Guidance for Returning Officers administering a Scottish Parliament election

We are, by law, required to monitor compliance with candidate spending and donations, and regulate spending and fundraising by parties.

There are legal maximum limits on candidates’ and parties’ spending at the Scottish Parliament election. Candidates standing in a constituency or individual regional list candidates account for their own spending and donations, whereas the party accounts for spending to promote regional party list candidates and the party generally.1 Candidates must report their election spending and donations made towards their campaign after the election.

Election agents for constituency candidates must deliver a candidate’s spending return to you, together with relevant invoices and receipts, within 35 calendar days of the declaration of result of the election.2 The election agent or candidate must also deliver their declaration to the CRO.

Election agents for individual candidates at the regional contest must deliver a candidate’s spending return to the RRO, together with relevant invoices and receipts, within 35 calendar days of the declaration of result of the election.3

Election agents and candidates must deliver declarations vouching for the candidate’s election spending return as follows:

• Constituency candidates and election agents must deliver their declarations to the CRO
• Individual regional candidates and their election agents must deliver their declarations to the RRO4

The election agent’s declaration must be delivered at the same time as the return. All candidates’ declarations must be delivered within 7 working days of the election agent submitting the return.

If the candidate is out of the UK when the return is delivered to you, they may make the declaration within 14 days after returning to the UK and deliver it to you as soon as possible.5

Each regional party list candidate is responsible for delivering a declaration of their personal expenses to the RRO within 35 calendar days of the declaration of the result of the election.6 For more information on the retention and inspection of candidates’ election spending see our guidance on what you need to do with spending returns.