NCUA Releases 2026 Operating Fee Schedule

The NCUA released its Operating Fee Schedule for 2026, confirming preliminary budget calculations that operating fee rates will decrease by an average of approximately 24.65 percent compared to 2025.

According to the NCUA, the reduction in 2026 operating fees is the result of reductions in staffing, repurposing of expenses and crediting of "unspent collections" of the fee in 2025.

Overall, NCUA's net annual budget for 2026 is expected to decrease by approximately 20 percent from 2025. In addition, total assets at federal credit unions grew by 3.72 percent in 2025. This growth helps lower the amount of operating fee revenue needed on a relative basis to fund the agency's budget.

The 2026 Operating Fee Schedule provides credit unions with the information needed to estimate their individual operating fees. Payment is due no later than Friday, April 17, 2026.