2012 Reporting Dates
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- Quarterly Reporting Schedule and Report Notices (House, Senate & Presidential Campaign Committees)
- Monthly Reporting Schedule and Report Notices (PACs, Parties & Presidential Campaign Committees)
-
Congressional Pre-Election Reports (and 48-hour notices)
- Pre- and Post-General Reports (and 48-hour notices)
- Electioneering Communications
- Independent Expenditures (24- and 48-hour reports)
- Coordinated Communications
- Federal Election Activity Periods
Special Elections:
- Arizona 8th Congressional District
- Prior Notice -- [HTML] [PDF]
- Federal Register Notice -- [PDF]
- Special Primary: April 17, 2012
- Special General: June 12. 2012
- Kentucky 4th Congressional District
- Michigan 11th Congressional District
- Prior Notice -- [HTML] [PDF]
- Federal Register Notice -- [PDF]
- Special Primary: September 5, 2012
- Special General: November 6, 2012
- New Jersey 10th Congressional District
- Prior Notice -- [HTML] [PDF]
- Federal Register Notice -- [PDF]
- Special Primary: June 5, 2012
- Special General: November 6, 2012
- Oregon 1st Congressional District
- Washington 1st Congressional District
- Prior Notice -- [HTML] [PDF]
- Federal Register Notice -- [PDF]
- Special Primary: August 7, 2012
- Special General: November 6, 2012
Related Items:
- Electronic Filing
- Reporting Forms
- Help with Reporting:
Filing Frequency by Type of Filer
House and Senate Campaign Committees 1
|
Presidential Campaign Committees
|
National Party Committees
|
State, District and Local Party Committees 2
|
Political Action Committees (SSF/Nonconnected)
|
CHANGE IN FILING FREQUENCY
Some committees may choose to change their reporting schedule (for example, from quarterly to monthly). Those that wish to do so must notify the Commission in writing and may change their filing frequency no more than once per calendar year.
- Presidential: Regulation on Filing Dates -- 11 CFR 104.5(c)
- Party Committees: Campaign Guide for Political Party Committees (Party Guide), pp. 66-67 [PDF]
- Political Action Committees:
FOOTNOTES:
1 This category includes committees of candidates retiring debts from a previous election or running for a future election.
2 State, district and local party committees that engage in reportable "federal election activity" ("FEA") must file on a monthly basis. A committee that filed monthly in 2011 due to its FEA must notify the Commission in writing if it wishes to file quarterly in 2012.
- Regulation: Reporting Federal Election Activity -- 11 CFR 300.36(c)(1)
- Party Guide, pp. 109-113 [PDF]
2012 Reporting Deadlines
Quarterly Reports
Report |
Period Covered |
Filing Deadline [see Method of Filing section below] |
Year-End 2011 |
October 1 - December 31, 2011 |
January 31, 2012 |
April Quarterly | January 1 - March 31, 2012 |
April 15, 2012 3 |
July Quarterly | April 1 - June 30, 2012 |
July 15, 2012 3 |
October Quarterly | July 1 - September 30, 2012 |
October 15, 2012 |
Pre-General 5 | October 1 - October 17, 2012 |
|
Post-General | October 18 - November 26, 2012 |
December 6, 2012 |
Year-End 2012 | November 27 - December 31, 2012 |
January 31, 2013 |
Monthly Reports
Report |
Period Covered |
Filing Deadline [see Method of Filing section below] |
Year-End 2011 | December 1 - 31, 2011 |
January 31, 2012 |
February |
January 1 - 31, 2012 |
February 20, 2012 3 |
March | February 1 - 29, 2012 |
March 20, 2012 |
April | March 1 - 31, 2012 |
April 20, 2012 |
May | April 1 - 30, 2012 |
May 20, 2012 3 |
June | May 1 - 31, 2012 |
June 20, 2012 |
July | June 1 - 30, 2012 |
July 20, 2012 |
August | July 1 - 31, 2012 |
August 20, 2012 |
September | August 1 - 31, 2012 |
September 20, 2012 |
October | September 1 - 30, 2012 |
October 20, 2012 3 |
Pre-General | October 1 - 17, 2012 |
|
Post-General | October 18 - November 26, 2012 |
December 6, 2012 |
Year-End 2012 | November 27 - December 31, 2012 |
January 31, 2013 |
METHODS OF FILING REPORTS
Electronic Filing
Reports filed electronically must be received and validated by the Commission by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the filing deadline.
- Web Page: Electronic Filing Page
- Campaign Guides
Paper Filing - Meeting the Filing Deadline
Paper Report filing options -- Registered, Certified or Overnight or First Class Mail.
- Web Page: Link to paper forms (for downloading and printing)
- Campaign Guides
- Candidate Guide, p. 82 [PDF]
- Nonconnected Guide, pp. 47-48 [PDF]
- SSF Guide, pp. 45-46 [PDF]
- Party Guide, p. 65 [PDF]
FOOTNOTE:
3 Notice that this filing deadline falls on a weekend or federal holiday. Filing deadlines are not extended when they fall on nonworking days. Accordingly, reports filed by methods other than Registered, Certified or Overnight Mail, or electronically, must be received by close of business on the last business day before the deadline.
Pre-Primary Reports
Chart of 2012 Congressional Pre-Election Reporting Dates
This chart contains a list of primary, convention and runoff election dates for 2012 House and Senate candidates.
NOTE: Dates are subject to change. The chart will be updated as additional primary/convention dates are set.
Candidate committees must file a pre-election report if the candidate is running in the election.
Political parties and PACs filing on a quarterly basis in 2012 are subject to pre-election reporting requirements if they make previously undisclosed contributions or expenditures in connection with any primary and/or runoff.
Political parties and PACs filing on a monthly basis in 2012 need not file pre-election reports.
Pre- and Post-General Reports
Report |
Period Covered |
|
Pre-General 5 | October 1 - 17, 2012 |
October 25, 2012 |
Post-General | October 18 - November 26, 2012 |
December 6, 2012 |
4 Meeting the Filing Deadline:
- Registered & Certified Mail. Reports sent by Registered or Certified Mail must be postmarked on or before the mailing deadline to be considered timely filed -- except in the case of the Pre-General Election Report, see footnote 5.
- Overnight Mail. Reports filed via overnight mail will be considered timely filed if the report is received by the delivery service on or before the mailing deadline.
- Other Means of Filing. Reports filed by any other means—including first class mail and courier—must be received by the Commission (or the Secretary of the Senate for Senate committees or for committees only supporting Senate candidates) before the close of business on the last business day before the filing deadline.
5 If sent by Registered or Certified Mail, the Pre-General must be postmarked by October 22. If using Overnight Mail, the delivery service must receive the report by October 22.
6 Required by PAC/Party only if committee makes contributions or expenditures in connection with election during the reporting period.
Electioneering Communications
Electioneering communications are television and radio communications that refer to a clearly identified federal candidate and are distributed to the relevant electorate within 60 days prior to a general election or 30 days prior to a primary, nominating convention or caucus (including a special election). Individuals and other persons who make electioneering communications that aggregate in excess of $10,000 in the calendar year must file disclosure statements with the Commission within 24 hours of distribution to the public.
- Web Pages:
- Brochure: Electioneering Communications [HTML] [PDF]
- Regulations:
- Electioneering Communications -- 11 CFR 100.29
- Reporting Electioneering Communications -- 11 CFR 104.20
Independent Expenditures
Political committees or other persons that make independent expenditures may have to disclose those expenditures within 48- or 24-hours, depending upon the date and amount of the expenditure (including a special election). Please note, these special reports apply only to independent expenditures and not to direct contributions to candidates.
- Web Pages
- Campaign Guides
- Nonconnected Guide, pp. 72-74 [PDF]
- SSF Guide, pp. 65-67 [PDF]
- Party Guide, pp. 87-89 [PDF]
- Brochure: Coordinated and Independent Expenditures [HTML] [PDF]
- Regulations
- Independent Expenditures -- 11 CFR 100.16
- Reporting Independent Expenditures -- 11 CFR 104.4(b)(2) and (c) and 109.10(c) and (d)
Coordinated Communications
When an individual or political committee pays for a communication that is coordinated with a candidate or party committee, the communication is considered an in-kind contribution to that candidate or party committee and is subject to the limits, prohibitions and reporting requirements of the federal campaign finance law.
- Web Pages:
- Brochure: Coordinated and Independent Expenditures [HTML] [PDF]
- Regulation on Coordinated Communications -- 11 CFR 109.21