Federal Real Property: New Occupancy Data Help Agencies Shed Unneeded Office Space But Gaps Limit the Full Picture
Fast Facts
The federal government spends billions of dollars every year to operate and maintain federal space—whether or not the space is being fully used.
A 2025 law requires agencies to collect and report data on the extent to which office space is being used. Many agencies said they were using or planning to use the data to dispose of unneeded space, which could save millions of dollars.
But the data doesn't offer a complete picture because it excludes some spaces that are vacant. And some agencies' collection and reporting of data isn't consistent with guidelines.
We recommended ways to improve future reporting to address this High Risk area.
Office area with empty cubicles.
Highlights
What GAO Found
Under the Utilizing Space Efficiently and Improving Technologies (USE IT) Act, enacted in January 2025, federal agencies are now required to collect and report occupancy data. This data is used to calculate utilization rates for agencies’ office space in federally owned buildings and leased locations. While 20 of the 23 agencies that responded to GAO’s survey reported using existing badging systems for this purpose, 16 of these 20 agencies reported supplementing that information with data from other sources such as daily check-in surveys. Nearly all agencies surveyed noted the importance of having easy to implement, cost-effective data collection approaches that they could put in place by the act’s July 2025 implementation deadline. Most agencies reported minimal costs associated with collecting and reporting USE IT Act data—collectively $16 million across 23 agencies in 2025.
Agencies’ Use of Approaches to Collect Occupancy Data, as of September 2025
Many agencies told GAO they are either using or plan to use their USE IT Act data to identify and dispose of unneeded real property. Some agency officials told GAO that they have already made decisions to consolidate or dispose of underutilized spaces, informed in part by USE IT Act data, and that they expect to save millions of dollars annually as a result.
However, the USE IT Act data submitted to Congress and the public in March 2026 does not have important context—including on GSA-controlled vacant space—needed to fully reflect office space utilization. Without this information, Congress and the public may have an inaccurate impression of the extent to which owned and leased office spaces are being utilized, including some locations that are likely being utilized at lower or higher rates than reported.
While surveyed agencies generally agreed that USE IT Act data are helpful, about one-third expressed concerns about how GSA data collection and reporting guidelines affect their utilization rate calculations. Further, some agencies described approaches to collecting and reporting their occupancy data that are inconsistent with GSA guidelines, resulting in data that are incomplete. For example, one agency reported the number of employees that are assigned to each location rather than measuring the extent to which employees were present in those spaces. By coordinating with agencies to improve the consistency and completeness of their occupancy data, GSA could better position agencies to make informed decisions about which underused spaces to prioritize for disposal, potentially leading to tens of millions of dollars in financial savings.
Why GAO Did This Study
Chronic underutilization of federal buildings is one of the main reasons that the management of federal real property has been on GAO’s High Risk list for more than 20 years. The USE IT Act requires the 24 Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Act agencies to collect and report occupancy data on the number of employees working in certain owned and leased spaces. It also contains a provision for GAO to review the costs to these agencies of this requirement to measure the occupancy and utilization rates of their spaces.
This report examines 1) the approaches CFO Act agencies reported using to collect the occupancy data required by the USE IT Act and their associated costs; 2) how agencies are using USE IT Act data to inform real property decisions and what additional information, if any, may help Congress and the public better understand federal office space utilization; and 3) agencies’ concerns about USE IT Act data collection and reporting and GSA’s actions to address these concerns.
GAO surveyed the CFO Act agencies about their data collection approaches, associated costs, and any limitations to their data or selected approaches. GAO also reviewed GSA guidelines for USE IT Act data collection, analyzed GSA data on vacant spaces, and conducted in-depth interviews with five agencies selected based on the variety of approaches to collecting occupancy data and the size of their real property portfolios.
Recommendations
GAO is making four recommendations to GSA to improve future office space utilization reporting, including that it provide data on vacant space to help fully reflect utilization. GSA did not agree or disagree but stated it would consider these recommendations.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| General Services Administration | The Administrator of GSA, in consultation with OMB, should ensure that future utilization reporting includes additional information to more fully reflect space utilization. Specifically, GSA should:
|
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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| General Services Administration | The Administrator of GSA should either clarify that spaces meeting or exceeding the USE IT Act's 60 percent utilization rate threshold are excluded from the full dataset on GSA.gov or publish utilization data for all spaces subject to the USE IT Act, regardless of whether the spaces achieved 60 percent utilization. (Recommendation 2) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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| General Services Administration | The Administrator of GSA, in consultation with OMB, should evaluate the effects of its USE IT Act data collection and reporting guidelines on agencies' calculated utilization rates and, as needed, adjust the guidelines based on its findings. At a minimum, this evaluation should examine the GSA guidelines' definition of typical office space and the effects of the inclusion of non-workdays in utilization rate calculations to identify potential ways to improve the quality of the data without excluding spaces that contribute significantly to a space's overall capacity. (Recommendation 3) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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| General Services Administration | The Administrator of GSA, in consultation with OMB, should develop and implement a plan to coordinate with CFO Act agencies to improve the consistency and completeness of occupancy data reported for all spaces subject to USE IT Act requirements. (Recommendation 4) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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