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IETF Administration LLC 2027 Draft Budget
- Jay Daley IETF Executive Director
10 Nov 2026
The IETF Administration LLC has prepared its draft budget for 2027 and now seeks community feedback.
The IETF Administration LLC 2027 Draft Budget is made up of the following:
Key assumptions
- Internet Society (ISOC) contribution as per our agreement
- IETF 129 & IETF 130 meetings are using slightly increased registration fees based on ~3.5%, but subject to board and community consultation
- Special project to reduce RFC Editor backlog
- New AI investment added for Tools, Marketing, RPC, & Administration
- Investments rate of return is 2.6% over the year, as confirmed by our investment advisors
- Up to 3.5% inflation reflected in staff and for some contract costs, subject to change for the November rates to be published
- No new Grant funds in 2027
Summary
| 2027 Draft Budget | 2026 Budget | Variance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Meeting Revenue | $ 9,422,650 | $ 9,455,661 | $ (33,011) |
| Meeting Revenue | $ 4,968,215 | $ 4,551,753 | $ 416,462 |
| Revenue | $ 14,390,865 | $ 14,007,414 | $ 383,451 |
| Operating Expenses | $ 8,921,737 | $ 7,828,973 | $ (1,092,764) |
| Meeting Expenses | $ 5,859,923 | $ 5,612,544 | $ (247,379) |
| Expenses | $ 14,781,660 | $ 13,441,517 | $ (1,340,143) |
| Net Income | $ (390,795) | $ 565,897 | $ (956,692) |
Key changes from 2026 budget
Budget changes
- Investments
- The budget for Investment income is $96,990 higher due to an overall increase in investment value. We are using 2.6% for 2027 vs. 2.7% for 2026 as advised by Goldman Sachs.
- Other Income Items
- ISOC endowment matching has decreased as 2026 contributions were less than originally budgeted.
- ICANN grant revenue ended in 2026.
- Key Contracts
- The Secretariat contract changed to a cost-plus contract in Q2 of 2026. This new contract includes a contract transition fee spanning 2026 and 2027. The result of this change will be material savings over the remaining 5 years.
- Meetings:
- Registration rates are higher due to higher expected attendance and slightly higher registration rates for IETF 129 & IETF 130.
- Sponsorship revenue budgeted increased slightly due to IETF 129 Berlin including sponsorship for a Welcome Reception and a Social Event.
- Meeting venue and travel costs are significantly higher.
- Secretariat costs decreased mostly due to the new cost-plus contract but also includes re-allocation of the contract costs between cost centers.
- NOC Support savings due to returning to volunteer leadership
- Administration:
- Inflationary increase in all wages at a maximum of 3.5%, subject to the November inflation rates being published
- Secretariat costs decreased due to the remaining contract transition fee being lower than 2026.
- Legal services increased due to subpoena support costs
- RPC Related:
- $1m has been set aside should the Board decide to go ahead with a special project to reduce the RFC Editor backlog.
- IETF Trust/IPMC:
- Request for budget funds from the IPMC remains the same $170,000 requested for 2026.
- Tools:
- Additional AI costs and cloud services.
- Depreciation increase budgeted in 2027 reflects the depreciation on the Cisco donated equipment, which is $306,168 per year and increased CapEx costs being depreciated.
Presentation changes
- None
Community feedback
Community feedback on the budget is welcome and should be made either privately to the LLC Board and IETF Executive Director at llc-feedback@ietf.org or to the administrative discussion list admin-discuss@ietf.org. Please provide any feedback before Monday 30 November 2026.