Resources

2025 Campaign Finance Guide for Political Parties

Reporting Staff Reimbursement

Reporting Purpose of Expenditures

Reporting Contributions Maintained

Reporting Expenses from Personal Funds

Steps to follow if you missed a filing deadline

You missed the filing deadline if:

• You filed your report late, or
• You have not filed your report at this time and the deadline has passed.

You have the option to request a waiver or reduction of an assessed penalty for filing your report late. You can do this by submitting an Affidavit of Defense to your filing authority. The Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) considers every Affidvait of Defense submitted to the Commission AFTER the specific report is filed.

STEP 1: Fill out an Affidavit of Defense (to raise a defense to late filing). Fill out this affidavit on your computer.
State the name of the report that you filed late and state the due date for that report. Explain the circumstances that prevented you from filing your report on time. Request a waiver or reduction of assessed penalties if this is what you are requesting.

STEP 2: Have your affidavit notarized OR fill out the unsworn declaration.

STEP 3: Using one of the two methods below, deliver your completed Affidavit of Defense to the Texas Ethics Commission.

• Email a PDF copy of your completed Affidavit to affidavits@ethics.texas.gov.
  Include your Filer ID, name, AFFD, and report type in the subject line.
  For example:
  Subject Line: “00012345 Jane Doe, AFFD, January 2026 Semiannual late filing”
• Mail a paper copy of your completed form to:
  Texas Ethics Commission
  P.O. Box 12070
  Austin, TX 78711-2070

After TEC receives your Affidavit of Defense and after you have filed the report in question, the Texas Ethics Commission will consider your request. You will be notified of the Commission’s decision.

Political Advertising: What You Need to Know