Texas campaign finance report deadlines for 2027

Almost no local Texas candidate loses on the merits of a missed deadline — they lose the *story*. A late campaign finance report is public, searchable, and the exact kind of unforced error an opponent turns into a mailer about whether you can be trusted with a budget. The good news: the deadlines are knowable months in advance. This guide maps the full campaign finance reporting calendar to the Saturday, May 1, 2027 Texas uniform election date, including the run-off window for city and mayoral races, so you can put every date in your calendar today and never think about it again under pressure.

What are the main campaign finance deadlines in Texas?

Across a cycle, a local candidate generally deals with four kinds of reports. Each is a version of the Form C/OH, covering a different window:

• 30-day pre-election report — covers activity through a cutoff about 30 days before the election. Your first major public disclosure of the cycle.
• 8-day pre-election report — filed about 8 days before the election, when scrutiny peaks. This is the one to never miss.
• Semiannual reports — the January and July filings that capture any time not covered by a pre-election report.
• Special pre-election reports — triggered in some cases by large late contributions; check whether they apply to you.

How do the deadlines map to the May 1, 2027 election?

Here's the cycle laid out against the May 1, 2027 uniform election date. Treat the report dates as approximate — confirm the exact day with your filing authority, because they fall on statutory counts that can land differently than a round number suggests.

Do run-off races have separate deadlines?

Yes — and this is where it splits by office. City council and mayoral races go to a run-off if no candidate wins a majority on May 2, with the run-off on Saturday, June 12, 2027. A run-off triggers its own pre-election report deadlines in the days before June 13, so if you advance, your reporting calendar isn't over — it resets for the run-off window.

ISD (school board) races are different. Trustees are elected by plurality with no run-off — most votes wins outright — so school board candidates don't have a June run-off report. If you're weighing which office to run for, that difference in both the math and the compliance calendar is worth understanding; see how many votes it takes to win a local election and our June run-off elections explainer.

What happens if you miss a deadline?

A late report can carry fines that escalate the longer it stays unfiled, and — often worse for a local candidate — it becomes a matter of public record your opponent can point to. The fix is boring and effective: put every date below in your calendar with a one-week reminder, keep your contributions and expenditures logged in real time, and never let the report be the thing standing between you and Election Day. For the broader picture, see Texas campaign finance report deadlines in context and the common mistakes that sink local candidates.

The bottom line

The 2027 reporting calendar is fixed by statute and knowable now: appoint your treasurer first, file the 30-day and 8-day reports before May 2, remember the June 13 run-off window if you're in a city or mayoral race, and close the year with the July semiannual. Confirm the exact dates and the modified-reporting threshold with your filing authority, and you'll spend the cycle thinking about voters instead of paperwork. See the full Collin County 2027 election calendar or explore Mandate's platform.