Financial Disclosure Resources for Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates
June 22, 2023
This page contains resources to assist Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates in filing public financial disclosures.
Presidential and Vice Presidential Financial Disclosure Process
Candidate reports are filed with the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) and then are transmitted to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) to review for compliance with the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (EIGA) and applicable regulations. OGE attempts to use its review process to resolve all outstanding issues that prevent certification within 60 days of its receipt of the report. If that process doesn’t result in resolution of outstanding issues, OGE may send a letter to the candidate to set a formal deadline for resolution and to notify the candidate that the report may not be certified if the deadline is not met. If the candidate brings the report into compliance with the EIGA and the applicable regulations by the deadline, OGE will be able to certify the financial disclosure report.
You can learn more about the review process in the Public Financial Disclosure Process Summary for Major Party Candidates for President or Vice President of the United States (2022) and through guidance provided in OGE advisories linked below.
Public Financial Disclosure (OGE Form 278e)
The following links provide access to OGE’s financial disclosure forms and instructions in two formats. OGE Form 278e (PDF) OGE Form 278e (Excel)
Public Financial Disclosure Guide (2019)
The Public Financial Disclosure Guide is an interactive tool to assist individuals who file or review public financial disclosure reports (OGE Form 278e or OGE Form 278-T). The Guide offers helpful instructions, illustrations of sample language, definitions of terms, and plain-language answers to frequently asked questions. Click here.
Key Legal Authorities
Key Advisories
PA-23-02 Presidential Candidate Financial Disclosure
This Program Advisory reminds Presidential candidates about the filing deadline for public financial disclosure reports and the certification process. It also explains how to request a copy of a candidate financial disclosure report. .
LA-11-03 Public Financial Disclosure Report Guidance for Presidential Candidates
This Legal Advisory provides guidance to potential Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates concerning the public financial disclosure reporting requirements that apply to them.
80 x 5 Letter to an Agency Counsel dated June 25, 1980
This letter provides guidance to a Presidential candidate who withdraws their candidacy prior to May 15 of the successive reporting year.
Access to Candidate Financial Disclosure Reports
Public financial disclosure reports submitted by candidates for the Office of President or Vice President may be requested by completing the automated OGE Form 201, "Request to Inspect or Receive Copies of Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Reports or Other Covered Records." Click here to access the reports.