Non-party campaigners: UK Parliamentary general elections

Under the law, some registered non-party campaigners must report certain donations they have accepted or returned on a quarterly basis (every three months) during the pre-dissolution period. This is called ‘quarterly pre-poll reporting’.

Which non-party campaigners are required to submit quarterly pre-poll reports?

Registered non-party campaigners, unless they have declared they will spend below the reporting thresholds, are required to submit quarterly pre-poll reports.3  With this declaration, you will remain exempt if your spending remains below the reporting threshold.4

If you do not receive any reportable donations during a reporting period, you do not need to submit a report for that quarter.5

When is the pre-dissolution period?

Dissolution is the official term for the end of a UK Parliament. When the UK Parliament is dissolved, every seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant until after the general election.

The pre-dissolution period begins on the fourth anniversary of a UK parliamentary term and ends the day before Parliament is dissolved.6  The fourth anniversary of the current parliamentary term will be 17 December 2023.

The duration of the pre-dissolution period depends on the date Parliament is scheduled to be dissolved. Under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022, if it is not dissolved earlier, the UK Parliament will dissolve automatically on the fifth anniversary of a parliamentary term.7  The pre-dissolution period can therefore last up to a year.

If Parliament is dissolved before the fourth anniversary of a parliamentary term, there will be no pre-dissolution period and no quarterly reporting requirements for that election.

What donations must you report?

The donations that are reportable in each quarterly report are:

• all donations from impermissible or unidentifiable donors dealt with during the reporting period8
• where there are no donations accepted from the donor that were reportable in a previous quarterly report:9
  • all donations accepted with a value of more than £7,500 during the reporting period10  
  • all donations accepted from the same donor during the pre-dissolution period that add up to more than £7,500 (aggregated donations)11
• where the donor has made a donation that was reportable in a previous quarterly report:12
  • all donations accepted with a value of more than £1,500 during the reporting period13
  • all donations accepted from the same donor within the pre-dissolution period that add up to more than £1,500 and were not reportable in an earlier quarterly report (aggregated donations)14

received for the purpose of meeting spending on regulated campaign activity.

If you do not receive any reportable donations during a reporting period, you do not need to submit a report for that quarter as nil returns are not required.15

If you are required to submit a report, you must also report the total value of all other donations you have accepted during the pre-dissolution period with a value between £500 and the above thresholds.16  You do not need to provide any more information about these donations. 

What details must you report?

For donations you have accepted that meet the above thresholds, you must report:

• the required details for the relevant type of donor17   (please see Who can you accept donations from? for guidance on the details you must record for each donor type)
• the amount of the donation, if monetary, or the nature and value of the donation if non-monetary18
• the date you received the donation
• the date you accepted the donation19

For donations from impermissible or unidentifiable donors you must report:

• the name of the source, if known, or the manner in which the donation was made20
• the amount of the donation, if monetary, or the nature and value of the donation if non-monetary21
• the date you received the donation22
• the date you returned the donation23
• the action you took to return the donation (for example, the person or institution you returned it to)24

What are the deadlines for submitting quarterly pre-poll reports?

Each quarterly pre-poll report must be submitted to the Electoral Commission within 30 days of the end of each reporting period.25

The table below sets out the reporting periods and deadline dates the quarterly reports must be received by us.

You can submit your reports on PEF Online. Alternatively, you can download the reporting forms below and submit the completed forms to us by email at [email protected] or you can post these to us.