SUPPLEMENTAL FILING INFORMATION
PRESIDENTIAL COMMITTEES
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 committees authorized by Presidential candidates 1 must file either Quarterly or Monthly reports in 2007.
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.
METHODS OF FILING REPORTS
Electronic Filing
Reports filed electronically must be received and validated by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the filing deadline. For additional information, call the FEC's Electronic Filing office at (800) 424-9530 or (202) 694-1642.
Presidential candidates who accept public funding are required to file their reports electronically. Other Presidential candidates that receive contributions or make expenditures in excess of $50,000 in a calendar year, or have reason to expect to do so, must file all reports and statements with the FEC electronically.
Registered & Certified Mail
Reports sent by Registered or Certified Mail must be postmarked on or before the mailing deadline to be considered timely filed. A committee sending its reports by Certified Mail should keep its certified mailing receipt with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) postmark as proof of filing because the USPS does not keep complete records of items sent by Certified Mail. A committee sending its report by Registered Mail should keep its proof of mailing. Please note that a Certificate of Mailing from the USPS is not sufficient to prove that a report is timely filed using Registered, Certified or Overnight Mail.
Overnight Mail
Reports filed via overnight mail will be considered timely filed if the report is received by the delivery service on or before the mailing deadline. “Overnight mail” includes Priority or Express Mail having a delivery confirmation, or an overnight delivery service with which the report is scheduled for next business day delivery and is recorded in the service’s on-line tracking system.
Other Means of Filing
Reports sent by other means--including first class mail and courier--must be received by the Commission before the close of business on the last business day before the filing deadline.
COMPLIANCE
Treasurer Responsibility. Treasurers of political committees 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 on time may be subject to civil money penalties up to $16,000 (or more for repeat late- and non-filers). 2
Report Format. In addition, political committees that file illegible reports or use non-FEC forms (except for FEC-approved, computer-generated forms) will be required to refile their reports.
Electronic Filers Must File Electronically. Electronic filers who instead file on paper, or who submit an electronic report (either by direct transmission, 3.5” diskette or CD) that does not pass the validation program by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the filing deadline, will be considered non-filers and may be subject to enforcement actions (including administrative fines).
CHANGE IN FILING FREQUENCY
Presidential committees able to change their reporting schedule (for example, from monthly to quarterly) who wish to do so are requested to notify the Commission in writing. Electronic filers must file this request electronically. All reports filed after such notification must follow the new filing schedule.
FOR INFORMATION, CALL: (800) 424-9530 or (202) 694-1100
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 or expenditures. If the campaign has not crossed the $5,000 threshold, it is not required to file reports. See also 11 CFR 100.3(a)(2) and (3).
2 Penalties for late- or non-filing of 48-hour notices are based on the amount of contributions not timely disclosed. As a result, penalties may exceed $16,000, even for first-time violations.
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