Data Sources
Data Freshness
Understand how fresh Filed's data is, how often it's updated, and what the lastUpdated field means.
How Fresh Is the Data?
State Data Updates
Each state updates its database at different intervals:
- Batch-update states — Data may lag 1-3 business days after filing
- The
lastUpdatedfield — Indicates when our system last verified the data against the state source
When lastUpdated Is null
lastUpdated on GET /v1/states is nullable. A null value means we hold no verified scrape timestamp for that state — not that the state is empty or unavailable. Treat it as "freshness unknown" and do not fall back to the current date.
Today most states return null here. We previously returned a placeholder date for those states, which made unverified freshness indistinguishable from verified freshness; null is the honest value until a recorded scrape exists. The state's entityCount and search coverage are unaffected by a null timestamp.
Federal Data Updates
Federal data sources have their own update schedules:
- SEC EDGAR — Filings typically appear within hours of submission
- Lobbying disclosures — Quarterly filings, published within weeks of the filing deadline
- Government contracts — USASpending.gov updates monthly, with some data lagging 30-60 days