The treasurer of a political committee registered with the Federal Election Commission is legally responsible for that committee's compliance with the federal campaign finance laws. The Commission has developed this page to help treasurers fulfill that responsibility.
Sign-up to receive an e-mail alert when new tips are posted.
As you'll see, this page not only provides links to an array of helpful publications, online presentations and other pages, it also offers timely tips and reminders to help treasurers meet their obligations under the law. As an added feature, you can subscribe to receive automatic notification of updates to this page via RSS. We also invite you to ask questions, provide feedback and offer your own compliance tips by e-mail to info@fec.gov.
In addition to these online resources, the FEC staffs a toll-free information hotline (800-424-9530), and offers periodic educational workshops for treasurers. Please visit our Outreach page for details, and sign-up to receive program updates by e-mail at Conferences@fec.gov.
This section offers helpful tips -- both from the FEC and from your fellow treasurers -- to help you meet your obligations under the federal campaign finance law. To suggest a tip, please e-mail us at info@fec.gov. Click here to receive the tips as an RSS feed.
| September 10, 2012 | Sign Up Now for the Pre-Election Reporting Roundtable Workshops! To help committees prepare for pre-election reporting, the Commission will offer workshops on FEC reporting and its free FECFile software at its headquarters in Washington, DC on Wednesday, October 3. Separate workshops will be offered for PACs and party committees and for candidates. A webinar option is available for those who cannot attend in person. For more information, or to sign up, go to http://www.fec.gov/info/outreach.shtml#roundtables. |
| September 4, 2012 | Electioneering Communications General Election Filing Period Begins This Friday. The electioneering communications period for the general election begins on Friday, September 7 and runs through November 6. Any person who makes electioneering communications that aggregate more than $10,000 during this time period must file disclosure statements with the Commission within 24 hours of the date the electioneering communication is publicly distributed. For more information, visit http://www.fec.gov/info/charts_ec_dates_2012.shtml. |
| August 27, 2012 | Citizen's Guide to Supporting Federal Candidates. Looking for a simple way to educate supporters or volunteers on campaign finance rules for individuals wishing to support candidates? Check out our updated video, A Citizen's Guide to Supporting Federal Candidates, on FECTube! |
| August 20, 2012 | Groups that Register Voluntarily. The Commission occasionally receives calls from groups that have chosen to register with the FEC as political committees before they were technically required to under the campaign finance law. See 2 U.S.C. §431(4)(A). Since these groups do not meet the legal definition of “political committee,” they are not required to file reports on FEC Form 3X. Unfortunately, the Commission has no way of knowing that, and can only assume that these groups registered because they triggered the law’s filing requirements. For that reason, we recommend that these groups either file reports voluntarily or submit a statement when reports are due indicating that they have not reached the $1,000 political committee registration threshold. Doing so will help the groups avoid receiving "failure to file" notices from the FEC when reports are due. |
For more, visit our Timely Tips Archive.
This section provides links to publications designed specifically for committee treasurers. Additional publications are available in the FEC Library, through our Quick Answers pages and on our Publications page.
FEC Record News Page
Reading articles posted on the FEC Record news page is one of the best ways to stay current on the law and your obligations as a treasurer. At the beginning of each month, the Commission compiles the previous month's articles into a print-friendly document and e-mails treasurers to let them know it's available. Additionally, an archive of every monthly Record from 1984 - present is available online. Sign-up to receive email notification when a new articles are posted.
Campaign Guides
Campaign Guides are compliance manuals for committees registered with the FEC. The guide supplements summarize relevant post-publication rules and opinions.
- Campaign Guide for Congressional Candidates and Committees (August 2011) [PDF]
- Campaign Guide for Corporations and Labor Organizations (January 2007) [PDF]
- Campaign Guide for Nonconnected Committees (May 2008) [PDF]
- Campaign Guide for Political Party Committees (July 2009) [PDF]
- Notice to All Campaign Guide Users (October 2011)
Brochures and Handouts
Technical Information: The PDF files may be viewed or printed using Adobe Acrobat Reader. The video presentations and interactive tutorials are available as either MPEG or SWF files. MPEG files may be viewed using a media player, such as Windows Media Player or Quicktime. SWF files may be viewed using Adobe Flash Player.
Brochure Title Advisory Opinions Best Practices for Committee Management Candidate Registration Committee Treasurers Compliance with Laws Outside the FEC's Jurisdiction HTML Contributions FEC and the Federal Campaign Finance Law La CEF y la Ley para las Campañas de Elecciones Federales
(en Español)Federal and State Campaign Finance Laws Filing a Complaint Foreign Nationals Independent and Coordinated Expenditures Internet Communications and Activity Local Party Activity Special Notices on Political Ads and Solicitations Separate Segregated Funds and Nonconnected PACs Testing the Waters Volunteer Activity Actividades Voluntarias
(en Español)Other
- Compliance Map
Click on your state to access reporting dates and other applicable compliance information, including independent expenditure periods, coordination timeframes, FEA and EC periods, as well as disclosure reports and ballot access information.
- Guideline for Presentation in Good Order (2008) (for Presidential campaigns seeking public funding) [PDF] [Word] [Appendices]
- Guidebook for Complainants and Respondents on the FEC Enforcement Process [PDF; 22 pages]
A summary of the FEC ’s general enforcement policies and procedures that provides a step-by-step guide through the agency’s enforcement process.
- Enforcement Procedures - FEC Directive 68 [PDF; 4 pages]
This section supplements the reporting and filing information contained in the publications listed above with links to additional information. Treasurers may also seek reporting and filing assistance from the Campaign Finance Analyst who reviews the committee's reports. To reach the Reports Analysis Division, call 1-800-424-9530 (press 5).