4473 Form Tracking

4473 Form Tracking

Every time you sell a firearm to a non-licensee (a regular customer, not another FFL dealer), the buyer must complete ATF Form 4473 — the Firearms Transaction Record. CloudFFL tracks the entire 4473 lifecycle from the moment a sales order is created to the final approved PDF being attached to the order.

The 4473 Status Flow

When a sales order includes a compliance firearm, the 4473 status progresses through these stages:

1. Awaiting Form 4473 — The disposition has been created in FastBound, but the customer has not yet completed the form. This is the starting status.
2. Approved — The customer filled out the 4473, the NICS background check came back as "Proceed," and the form is complete. You may now transfer the firearm.
3. Delayed — The NICS check did not return an immediate result. The FBI needs more time. Hold the firearm and wait.
4. Denied — The NICS check came back as "Denied." Do NOT transfer the firearm. Process a refund.

How CloudFFL Receives 4473 Results

When a 4473 is completed in FastBound (approved, delayed, or denied), FastBound sends a webhook notification to CloudFFL at the endpoint /fastbound/4473_form_complete. Here is what happens automatically:

• The is4473 flag on the sales order is set to True
• The 4473 PDF is downloaded from FastBound and attached to the sales order as a document
• The NTN (NICS Transaction Number) is stored on the sales order for audit trail
• The sales order status is updated to reflect the 4473 result

Viewing 4473 Status on a Sales Order

1. Open the sales order (go to Sales → Orders or FastBound → Dispositions → Sale Orders)
2. Look for the FastBound section on the sales order form
3. Check the is4473 field — True means the form has been completed
4. Check the NTN number — This is the NICS background check reference
5. Look in the attachments for the 4473 PDF document

Pulling 4473 Orders into POS

If you use the Point of Sale for firearm transactions, you can pull completed 4473 orders into the POS for payment processing:

1. Go to FastBound → Dispositions → Pull 4473 Orders
2. This shows sales orders where the 4473 has been approved but payment has not yet been collected
3. Select the order and pull it into your active POS session
4. Complete the payment at the register

This workflow is useful when the 4473 and NICS check are done separately from the actual payment — for example, if the customer fills out the 4473, you run the background check, and they come back later to pick up and pay.

Handling Delays

When a NICS check comes back as Delayed:

• Hold the firearm — Do not transfer it to the customer
• Note the Brady Transfer Date — This is typically 3 business days from the date of the check
• If the delay is not resolved by the Brady Transfer Date, you may legally transfer the firearm (this is called a "default proceed"), but check your store's policy first
• If the delay resolves to Proceed, transfer the firearm normally
• If the delay resolves to Denied, do not transfer — process a refund

Record Keeping

CloudFFL automatically stores the following for every 4473 transaction:

• The completed 4473 PDF (attached to the sales order)
• The NTN (NICS Transaction Number)
• The date and time of the 4473 completion
• The result (Approved, Delayed, Denied)
• The user who processed the transaction

This information is available at any time by opening the sales order. During an ATF inspection, you can quickly pull up any 4473 by searching for the customer name, serial number, or date.