ALEXANDRIA, Va. — TNCUA has officially released its 2026 operating fee schedule, confirming that federal credit unions will see an average operating fee reduction of about 24.65% this year, the agency announced Friday.
The NCUA board approved the agency’s 2026 operating and capital budgets in December 2025, setting the stage for the fee decline. The regulator also raised the operating fee exemption threshold from $2.08 million to $2.16 million in total assets, meaning federal credit unions with a four-quarter average at or below that level will pay no operating fee.
The newly released schedule formalizes figures that CUToday previously reported last year, when preliminary budget numbers signaled a sizable drop in operating fees tied to cost controls and prior-year budget surpluses.
According to NCUA, the 2026 fee reduction reflects three key factors: lower staffing and program expenses, the repurposing of roughly $49.3 million in unused funds from prior years, and a $1 million credit applied to 2026 operating fees from past unspent collections.
The fee cut represents one of the largest year-over-year reductions in recent NCUA history, offering near-term cost relief to federal credit unions as the industry continues to manage margin pressure, rising compliance costs, and broader economic uncertainty.