Lobbying Disclosure

Lobbying firms and organizations employing in-house lobbyists must register with Congress when they meet income/expense minimums, have an employee who meets the definition of a lobbyist, and when they make more than one lobbying contact. All filings must be done electronically.

Who is a Lobbyist

Any individual (1) who is either employed or retained by a client for financial or other compensation (2) whose services include more than one lobbying contact; and (3) whose lobbying activities constitute 20 percent or more of his or her services’ time on behalf of that client during any three-month period.

A lobbying firm is a person or entity consisting of one or more individuals who meet the definition of a lobbyist with respect to a client other than that person or entity. This includes a self-employed lobbyist.

Who must register and when

Lobbying firms are required to file a separate registration for each client. A lobbying firm is exempt from registration for a particular client if its total income from that client for lobbying activities does not exceed and is not expected to exceed $2,500 during a quarterly period.

Note: A lobbyist is not the registrant unless he/she is self-employed. In that case, the self-employed lobbyist is treated as a lobbying firm.

Organizations employing in-house lobbyists file a single registration. An organization is exempt from registration if its total expenses for lobbying activities do not exceed and are not expected to exceed $10,000 during a quarterly period.

The registration requirement is triggered at the earlier of the date a lobbyist is employed or retained to make one lobbying contact on behalf of a client, or the date a lobbyist in fact makes a second lobbying contact. In either case, registration is required within 45 days.

For more details, see Lobbying Disclosure Basics.

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