Looking ahead to 2026 (congressional)

Who must file

Principal campaign committees of current and former congressional candidates [1] (including unopposed candidates and candidates whose names do not appear on the ballot) must file quarterly reports in 2026. In addition, committees of candidates participating in an election must file pre-election and, as applicable, post-election reports, as described.

Campaigns that trigger the registration and reporting requirements must file quarterly reports until the committee is terminated, even if the candidate plans to retire, withdraws from the race prior to the primary election, loses the primary, or drops out the race prior to the general election. A committee may terminate after it has filed a termination report with the Commission and the Commission notifies them in writing that their termination has been accepted.

Pre- and post-election reports

The principal campaign committee of any candidate participating in a 2026 state primary, nominating convention or runoff election—even if unopposed—must also file a pre-election report 12 days prior to the primary, nominating convention or runoff. The principal campaign committee of a candidate participating in the general election must file Pre- and Post-General Reports.

48-Hour Notices of contributions

The principal campaign committee must file notices if any authorized committee of the candidate receives 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, which may be filed using Form 6, must reach the FEC within 48 hours of the committee’s receipt of the contribution(s). Campaign committees that file electronically MUST submit their 48-Hour Notices electronically.

Additional Form 6 filing information can be found at: Webform | PDF | Instructions

FOOTNOTE:

[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.