Federal Real Property: New Occupancy Data Help Agencies Shed Unneeded Office Space But Gaps Limit the Full Picture

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.

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.