The 2027 Texas electronic-filing threshold, explained

Buried in Texas campaign-finance law is a single dollar figure that quietly decides how much paperwork your campaign has to do. For 2027 that figure sits at roughly $34,890 — and it governs two related things: whether you can use modified reporting (the simplified track for small campaigns) and whether you'll be required to file electronically. Cross the line and the rules change. This guide explains what the threshold is, who it applies to, and exactly what to confirm with your filing authority before you rely on it.

What is the Texas electronic-filing / modified-reporting threshold?

Texas indexes a campaign-finance threshold to inflation and adjusts it periodically, which is why the number drifts year to year. For the 2027 cycle it lands around $34,890. It is the dividing line between two worlds. Below it, a small local campaign can elect modified reporting — a lighter filing schedule designed for candidates who aren't raising or spending much. At or above it, you owe the full reporting schedule, and at the state level you generally must file your reports electronically rather than on paper.

What is modified reporting and who qualifies?

Modified reporting is the simplified track. Instead of filing the standard 30-day and 8-day pre-election reports, a candidate on modified reporting files on a reduced schedule. To qualify, you must do two things: elect modified reporting (usually right when you file your Campaign Treasurer Appointment), and stay under the threshold for both contributions and expenditures through the period.

• You opt in to modified reporting when you appoint your treasurer — it isn't automatic and it isn't retroactive.
• You must not exceed the threshold in contributions or expenditures during the reporting period.
• It's built for small, lean local campaigns — exactly the school-board and city-council races that run on the May Uniform Election Date.
• If you think you'll raise or spend more than the threshold, don't elect it — choose full reporting from the start.

What happens if you cross the threshold mid-campaign?

This is the trap. Modified reporting is conditional — it only holds as long as you stay under the line. If a late fundraising push or a single large expenditure pushes you over $34,890, you lose your modified-reporting status and have to switch to the full schedule, including the pre-election reports you were trying to avoid. Crossing the line late in the cycle, right before an 8-day deadline, is how otherwise careful campaigns end up filing late.

How does this interact with electronic filing?

The wrinkle for local candidates: the electronic-filing requirement is a state-level rule, but most officially nonpartisan local races file with a local authority — a city secretary or a school district. So a Frisco ISD or Frisco City Council candidate may file on a different system than a statewide candidate. The threshold still matters because it determines whether you're on the modified or full reporting schedule. The filing *format* is a separate question you should confirm locally.

The bottom line

The 2027 threshold — about $34,890 — is one number with outsized consequences: it decides your reporting schedule and whether you can use modified reporting at all. Treat it as a line you can accidentally cross, not a static fact. Elect modified reporting only if you're confident you'll stay under it, track your totals all season, and verify the current figure with your filing authority. For the full picture, see our Texas campaign finance deadlines for 2027 and the local candidate compliance checklist, or grab the free Collin County filing kit and explore Mandate's platform.