File your Maryland campaign finance reports on time
The Annual Report is due every January, election years included. Maryland runs everything through one state system.
Last reviewed 29 August 2026 against the Maryland State Board of Elections. Campaign finance rules change: confirm current requirements with Maryland State Board of Elections before you file. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Your 2026 Maryland filing calendar
| Report | Period covered | Due |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Annual Report | Through 14 Jan 2026 | 21 Jan 2026 |
| Spring Report (new committees only) | Through 7 Apr 2026 | 21 Apr 2026 |
| Pre-Primary Report 1 | 15 Jan – 12 May 2026 | 19 May 2026 |
| Pre-Primary Report 2 | 13 May – 7 Jun 2026 | 12 Jun 2026 |
| Pre-General Report 1 | 8 Jun – 18 Aug 2026 | 25 Aug 2026 |
| Pre-General Report 2 | 19 Aug – 18 Oct 2026 | 23 Oct 2026 |
| Post-General Report | 19 Oct – 10 Nov 2026 | 17 Nov 2026 |
| 2027 Annual Report | 11 Nov 2026 – 13 Jan 2027 | 27 Jan 2027 |
The Annual Report is owed every year, election years included. Guides that describe it as a non-election-year filing are wrong, and it is the single most commonly missed Maryland deadline. Election-related reports are owed only for elections the committee designated participation in. Central-committee candidates file an additional report due 14 July 2026, and ballot issue committees one due 9 October 2026. A committee that has raised and spent under $1,000 since its last filing may file an Affidavit of Limited Contributions and Expenditures instead of a full report.
Contribution limits
Maryland limits by four-year cycle, not per election. The current cycle runs 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2026. The $24,000 aggregate cap in statute is not enforced — the Attorney General advised it is unconstitutional after McCutcheon, so total giving across committees is unlimited.
| Donor | Limit | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Person → any one political committee | $6,000 | per four-year cycle |
| Committee → committee transfer | $6,000 | per cycle |
| Aggregate across all committees | Not enforced | — |
| Cash | $100 maximum | per cycle, aggregate |
| Candidate and spouse → own committee | No limit | — |
What you must collect on every donor
Maryland uses separate thresholds, which is where most errors creep in. Every contribution is recorded and reported regardless of size; $51 triggers a receipt and separate reporting; $500 triggers employer and occupation.
- Name, address, date, amount and form of every contribution, with no dollar floor
- A receipt at cumulative contributions of $51 or more, at which point the contributor is reported separately
- Employer and occupation for individuals whose aggregate contributions reach $500 to a committee — the committee must make best efforts to collect this
- Do not apply the federal $200 rule here; it does not exist in Maryland.
Thresholds and the best-efforts duty: Maryland State Board of Elections — disclosure of contributions.
Reports that run on a clock, not a date
No rapid report for ordinary contributions
Maryland has no 24, 48 or 72-hour large-contribution report for candidate committees.
Independent expenditures and electioneering communications
Register through MD CRIS within 48 hours of making $5,000 or more in aggregate independent expenditures or electioneering disbursements in a cycle, and file a disclosure report within 48 hours of passing $10,000 aggregate, identifying donors of $6,000 or more. A registered agent is required within 48 hours of $50,000 in disbursements.
Registering your committee
In Maryland the form is: Statement of Organization, filed in MD CRIS
Due before or at the same time as your Certificate of Candidacy. Fundraising or spending before that filing is unlawful.
File a Statement of Organization electronically in MD CRIS before or at the same time as your Certificate of Candidacy. Fundraising or spending before that filing is unlawful. The committee needs both a chair and a treasurer. There is no filing fee.
Who files where
File and edit your reports in MD CRIS. Candidates filing with a county board may use a different system — confirm with your county election office.
Every Maryland campaign finance entity — state, legislative, county, judicial and Baltimore City — registers and files only with the State Board of Elections through MD CRIS. There is no county-level campaign finance filing. The exception is municipal elections outside Baltimore City, which fall outside the Election Law Article and follow the municipality’s own charter.
If you miss a deadline
A sliding late fee per report: $20 per day for the first seven days, $35 per day for the next seven, then $50 per day, capped at $1,000 per report. The same scale applies if a deficiency amendment is not filed within 30 days of notice. No deadline extensions are authorised under any circumstance. Late fees are paid with campaign funds, and the chair and treasurer are personally liable if the committee cannot pay. A candidate cannot take office until all reports are filed and fees paid.
Keeping Maryland records ready to file
Whoever files your reports, the work is the same: capture every contributor field at the point of donation, keep running totals against the itemization threshold, and reconcile before each deadline. Campaign Deputy does that for campaigns in the states it supports.
