Filing Deadlines

Filing Deadlines, Committee Review, and Amendments

A report must be electronically filed by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on the due date using the electronic filing system or postmarked by the due date if you are filing on paper, unless an extension has been granted by the Committee pursuant to a written request.  Total extensions for any report may not exceed 90 days.49  An individual who files a report more than 30 days after it is due must pay a late filing fee of $200, unless the Committee waives the fee in exceptional circumstances.50

Within 60 days of receipt, the Committee on Ethics reviews Financial Disclosure Statements and Periodic Transaction Reports of filers under its jurisdiction to determine whether the reports have been filed in a timely manner, appear substantially accurate and complete, and comply with applicable conflict of interest laws and rules.51  If the review indicates a possible problem, the reporting individual is notified and given an opportunity to amend within a specified period.

A filer may also amend a Financial Disclosure Statement or Periodic Transaction Report on his or her own initiative.  Such amendments are normally given a presumption of good faith by the Committee if submitted before the end of the year in which the report was originally filed.52

To amend a Financial Disclosure Statement or Periodic Transaction Report, a filer may amend by using the amendment function in the electronic filing system, submit an entirely new form, or submit a letter addressed to, and filed with, the Clerk of the House.  Both the original filing and the amendment are made public.
 

49 Id. § 101(g).

50 Id. § 104(d).

51 Id. § 106.

52 The Committee’s amendment policy, contained in a letter sent to all Members on April 23, 1986, is included in the appendices to this Manual.