Section 102.9 - Accounting for contributions and expenditures (52 U.S.C. 30102(c))The treasurer of a political committee or an agent authorized by the treasurer to receive contributions and make expenditures shall fulfill all recordkeeping duties as set forth at 11 CFR 102.9(a) through (f):
(a) An account shall be kept by any reasonable accounting procedure of all contributions received by or on behalf of the political committee.(1) For contributions in excess of $50, such account shall include the name and address of the contributor and the date of receipt and amount of such contribution.(2) For contributions from any person whose contributions aggregate more than $200 during a calendar year, such account shall include the identification of the person, and the date of receipt and amount of such contribution.(3) For contributions from a political committee, such account shall include the identification of the political committee and the date of receipt and amount of such contribution.(4) In addition to the account to be kept under paragraph (a)(1) of this section, for contributions in excess of $50, the treasurer of a political committee or an agent authorized by the treasurer shall maintain a record of each contribution received. A record of a contribution by check or written instrument must contain an image of that instrument. A record of the receipt of a contribution must include sufficient information to associate that contribution with its deposit in the political committee's campaign depository, such as, for example, a batch number.(b)(1) An account shall be kept of all disbursements made by or on behalf of the political committee. Such account shall consist of a record of: (i) The name and address of every person to whom any disbursement is made;(ii) The date, amount, and purpose of the disbursement; and(iii) If the disbursement is made for a candidate, the name and office (including State and congressional district, if any) sought by that candidate.(iv) For purposes of 11 CFR 102.9(b)(1), purpose has the same meaning given the term at 11 CFR 104.3(b)(3)(i)(A) .(2) In addition to the account to be kept under 11 CFR 102.9(b)(1), a receipt or invoice from the payee or a cancelled check to the payee shall be obtained and kept for each disbursement in excess of $200 by or on behalf of, the committee, except that credit card transactions, shall be documented in accordance with 11 CFR 102.9(b)(2)(ii) and disbursements by share draft or check drawn on a credit union account shall be documented in accordance with 11 CFR 102.9(b)(2)(iii). (i)(A) For purposes of 11 CFR 102.9(b)(2), payee means the person who provides the goods or services to the committee or agent thereof in return for payment, except for an advance of $500 or less for travel and subsistence to an individual who will be the recipient of the goods or services.(B) For any advance of $500 or less to an individual for travel and subsistence, the expense voucher or other expense account record and a canceled check or record of electronic transfer to the recipient of the advance shall be obtained and kept.(ii) For any credit card transaction, record shall include a monthly billing statement or customer receipt for each transaction and the canceled check or record of electronic transfer used to pay the credit card account.(c) The treasurer shall preserve all records and accounts required to be kept under 11 CFR 102.9 for 3 years after the report to which such records and accounts relate is filed.(d) In performing recordkeeping duties, the treasurer or his or her authorized agent shall use his or her best efforts to obtain, maintain and submit the required information and shall keep a complete record of such efforts. If there is a showing that best efforts have been made, any records of a committee shall be deemed to be in compliance with this Act. With regard to the requirements of 11 CFR 102.9(b)(2) concerning receipts, invoices and cancelled checks, the treasurer will not be deemed to have exercised best efforts to obtain, maintain and submit the records unless he or she has made at least one written effort per transaction to obtain a duplicate copy of the invoice, receipt, or cancelled check.(e)(1) If the candidate, or his or her authorized committee(s), receives contributions that are designated for use in connection with the general election pursuant to 11 CFR 110.1(b) prior to the date of the primary election, such candidate or such committee(s) shall use an acceptable accounting method to distinguish between contributions received for the primary election and contributions received for the general election. Acceptable accounting methods include, but are not limited to: (i) The designation of separate accounts for each election, caucus or convention; or(ii) The establishment of separate books and records for each election.(2) Regardless of the method used under paragraph (e)(1) of this section, an authorized committee's records must demonstrate that, prior to the primary election, recorded cash on hand was at all times equal to or in excess of the sum of general election contributions received less the sum of general election disbursements made.(3) If a candidate is not a candidate in the general election, any contributions made for the general election shall be refunded to the contributors, redesignated in accordance with 11 CFR 110.1(b)(5) or 110.2(b)(5) , or reattributed in accordance with 11 CFR 110.1(k)(3) , as appropriate.(f) The treasurer shall maintain the records required by 11 CFR 110.1(l) , concerning designations, redesignations, reattributions, and the dates of contributions. If the treasurer does not maintain these records, 11 CFR 110.1(l)(5) shall apply.45 FR 15104, Mar. 7, 1980, as amended at 52 FR 773, Jan. 9, 1987; 67 FR 69946 , Nov. 19, 2002; 79 FR 16663 , Mar. 26, 2014 45 FR 15104, 3/7/1980, as amended at 52 FR 773, 1/9/1987; 67 FR 69946 , 11/19/2002; 79 FR 16663 , 3/26/2014; 89 FR 215 , 3/1/2024