Candidates and members of Congress do not directly receive soft money. Soft money is given to the non-federal accounts of the national party committees or to state parties. It is difficult to trace their expenditures to determine how much a party spends for the benefit of any particular candidate. Parties also spend hard money on campaign activities coordinated with a candidate for federal office. The amount of their expenditure is subject to limit.
Parties can also spend an unlimited amount of hard money on expenditures independent of a candidate.
Soft money can also be given to state parties in accordance with state laws. Some states have banned soft money contributions. The national party committees file reports with the FEC on a monthly or quarterly basis. The FEC displays copies of all reports on its web page. National political party committees were required to disclose their soft money contributions beginning in 1991, after Common Cause filed a petition with FEC, challenging the way in which the committees were treating soft money.