Non-party campaigners: UK Parliamentary general elections

If you receive a donation and it isn’t permissible, you must return it within 30 days. If your organisation keeps the impermissible donation after the 30 days, you are deemed to have accepted it. 

If your organisation accepts an impermissible donation, you may be subject to civil sanctions. The campaigner and the responsible person may also have committed criminal offences. Any potential breach will be dealt with in accordance with our Enforcement Policy.

If you’ve accepted an impermissible donation, you should tell us as soon as possible.

You must record:

• the name of the source, if known
• the amount of the donation, if money, or the nature and value of the donation if non-money
• the manner in which the donation was made
• the date you received the donation
• the date you returned the donation
• the action you took to return the donation (for example, the person or institution you returned it to)

You must include all impermissible donations in your quarterly report.

How do you return an impermissible donation?

If you know who the donor is, you must return it to them within 30 days of receiving the donation.1

If the donation is from an unidentified source (for example, an anonymous £600 money donation), you must return it within 30 days of receiving the donation to: 

• the person who transferred the donation to you; or 
• the financial institution used to transfer the donation2

If you cannot identify either, you must send the donation to the Electoral Commission.3  We will pay it into the Consolidated Fund, which is managed by HM Treasury.4  Please contact us to arrange for the transfer of these funds so we can provide you with our bank details.

If any interest has been gained on the donation before you return it, you can keep it. This is not treated as a donation and it does not need to be reported.5

What must you record?

If you receive a donation from an impermissible source, you must return it and must record these details:6

• the amount (for a monetary donation) or nature and value (for a non-monetary donation)
• if you could not establish the donor’s identity, details of how the donation was made
• if you have established the donor’s identity, but the donor was not permissible at the relevant time, the donor’s name and address
• the date you received the donation
• the date you returned the donation
• the action you took to return the donation (for example, the person or institution you returned it to)

You will need these details when you report the returned donation to us.