Supplemental filing information for presidential committees (2020)

Please note: The Commission provides reminders of upcoming filing dates as a courtesy to help committees comply with the filing deadlines set forth in the Act and Commission regulations. Committee treasurers must comply with all applicable filing deadlines established by law, and the lack of prior notice does not constitute an excuse for failing to comply with any filing deadline.

Who must file

All principal campaign committees of current and former presidential candidates [1] must file either quarterly or monthly reports in 2020. A committee must file monthly if actual or anticipated contributions or expenditures total more than $100,000 within the 2020 presidential election cycle.

Before a committee can stop filing with the FEC, it must file a termination report with the Commission. Committees must continue to file reports until the Commission notifies them in writing that their termination report has been accepted.

Election year filing frequency

Monthly filers

If on January 1, 2020, the committee has received or anticipates receiving contributions aggregating $100,000, or has made or anticipates making expenditures aggregating $100,000, the committee files monthly reports in 2020.

Quarterly filers

If on January 1, 2020, the committee has not received or does not anticipate receiving contributions aggregating $100,000, or has not made or does not anticipate making expenditures aggregating $100,000, the committee files quarterly reports in 2020. If the committee reaches $100,000 threshold during the election year, the committee begins filing monthly reports at the next reporting period. Note that quarterly filers must also file a pre-election report for each election in which the candidate seeks nomination or election.

Methods of filing reports

Electronic filing

Reports filed electronically must be received and validated by the Commission by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the filing deadline.

Paper filing: Meeting the filing deadline

Paper report filing options include registered, certified or overnight [2] or First-Class Mail.

48-Hour Notices of contributions [3]

The principal campaign committee must file notices if any authorized committees receive any contribution (including in-kind gifts or advances of goods or services; loans from the candidate or other non-bank sources; and guarantees or endorsements of bank loans to the candidate or committee) of $1,000 or more per source, during the period less than 20 days but more than 48 hours before any election in which the candidate is running.

The notices must reach the Federal Election Commission within 48 hours of the committee’s receipt of the contribution(s). Campaign committees that file electronically MUST submit their 48-Hour Notices electronically.

Compliance

Treasurer responsibility

Committee treasurers are responsible for both the timeliness and the accuracy of all reports. They may be subject to monetary penalties if reports are inaccurate or are not filed on time.

Administrative Fine Program

Under the Administrative Fine Program, political committees and their treasurers who fail to file their reports, or who file late, may be subject to civil money penalties up to $23,664 (or more for repeat late- and non-filers). [4]

Disclosure of lobbyist bundling activity

Principal campaign committees must file Form 3L if they receive two or more bundled contributions from any lobbyist/registrant or lobbyist/registrant PACs that aggregate in excess of $19,000 during the applicable reporting periods. Learn more about the lobbyist bundling disclosure requirements.

Access the PDF and instructions.

Change in filing frequency

Committees able to change their reporting schedule (for example, from monthly to quarterly) who wish to do so must notify the Commission in writing and may change their filing frequency no more than once per calendar year. Those committees required to file reports electronically must file this notification electronically.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Generally, an individual becomes a candidate for federal office (and thus triggers registration and reporting obligations) when his or her campaign exceeds $5,000 in either contributions received or expenditures made. If the campaign has not crossed the $5,000 threshold, it is not required to file reports.

[2] "Overnight mail" includes Priority or Priority Express Mail having a delivery confirmation, or an overnight service with which the report is scheduled for next business day delivery and is recorded in the service's online tracking system. Note that "Express Mail" as referred to in FEC regulations has been renamed "Priority Express Mail" by the USPS.

[3] Presidential primary campaigns filing monthly need not file 48-Hour Notices.

[4] Penalties for late- and non-filing of 48-Hour Notices are based on the amount of contributions received that are not timely disclosed. As a result, these penalties may exceed $23,664, even for first-time violations.