Federal Election Commission (Revised 03/22) Page 1

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FEC FORM 1 AND RELATED SCHEDULES

FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION

Instructions for Statement of Organization (FEC FORM 1)

When to File

New political committees must file 

this form to register the committee 

once they exceed the applicable threshold, as described below:

•Principal campaign committees 

must file this form no later than 10 

days after the candidate designates 

the committee on the Statement of 

Candidacy (FEC FORM 2). Other 

authorized committees file this form 

with the principal campaign committee, which in turn must file this form 

with the appropriate filing offices.

•Committees sponsored by corporations, labor organizations or trade 

associations (i.e., separate segregated 

funds) must file this form no later 

than 10 days after their establishment.

• Local political party committees 

must file this form no later than 10 

days after exceeding one of the following thresholds during a calendar 

year: (1) receiving contributions in 

connection with a federal election 

aggregating in excess of $5,000; (2) 

making exempt payments under 11 

CFR 100.80, 100.87, 100.89, 100.140, 

100.147 or 100.149 aggregating 

in excess of $5,000; or (3) making 

contributions or expenditures in 

connection with a federal election 

aggregating in excess of $1,000.

•All other political committees must 

file this form no later than 10 days 

after receiving contributions or making expenditures in connection with a 

federal election aggregating in excess 

of $1,000 during a calendar year.

Note: Political committees must file 

reports in an electronic form under 

11 CFR 104.18 if they have either 

received contributions or made expenditures in excess of $50,000 during a 

calendar year, or if they have reason to 

expect that they will exceed either of 

those thresholds during the calendar 

year. If your committee has reached 

this level of activity, you must file this 

form in an electronic format.

A political committee is considered 

to have reason to expect it will exceed 

the electronic filing threshold for the 

next two calendar years after the calendar year in which it exceeds $50,000 

in contributions or expenditures. 

Exception: This does not apply to an 

authorized committee with $50,000 or 

less in net debts outstanding on January 1 of the year following the general 

election that anticipates terminating 

prior to January 1 of the next election 

year, as long as the candidate has not 

qualified under 52 U.S.C. §30102 as 

a candidate in the next election and 

does not intend to become a federal 

candidate in the next election.

A new committee with no previous contributions or expenditures is 

considered to have reason to expect 

it will exceed the electronic filing 

threshold if it exceeds $12,500 in contributions or expenditures during the 

first calendar quarter of the calendar 

year, or $25,000 in contributions or 

expenditures in the first half of the 

calendar year.

Contact the FEC for more information on filing electronically.

Line-by-Line Instructions

LINE 1. Print or type full name and 

mailing address of the committee. The 

name of a principal campaign committee or other authorized committee 

must include the name of the candidate who authorized the committee. 

A political committee which is not an 

authorized committee cannot include 

the name of any candidate in its name, 

except that a delegate committee must 

include the word “delegate(s)” in its 

name and may also include the name 

of the Presidential candidate which it 

supports. A political committee established solely to draft an individual or 

to encourage an individual to become 

a candidate may include the name 

of the individual in the name of the 

committee, provided the committee’s 

name clearly indicates that it is a draft 

committee. The name of a separate 

segregated fund must include the full 

name of its connected organization. 

Any abbreviation or acronym used 

by the fund must also be reported. 

Finally, list the committee’s electronic 

mail address and the Internet address 

(URL) of the committee’s official Web 

site, if such a Web site exists.

LINE 2. State the date the group 

or organization became a political 

committee. If this filing is an amendment, note the date of the change in 

information.

LINE 3. Only committees that have 

previously filed a Statement of Organization should fill in this block 

with the number that was originally 

assigned to the committee. All new 

committees will be assigned identification numbers when the completed 

statement has been received.

LINE 4. All political committees 

registering for the first time check the 

box labeled “NEW.” Committees that 

have previously filed FEC FORM 

1 and are now submitting changes 

or corrections check the box labeled 

“AMENDED.” If “AMENDED” is 

checked, complete Lines 1 through 

4. With respect to Lines 5 – 9 include 

only the change(s) in information previously submitted. Committees are reminded that any change or correction 

in the information previously filed in 

the Statement of Organization shall be 

reported no later than 10 days following the date of the change or correction. Committees that are required to 

file electronically are also required to 

file amendments to the Statement of 

Organization in an electronic format.
Page 2 Federal Election Commission (Revised 03/22)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FEC FORM 1 AND RELATED SCHEDULES

LINE 5. Check and fill out ONE of 

the eight sections as follows:

(a) All principal campaign committees check (a) and fill in the corresponding information for the 

candidate under (b).

(b) All other authorized committees check (b) and fill in the 

corresponding information for 

the candidate. In the boxes for 

candidate/party affiliation, list the 

abbreviation of the party (e.g., for 

Democratic party, list “DEM,” 

for Republican party, list “REP,” 

for Reform party, list “REF,” for 

Green party, list “GRE” or for 

Independent, list “IND.”) Consult the Commission’s Web site 

at www.fec.gov if unsure of the 

proper abbreviation to use.

(c) A committee supporting/opposing a single federal candidate 

which is not authorized by a 

candidate checks (c), and includes 

the candidate’s name on the line 

provided. Delegate and draft 

committees must check (c), and 

provide the name of the candidate 

supported.

(d) All national, State and subordinate committees of a political 

party check (d) and fill in whether 

the party is the national party (use 

code NAT), state party (use code 

STA) or subordinate committee 

(use code SUB). In the boxes for 

candidate/party affiliation, list the 

abbreviation of the party (e.g., for 

Democratic party, list “DEM,” 

for Republican party, list “REP,” 

for Reform party, list “REF,” for 

Green party, list “GRE” or for 

Independent, list “IND.”) Consult the Commission’s Web site 

at www.fec.gov if unsure of the 

proper abbreviation to use.

(e) All separate segregated funds 

check (e). A separate segregated 

fund is a political committee established, financed, maintained 

or controlled by a corporation, 

labor organization, membership 

organization, cooperative or trade 

association. Check the appropriate box to identify the type of connected organization and provide 

its name and address on line 6. If 

a lobbyist/registrant established or 

controls the committee, check the 

Lobbyist/Registrant PAC box. See 

52 U.S.C. 30104(i)(7) and 11 CFR 

104.22(a)(2), (3) and (4).

(f) A committee supporting/opposing 

more than one federal candidate, 

but which is not a separate segregated fund or a political party 

committee (i.e., a nonconnected 

committee), and which does not 

intend to raise unlimited amounts 

to make independent expenditures or to establish separate 

bank accounts to raise unlimited 

amounts to make independent 

expenditures, checks box (f). If a 

lobbyist/registrant established or 

controls the committee, check the 

Lobbyist/Registrant PAC box. See 

52 U.S.C. 30104(i)(7) and 11 CFR 

104.22(a)(2), (3) and (4). If the 

committee is directly or indirectly 

established, financed, maintained 

or controlled by a federal candidate or officeholder, but is not an 

authorized committee or party, it 

must check the Leadership PAC 

box and identify its sponsor on 

line 6.

(g) A committee that intends to raise 

unlimited amounts to make independent expenditures, but will not 

make contributions, checks box 

(g). If a lobbyist/registrant established or controls the committee, 

check the Lobbyist/Registrant 

PAC box. See 52 U.S.C. 30104(i)

(7) and 11 CFR 104.22(a)(2), (3) 

and (4).

(h) A committee that intends to establish separate bank accounts to 

make contributions and to raise 

unlimited amounts to make independent expenditures checks box 

(h). If a lobbyist/registrant established or controls the committee, 

check the Lobbyist/Registrant 

PAC box. See 52 U.S.C. 30104(i)

(7) and 11 CFR 104.22(a)(2), (3) 

and (4).

(i), (j) All joint fundraising representatives must check either (i) or (j). 

A committee established to act as 

a joint fundraising representative 

is a political committee selected 

or established by joint fundraising participants as the committee responsible for keeping joint 

fundraising records, allocating 

proceeds and expenses among 

participants and reporting the 

overall financial activity of the 

fundraiser. If one or more federal 

candidates are participating in the 

joint fundraiser, check (i). If not, 

check (j). List the participating 

committees and their FEC identification numbers in the space 

provided. NOTE: If a participating committee serves as the joint 

fundraising representative, it must 

check (i) or (j) in addition to the 

appropriate box above (a-h).

LINE 6. Political committees must list 

all affiliated committees and connected organizations (defined below) as 

follows. Do not leave this line blank. 

If there are no affiliated committees 

as described below, enter “None” on 

this line. Examples of affiliated committees include:

• Principal campaign committees list 

all other committees authorized by 

the same candidate. Under “Relationship,” enter “affiliated.”

•Political committees authorized by 

the same candidate (other than the 

principal campaign committee) list 

the principal campaign committee 

authorized by the same candidate. 

Under “Relationship,” enter “affiliated.”

•Political committees which have been 

established, financed, maintained or 

controlled by the highest level parent 

organization (i.e., the corporation, 

labor organization, membership 

organization, cooperative or trade 

association) list:

•The name of the parent organization. 

Under “Relationship,” enter “connected” AND

•The name of any other political 

committee(s) established, financed, 

maintained or controlled by the same 

parent organization or by a subsidiary, branch or State, local, or other 

subordinate unit of the same parent 

organization. Under “Relationship,” 

enter “affiliated.”
 Federal Election Commission (Revised 03/22) Page 3

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FEC FORM 1 AND RELATED SCHEDULES

Political committees which have been 

established, financed, maintained or 

controlled by a subsidiary, branch or 

State, local, or other subordinate unit 

of an organization list:

•The name of the subsidiary, branch 

or State, local, or other subordinate 

unit and the name of the parent 

organization of which it is a part. 

Under “Relationship,” enter “connected” AND

•The name of the highest level political 

committee sponsored by the parent 

organization. Under “Relationship,” 

enter “affiliated.”

•State party committees list any subordinate committees (i.e., any county, 

district or local committee) under the 

control or direction of the State committee. Under “Relationship,” enter 

“affiliated.” (See 11 CFR 110.3(b).)

•Subordinate State party committees 

list the State party committee. Under 

“Relationship,” enter “affiliated.” 

(See 11 CFR 110.3(b).)

•Joint fundraising participants list 

the committee established to act as 

the joint fundraising representative. 

Under “Relationship,” enter “joint 

fundraising representative.”

Leadership PACs (as defined in item 

5(f) above) must identify their sponsoring candidate or officeholder, 

but should not list that candidate’s 

campaign committee as an affiliated 

committee.

Separate segregated funds must provide the full name and address of 

their “connected organization.” Note: 

The term “connected organization” 

means any organization which is not a 

political committee but which directly 

or indirectly establishes, administers 

or financially supports a political 

committee. A connected organization may be a corporation (including 

a corporation without capital stock), 

a labor organization, a membership 

organization, a cooperative or a trade 

association. The definition of “affiliated committee” is contained at 11 

CFR 100.5(g).

LINE 7. Enter the name, address 

and committee position or the title of 

custodian of the committee’s books 

and records on Line 7. The telephone 

number is optional, but is helpful in 

expeditiously resolving potential filing 

problems. If the treasurer is the custodian of records, the term “treasurer” 

is sufficient for Line 7.

LINE 8. Enter the name and address 

of the committee’s treasurer on Line 

8. The name and address of any designated agent (e.g., assistant treasurer) 

must also be included on Line 8. Every 

political committee must have a treasurer and may designate an assistant 

treasurer who shall assume the duties 

and responsibilities of the treasurer, in 

the event the treasurer is unavailable. 

The Commission recommends that 

each political committee designate an 

assistant treasurer because no contribution or expenditure may be accepted 

or made by or on behalf of a political 

committee at a time when there is a 

vacancy in the office of the treasurer. 

No expenditure may be made for or on 

behalf of a political committee without the authorization of its treasurer 

or another agent authorized orally or 

in writing by the treasurer.

LINE 9. The committee must provide 

the name and mailing address of any 

bank, repository, or depository where 

the committee holds funds. Each political committee must have a checking 

account or transaction account at one 

of its depositories. All receipts of a 

political committee must be deposited 

into a designated campaign depository. All disbursements must be made 

by check or similar drafts drawn on 

an account at a designated campaign 

depository, except for expenditures of 

$100 or less made from a petty cash 

fund.

Submit any additional information 

required for any Line on separate continuation sheets appropriately labeled 

and attached to the Statement of Organization. Indicate in the appropriate 

section when information is continued 

on separate page(s).

Treasurer’s Responsibilities

The treasurer of the political committee must preserve a copy of the 

Statement of Organization and each 

amendment for a period of not less 

than 3 years after the date of filing. 

The treasurer of the political committee is personally responsible for 

the timely and complete filing of this 

Statement and for the accuracy of any 

information contained in it.

Where to File

The original Statement of Organization (FEC FORM 1) and all 

amendments must be filed with the 

appropriate office as follows:

•All political committees file with the 

Federal Election Commission, 1050 

First Street, N.E., Washington, DC 

20463. Reports shipped via FedEx, 

UPS or DHL should use the ZIP 

code 20002.

•An authorized committee which is 

not the principal campaign committee of a candidate files with the 

principal campaign committee which 

must forward a copy to the appropriate office listed herein.

Principal campaign committees of 

House and Senate candidates must 

file a copy of this form with the state 

in which the office is sought, with the 

exception of committees of candidates 

in states that have qualified for the 

Commission’s state filing waiver program. Principal campaign committees 

of Presidential candidates must file 

a copy of this form in each state in 

which they have made expenditures, 

with the exception of those states that 

have qualified for the Commission’s 

state filing waiver program. A list of 

qualified states is available from the 

Federal Election Commission.

Unauthorized political committees 

must continue to file copies of this 

form with the states in which they have 

their headquarters, with the exception of committees that are located in 

states that have qualified for the state 

waiver program.

The Treasurer must sign the Statement of Organization.