Making contributions to other candidates
Reporting on candidate forms
House and Senate committees report making contributions to other candidates in the “Other Disbursements” category on Form 3, Line 21.
Committees must itemize contributions to federal candidates on Schedule B, supporting Line 21, regardless of the amount of the contribution. Contributions made to nonfederal candidates must be itemized on Schedule B, supporting Line 21 when they aggregate more than $200 for the election cycle.
To itemize the contribution, the committee discloses:
- Name of payee
- Address of payee
- Purpose of disbursement (a brief description of why the disbursement was made)
- Date of disbursement
- Amount of disbursement
In addition, if the contribution is to a federal candidate, the committee must also itemize information about the candidate receiving the contribution, including:
- The recipient candidate’s name
- The office sought
- The state and, if applicable, congressional district
- Election for which the contribution was made
The committee reports giving a contribution to Betsy Ross for Congress on Schedule B, supporting Line 21. It includes the committee's identification number, address, date the contribution was given, amount, and election designation. Since the contribution is to a federal candidate, the committee also reports the Betsy Ross as the candidate, that she's seeking election to the House for New York's 2nd district. The committee includes a clear purpose of disbursement, "Contribution to Federal Candidate."
Reporting with FECFile
To enter a contribution to another candidate, go to the Summary Page tab, right click on “Line 21 Other disbursements” and select ”new.”
