Campaign Finance Compliance Basics

Campaign finance compliance comes down to four habits: know your limits, record everything, file on time, and disclose who paid. Build them in week one and compliance becomes routine; bolt them on later and it becomes an emergency.

Contribution limits

Nearly every jurisdiction caps how much a single donor can give your campaign. Federally, limits apply per election — a primary and a general count as separate elections, so a donor has a separate limit for each. Federal law also bars certain sources outright, including corporate treasury funds and contributions from foreign nationals. State limits vary from strict caps to, in a few states, no limit at all.

Look up the current limits for your race before your first fundraiser, and make sure your treasurer tracks each donor's running total. The reason limits exist is the reason they are enforced hard: they are how the law prevents any one donor from owning a campaign. An excessive contribution has to be refunded or reattributed, and it is far easier to catch at the door than to unwind on a public report.

Records from dollar one

For every contribution, record the date, the amount, and the donor's name and address — from the very first dollar, not from some comfortable threshold. Federal rules add another layer: once a donor's cumulative giving passes a modest threshold, you must also report their employer and occupation, so the smart habit is to collect employer and occupation on every donation form from day one rather than chasing donors for it at reporting time.

The same discipline applies to spending: keep every receipt and invoice, and record what each payment was for. And remember that money is not the only contribution — donated goods and services (in-kind contributions) count against limits and belong in the books too. If that term is new, The Candidate's Glossary covers it.

Reporting cadence

Registered committees file regular public reports listing what they raised and spent. Federal committees typically file quarterly, with extra pre-election reports as election day approaches; states set their own calendars, and some require monthly filings in the home stretch. The deadlines do not move for a busy week.

Put every deadline for your race on the campaign calendar the day you register, and treat report weeks as blocked time for your treasurer. Registering with the FEC or Your State explains how registration starts these obligations, and The Campaign Treasurer: What They Do and How to Choose One covers who carries them.

The "Paid for by" disclaimer

Almost everything your campaign puts in front of the public — ads, texts, yard signs, mail, your website — must carry a disclaimer identifying who paid for it, typically "Paid for by [your committee name]." The purpose is simple: voters are entitled to know who is speaking to them, and regulators check.

The exact wording and formatting rules vary by medium and jurisdiction, so confirm the requirements for your race. Here PolitiFast carries part of the load for you: once you configure your disclaimer in your portal, it is automatically appended to every text message your campaign sends, and the websites and ads we build for you include compliant disclaimers as part of the design. You still own the words on your signs and homemade materials, so make the disclaimer a design habit from the first draft — Naming and Branding Your Campaign explains how to plan for it visually.

A note before you act

This guide is practical general guidance, not legal advice. Election law varies by state and changes often — confirm requirements with the FEC, your state election authority, or an election-law attorney.