When You Have a Problem with a Federal Agency

The Office of the National Ombudsman can help

The Office of the National Ombudsman assists small businesses facing unfair or excessive federal regulatory compliance or enforcement issues such as repetitive audits or investigations, excessive fines, and retaliation. As an impartial liaison, the Office of the National Ombudsman directs reported regulatory fairness matters to the appropriate federal agency for high-level fairness review and works across government to address those concerns, reduce regulatory burdens, and help small businesses succeed.

Congress established the Office of the National Ombudsman in 1996 as part of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA). The law ensures that businesses, small government entities, and small nonprofit organizations have a means to comment if they experience unfair regulatory enforcement actions by federal agencies.

The Office of the National Ombudsman can help:

• If you’re a small business or represent one, a nonprofit organization, or a small government entity (population 50,000 or less)
• If your comment or complaint directly involves a federal agency and federal regulation

How to File a Comment or Complaint

Interested in filing a comment or complaint? Follow these three easy steps:

1. Visit sba.gov/ombudsman/comment.

2. Complete the form as instructed. Here are a few tips:

• Describe the enforcement, inspection, or compliance taken by the federal agency and the results.
• Briefly describe the specific action or outcome you are seeking.
• Provide any available documentation of the action taken, such as correspondence, citations, or notices.

3. Submit the form directly online or download and submit it in any of the following ways:

• Email: ombudsman@sba.gov
• Fax: 202.481.5719
• Mail: U.S. Small Business Administration

  Office of the National Ombudsman

  409 3rd St, S.W.

  Washington, DC 20416

Keep in mind that this process is not a substitute for any other action you may take regarding specific federal enforcement activity, so you should continue to pursue all legal and administrative remedies you believe are in your company’s best interest.