<P> Form 8 - K is a very broad form used to notify investors in United States public companies of specified events that may be important to shareholders or the United States Securities and Exchange Commission . This is one of the most common types of forms filed with the SEC . After a significant event like bankruptcy or departure of a CEO, a public company generally must file a Current Report on Form 8 - K within four business days to provide an update to previously filed quarterly reports on Form 10 - Q and / or Annual Reports on Form 10 - K. Form 8 - K is required to be filed by public companies with the SEC pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended . For a list of events that would trigger a Form 8 - K to be filed, see the Official SEC Form 8 - K Summary, briefly below, and this fully annotated Form 8 - K, which contains links to all rules and SEC guidance applicable to the form . </P> <P> Form 8 - K is used to notify investors of a current event . These types of events include: </P>

When must form 8-k be filed with the sec