After the election, the candidate should make sure that:
all invoices are received no later than 14 calendar days after polling day1
all invoices are paid no later than 21 calendar days after polling day2
an election spending return reporting details of the candidate’s spending, together with a declaration confirming the return is complete and correct to the best of their knowledge and belief, is reported to the Returning Officer no later than 28 days after polling day.3
Please note that if the deadline for any of the above falls on a weekend or public holiday, the deadline will move to the next working day.4
This is included within the following deadline calculations.
Polling day
Latest date to receive your invoices
Latest date to pay your invoices
Latest date to submit your return and declaration
1 May 2025
15 May 2025
22 May 2025
29 May 2025
You must still submit a return even if you haven’t spent any money.5
This is called a ‘nil return’.
Invoices received or paid outside of the deadlines
We call claims (invoices for your candidate spending) that are received by the election agent later than the deadline of 14 days, unpaid claims.
Unpaid claims cannot legally be paid unless a court order is gained granting leave to pay the claim.6
It can be an offence to pay an unpaid claim without a court order.7
We call claims (invoices) that were submitted within the deadline of 14 days but remain unpaid later than the deadline of 21 days, disputed claims.
Disputed claims cannot legally be paid without a court order first being gained granting leave to pay the claim.8