October reporting reminder

Committees should take note of the following due dates for October reports:

• Third quarter reports for quarterly filers are due on October 15 (close of books, September 30);
• October monthly reports for monthly filers are due on October 20 (close of books, September 30); and
• Pre-general reports are due on October 26 (close of books, October 18). Candidate committees must file this report if their candidate is running in the general election. Political action committees (PACs) and party committees that file quarterly must file this report if they make contributions or expenditures in connection with a federal election during the October 1-18 reporting period. PACs and party committees that file on a monthly schedule must file a pre-general report in lieu of the regular November 20 monthly report.

Note that the October 15 reporting deadline falls on a weekend. Filing deadlines are not extended when they fall on weekends. Thus, reports must be timely filed by the filing deadline (see "Other Means of Filing" below).

In addition to filing the quarterly and pre-general reports, committees of House and Senate candidates active in the 2006 general election may also have to file 48-hour notices of last-minute contributions of $1,000 or more. PACs and party committees filing on a quarterly basis may also need to file 48- or 24-hour reports of independent expenditures, depending upon the timing of their activities.

National party committees, PACs following a monthly filing schedule and certain state, district and local party committees must file a monthly report by October 20.1 The report covers activity for the month of September. Also, these committees may have to file 48- or 24-hour reports of independent expenditures, depending upon the timing of their activities.

Electronic Filing Software

The Commission's current electronic filing format is version 5.3.1.0. Before filing their next report, FECFile users should confirm that they have downloaded version 5.3 of the software from the FEC web site at https://www.fec.gov/efiling.

Committees using commercial software should contact their vendors to ensure that they have the latest software release. Only reports filed in the current format version will be accepted.

Filing electronically

Under the Commission's mandatory electronic filing regulations, individuals and organizations that receive contributions or make expenditures, including independent expenditures,2 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. Electronic filers who instead file on paper or submit an electronic report that does not pass the Commission's validation program will be considered nonfilers and may be subject to enforcement actions, including administrative fines. Reports filed electronically must be received and verified by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the filing date.

Senate committees and other committees that file with the Secretary of the Senate are not subject to the mandatory electronic filing rules, but may file an unofficial copy of their reports with the Commission in order to speed disclosure.

Timely filing for paper filers

Registered and Certified Mail. October quarterly and monthly reports sent by registered or certified mail must be postmarked by the October 15 and 20 filing dates, respectively, to be considered timely filed. The pre-general report, however, must have a registered or certified postmark on or before October 23 in order to be considered timely filed. Please note that a certificate of mailing from the U.S. Postal Service is not sufficient to prove that a report is timely filed. A committee sending its reports by certified mail should keep its mailing receipt with the U.S. Postal Service postmark as proof of filing because the U.S. Postal Service does not keep complete records of items sent by certified mail. A committee sending its reports by registered mail should also keep its proof of mailing or other means of transmittal of its reports.

Overnight Mail. October monthly and quarterly reports filed via overnight mail3 will be considered timely filed if the report is received by the delivery service on or before the October 15 and 20 filing dates, respectively. The pre-general report, however, must be received by the delivery service on or before the October 23 mailing date to be considered timely filed. A committee sending its reports by Express or Priority Mail, or by an overnight delivery service, should keep its proof of mailing or other means of transmittal of its reports.

Other Means of Filing. Quarterly, monthly and pre-general reports sent by other means–including first class mail and courier—must be received by the FEC before close of business on the October 15, 20 and 26 filing deadlines, respectively. 2 U.S.C. §434(a)(5) and 11 CFR 104.5(e). Please note that October 15 is a Sunday. Please contact the Public Disclosure Office at 202/694-1120 for information on extended weekend hours and Saturday mail delivery, as the Commission does not extend filing deadlines to the next business day.

For those filers who are not required to file their reports electronically, paper forms are available on the FEC's website (https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/forms) and from FEC Faxline, the agency's automated fax system (202/501-3413).

Additional Information

For more information on 2006 reporting dates:

• See the reporting tables in the January 2006 Record;
• Call and request the reporting tables from the FEC at 800/424-9530 or 202/694-1100;
• Fax the reporting tables to yourself using the FEC's Faxline (202/501-3413, document 586); or
• Visit the FEC's webpage at https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/dates-and-deadlines/ to view the reporting tables online.