# Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) — Federal Whistleblower Protection Filing Deadlines by Statute

For Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), usc citation is 18 U.S.C. § 1514A; filing deadline days is 180; covered industry is Publicly traded companies and securities; enforcement mechanism is Complaint filed with Secretary of Labor; governed under rules and procedures of section 42121(b) of title 49 (AIR21 procedures); private right of action is Yes; if the Secretary has not issued a final decision within 180 days of the filing of the complaint and there is no showing that such delay is due to the bad faith of the claimant, bringing an action at law or equity for de novo review in the appropriate district court of the United States, recorded from its source on 2026-08-15.

- **statute short name:** Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX)
- **usc citation:** 18 U.S.C. § 1514A
- **filing deadline days:** 180 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **covered industry:** Publicly traded companies and securities _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **enforcement mechanism:** Complaint filed with Secretary of Labor; governed under rules and procedures of section 42121(b) of title 49 (AIR21 procedures)
- **private right of action:** Yes; if the Secretary has not issued a final decision within 180 days of the filing of the complaint and there is no showing that such delay is due to the bad faith of the claimant, bringing an action at law or equity for de novo review in the appropriate district court of the United States

## What the source says

> An action under paragraph (1) shall be commenced not later than 180 days after the date on which the violation occurs, or after the date on which the employee became aware of the violation.

## Source

- https://www.whistleblowers.gov/statutes/sox_amended

Last verified: 2026-08-15. Review by: 2027-08-15.
Part of [Federal Whistleblower Protection Filing Deadlines by Statute](https://referencesource.org/whistleblower-filing-deadlines/).