SSF: Making contributions to party committees and other PACs
Contributions by SSFs to political committees other than candidate committees are generally subject to calendar-year limits.
| Recipient | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate committee | PAC† (SSF and nonconnected) | Party committee: state/district/local | Party committee: national | Additional national party committee accounts‡ | ||
| Donor | Individual | $3,500* per election | $5,000 per year | $10,000 per year (combined) | $44,300* per year | $132,900* per account, per year |
| Candidate committee | $2,000 per election | $5,000 per year | Unlimited transfers | Unlimited transfers | ||
| PAC: multicandidate | $5,000 per election | $5,000 per year | $5,000 per year (combined) | $15,000 per year | $45,000 per account, per year | |
| PAC: nonmulticandidate | $3,500* per election | $5,000 per year | $10,000 per year (combined) | $44,300* per year | $132,900* per account, per year | |
| Party committee: state/district/local | $5,000 per election (combined) | $5,000 per year (combined) | Unlimited transfers | Unlimited transfers | ||
| Party committee: national | $5,000 per election** | $5,000 per year | Unlimited transfers | Unlimited transfers | ||
*Indexed for inflation in odd-numbered years.
†“PAC” here refers to a committee that makes contributions to other federal political committees. Independent-expenditure-only political committees (sometimes called “Super PACs”) may accept unlimited contributions, including from corporations and labor organizations.
‡The limits in this column apply to a national party committee’s accounts for: (i) the presidential nominating convention; (ii) election recounts and contests and other legal proceedings; and (iii) national party headquarters buildings. A party’s national committee, Senate campaign committee and House campaign committee are each considered separate national party committees with separate limits. Only a national party committee, not the parties' national congressional campaign committees, may have an account for the presidential nominating convention.
**Additionally, a national party committee and its Senatorial campaign committee may contribute up to $62,000 combined per campaign to each Senate candidate.
Contributions to national party committees
Some political parties have more than one national party committee: The limit applies separately to each national committee, House campaign committee and Senate campaign committee.
Additionally, national party committees may establish accounts to defray certain expenses incurred with respect to presidential nominating conventions, election recounts and other legal proceedings, and headquarters buildings. The contribution limits applicable to these accounts are 300% of the limits on contributions to national party committees.
Contributions to delegates and delegate committees
An SSF may make unlimited contributions to a delegate (or an individual seeking to become a delegate) attending a national party convention or to a state, district or local convention held to select delegates to a national convention. Contributions by the SSF to a delegate committee (a committee formed by a group of delegates or a group of people seeking to become delegates) are limited to $5,000 per calendar year.
Contributions to other political committees
A multicandidate SSF may make contributions of up to $5,000 per year to any political committee other than a national party committee. A non-multicandidate committee may make contributions of up to $5,000 per year to another committee and $10,000 to a state party committee and its registered local affiliates.
Application of candidate limits to contribution made to unauthorized committee
If an SSF makes a contribution to a committee not authorized by any candidate, and knows that a substantial portion of the contribution will be contributed to, or spent on behalf, of a particular candidate, the contribution counts against the SSF’s per-election limit with respect to that candidate.
Contributions to Super PACs and Hybrid PACs
Pursuant to SpeechNow.org v. FEC and Carey v. FEC, corporations and labor organizations (and their SSFs) may make contributions to nonconnected political committees that make only independent expenditures (a.k.a. Super PACs), or to separate accounts maintained by nonconnected political committees for making only independent expenditures (a.k.a. Hybrid PACs).
