Personal use of campaign funds is prohibited

Converting campaign funds to personal use is prohibited. Commission regulations provide a test, called the “irrespective test,” to differentiate legitimate campaign and officeholder expenses from personal expenses. Under this test, personal use is any use of campaign funds in a campaign account of a candidate (or former candidate) to fulfill a commitment, obligation or expense of any person that would exist irrespective of the candidate’s campaign or responsibilities as a federal officeholder. For more information, visit our website or watch our new FECTube video, which gives an overview of the personal use prohibition.