTC Publishes Revised Hart-Scott-Rodino Notification Thresholds for 2026

3 min
AI-made summary
- • On January 14, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission announced its annual update of thresholds for pre-merger notifications under the HSR Act. • The baseline size-of-transaction threshold for reporting proposed transactions will increase from $126.4 million in 2025 to $133.9 million in 2026. • The new HSR Act thresholds will take effect in late February 2026, 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. • Updated thresholds for prohibitions on certain interlocking directorates are $54,402,000 for Section 8(a)(1) and $5,440,200 for Section 8(a)(2)(A), effective upon publication.
Gibson Dunn lawyers are available to assist in addressing any questions companies may have regarding the HSR Act or antitrust issues raised by business transactions.~~On January 14, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission announced its annual update of thresholds for pre-merger notifications of certain M&A transactions under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (“HSR Act”).[1] Pursuant to the statute, the HSR Act’s jurisdictional thresholds are updated annually to account for changes in the gross national product, and new HSR Act filing fees also are updated based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index. The new thresholds will take effect in late February 2026, 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, which will happen in the next couple of days. The new thresholds apply to transactions that close on or after the effective date.~~The baseline size-of-transaction threshold for reporting proposed transactions under Section 7A of the Clayton Act will increase from the current $126.4 million in 2025 to $133.9 million in 2026.~~.~~The new HSR filing fees will be:~~.~~The 2026 thresholds triggering prohibitions on certain interlocking directorates on corporate boards of directors are being updated to $54,402,000 for Section 8(a)(l) (size of corporation) and $5,440,200 for Section 8(a)(2)(A) (competitive sales). The Section 8 thresholds will take effect immediately upon publication in the Federal Register.~~If you have any questions about the new HSR size of transaction thresholds, or HSR and antitrust/competition regulations and rulemaking more generally, please contact any of the partners or counsel listed below.~~[1] FTC Announces 2026 Update of Jurisdictional and Fee Thresholds for Premerger Notification Filings, Press Releases, FTC (Jan. 14, 2026) (https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/01/ftc-announces-2026-update-jurisdictional-fee-thresholds-premerger-notification-filings?utm_source=govdelivery).~~The following Gibson Dunn lawyers prepared this update: Rachel Brass, Kristen Limarzi, Michael Perry, and Bradley Smith.~~Gibson Dunn lawyers are available to assist in addressing any questions you may have regarding the HSR Act or antitrust issues raised by business transactions. Please contact the Gibson Dunn lawyer with whom you usually work, the authors, or any leader or member of the firm’s Antitrust and Competition, Mergers and Acquisitions, or Private Equity practice groups:~~Antitrust and Competition: Rachel S. Brass – San Francisco (+1 415.393.8293, rbrass@gibsondunn.com) Jamie E. France – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8218, jfrance@gibsondunn.com) Sophia A. Hansell – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.887.3625, shansell@gibsondunn.com) Kristen C. Limarzi – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.887.3518, klimarzi@gibsondunn.com) Joshua Lipton – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8226, jlipton@gibsondunn.com) Michael J. Perry – Washinton, D.C. (+1 202.887.3558, mjperry@gibsondunn.com) Cynthia Richman – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8234, crichman@gibsondunn.com) Bradley P. Smith – New York (+1 212.351.5376, bpsmith@gibsondunn.com) Stephen Weissman – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8678, sweissman@gibsondunn.com)~~Mergers and Acquisitions: Robert B. Little – Dallas (+1 214.698.3260, rlittle@gibsondunn.com) Saee Muzumdar – New York (+1 212.351.3966, smuzumdar@gibsondunn.com) George Sampas – New York (+1 212.351.6300, gsampas@gibsondunn.com)~~Private Equity: Richard J. Birns – New York (+1 212.351.4032, rbirns@gibsondunn.com) Ari Lanin – Los Angeles (+1 310.552.8581, alanin@gibsondunn.com) Michael Piazza – Houston (+1 346.718.6670, mpiazza@gibsondunn.com) John M. Pollack – New York (+1 212.351.3903, jpollack@gibsondunn.com)~~© 2026 Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. All rights reserved. For contact and other information, please visit us at www.gibsondunn.com.~~Attorney Advertising: These materials were prepared for general informational purposes only based on information available at the time of publication and are not intended as, do not constitute, and should not be relied upon as, legal advice or a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. Gibson Dunn (and its affiliates, attorneys, and employees) shall not have any liability in connection with any use of these materials. The sharing of these materials does not establish an attorney-client relationship with the recipient and should not be relied upon as an alternative for advice from qualified counsel. Please note that facts and circumstances may vary, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.~~Download PDF~~
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Rachel Brass, Kristen Limarzi, Michael Perry, Bradley Smith
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