US Department of Labor Annual Adjustments to Civil Penalties for 2026

May 29, 2026

The U.S. Department of Labor has issued notification of no inflation adjustment to U.S. Department of Labor civil monetary penalties for 2026, including those for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

In 2015, Congress passed the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act to advance the effectiveness of civil monetary penalties and to maintain their deterrent effect. Under the Act, agencies are required to publish “catch-up” rules that adjust the level of civil monetary penalties and make subsequent annual adjustments for inflation no later than January 15 of each year. For 2026, the U.S. Department of Labor is not making any adjustments to civil money penalties, effective May 27, 2026.

For more information, please see the Federal Register Notice and visit the OSHA Penalties page, which will include an official agency memorandum for 2026 shortly.