PrintPolitical Donation Limits For 2016 Federal Elections
Washington, D.C.
Under current FEC political donation limits, which are adjusted for inflation in odd-numbered years, individuals can give up to $5,400 to candidates—$2,700 for their primary campaigns, and another $2,700 for the general election—and up to $33,400 per year to national party committees in the 2016 cycle. Previously, the limit was $2,600 to candidates and $32,400 to national party committees per year.
Specific political donation limits are calculated for inflation in odd-numbered years. These limits include contributions made by individuals and nonmulticandidate committees to federal candidates and national party committees and the special limit afforded to the national party committees to support Senate candidates. The Commission announces the amount of the adjusted contribution limits in the Federal Register. 11 CFR 110.17(e).
The chart below outlines the individual contribution limits for 2015-2016. The chart is also available as a stand-alone HTML table or as a PDF table, suitable for printing.
|
DONORS
|
RECIPIENTS
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Candidate Committee
|
PAC1
(SSF and Nonconnected) |
State/District/Local Party Committee
|
National Party Committee
|
Additional National Party Committee Accounts2
|
|
| Individual | $2,700* per election |
$5,000 per year |
$10,000 per year (combined) |
$33,400* per year |
$100,200* per account, per year |
| Candidate Committee | $2,000 per election |
$5,000 per year |
Unlimited Transfers | Unlimited Transfers | |
| PAC – Multicandidate |
$5,000 per election |
$5,000 per year |
$5,000 per year (combined) |
$15,000 per year |
$45,000 per account, per year |
| PAC – Nonmulticandidate |
$2,700* per election |
$5,000 per year |
$10,000 per year (combined) |
$33,400* per year |
$100,200* per account, per year |
| State, District & Local Party Committee | $5,000 per election (combined) |
$5,000 per year (combined) |
Unlimited Transfers | ||
| National Party Committee | $5,000 per election3 |
$5,000 per year |
|||
* Indexed for inflation in odd-numbered years.
1. “PAC” here refers to a committee that makes contributions to other federal political committees. Independent-expenditure-only political committees (sometimes called “super PACs”) may accept unlimited contributions, including from corporations and labor organizations.
2. The limits in this column apply to a national party committee’s accounts for: the presidential nominating convention; election recounts and contests and other legal proceedings; and national party headquarters buildings. A party’s national committee, Senate campaign committee and House campaign committee are each considered separate national party committees with separate limits. Only a national party committee, not the parties’ national congressional campaign committees, may have an account for the presidential nominating convention.
3. Additionally, a national party committee and its Senatorial campaign committee may contribute as much as $46,800 combined per campaign to each Senate candidate.