{
  "schema_version": "citation-answer/v1",
  "answer_key": "cik-number-definition",
  "artifact_slug": "cik-number-definition",
  "query": "what is a cik number",
  "citation_slots": 3,
  "canonical_path": "/learn/what-is-a-cik",
  "title": "What is a CIK number?",
  "description": "The SEC Central Index Key used in EDGAR filing records.",
  "answer_capsule": "A CIK is the SEC's Central Index Key, represented as a 10-digit zero-padded identifier in EDGAR data interfaces. The SEC EDGAR application-programming-interface documentation, accessed 2026-07-21, is the named source. A CIK locates filing records; it is not a tax identifier or a conclusion about a company's status.",
  "scope": "This answer defines the EDGAR key and its representation in SEC data interfaces. It does not claim a complete retained EDGAR entity snapshot.",
  "methodology_version": "citation-answer/v1",
  "reproducibility_note": "Re-derive this answer from the named source and dated scope; no Fonteum account is required.",
  "limitations": [
    "Ticker-to-CIK associations have their own coverage and accuracy limits.",
    "This aggregate public-record answer is not a consumer report, person-level dossier, eligibility decision, or risk score."
  ],
  "related_links": [
    {
      "label": "SEC enforcement trend study",
      "href": "/gov/research/sec-enforcement-trend-2026"
    }
  ],
  "data_as_of": "2026-07-21",
  "source_artifacts": [
    {
      "source_key": "sec-edgar-cik",
      "kind": "upstream",
      "file_name": "EDGAR application programming interfaces",
      "file_url": "https://www.sec.gov/search-filings/edgar-application-programming-interfaces",
      "publisher": "U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission",
      "published_date": null,
      "retrieved_date": "2026-07-21",
      "data_as_of": "2026-07-21",
      "sha256": null
    }
  ],
  "published_date": "2026-07-21",
  "modified_date": "2026-07-21",
  "sources": [
    {
      "source_key": "sec-edgar-cik",
      "name": "EDGAR application programming interfaces",
      "publisher": "U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission",
      "official_url": "https://www.sec.gov/search-filings/edgar-application-programming-interfaces",
      "source_date_kind": "accessed",
      "source_date": "2026-07-21",
      "limitation": "CIK identifies EDGAR filing records. Ticker associations and filed data have their own scope and do not establish current corporate standing.",
      "retrieved_date": "2026-07-21"
    }
  ],
  "facts": [
    {
      "fact_key": "format",
      "label": "CIK interface format",
      "value": "10 digits, zero-padded",
      "source": {
        "source_key": "sec-edgar-cik",
        "name": "EDGAR application programming interfaces",
        "publisher": "U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission",
        "official_url": "https://www.sec.gov/search-filings/edgar-application-programming-interfaces",
        "source_date_kind": "accessed",
        "source_date": "2026-07-21",
        "limitation": "CIK identifies EDGAR filing records. Ticker associations and filed data have their own scope and do not establish current corporate standing.",
        "retrieved_date": "2026-07-21"
      }
    },
    {
      "fact_key": "system",
      "label": "Record system",
      "value": "SEC EDGAR",
      "source": {
        "source_key": "sec-edgar-cik",
        "name": "EDGAR application programming interfaces",
        "publisher": "U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission",
        "official_url": "https://www.sec.gov/search-filings/edgar-application-programming-interfaces",
        "source_date_kind": "accessed",
        "source_date": "2026-07-21",
        "limitation": "CIK identifies EDGAR filing records. Ticker associations and filed data have their own scope and do not establish current corporate standing.",
        "retrieved_date": "2026-07-21"
      }
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Is a CIK a tax identifier?",
      "answer": "No. It is the SEC key used to identify EDGAR filing records."
    },
    {
      "question": "Do leading zeroes matter?",
      "answer": "SEC data interfaces commonly represent CIK values as 10-digit zero-padded strings."
    }
  ]
}