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We hope you'll take time to explore it. We've created a new look and reorganized much of the information to better serve you. If you can't find what you're looking for, send an email to pdc@pdc.wa.gov
The balance of contributions given to a candidate for a specific election that remain after the election and are not needed to pay off that election's campaign debts. They can be used in limited ways:
Funds remaining after an election are no longer surplus once they are mingled with new contributions for a future election or used to make expenditures for a future election campaign.
Disbursement of surplus funds is reported as an expenditure on Schedule A to the C-4 report. These disposal options also apply to the disposal of items purchased by the campaign. When campaign assets are disposed of, attach an explanation to the C-4 report. (For example, if a left-over computer was donated to the county party central committee, the explanation would include the date, the name of the recipient, the item's description and its fair market value.) WAC 390-16-221.
Any elected official who wants to spend surplus campaign funds for non-reimbursed public office related expenses must set up a Surplus Funds Account in order to make these types of expenditures. The account also may be used for the other six legally permissible options for disposing of surplus campaign funds found in RCW 42.17A.430 and listed above. However, the dangers of not setting up a separate Surplus Funds Account and simply disposing of surplus funds out of the now inactive campaign account are:
*A "non-reimbursed public office-related expense" is an expenditure incurred by an elected or appointed official, or a member of his or her immediate family, solely because of being an official. 390-05-518 If the official incurs a non-reimbursed public office-related expense that also, in any manner, could be considered personal in nature, PDC staff recommends paying the expenditure with personal funds, and then seeking reimbursement from a surplus funds account only for that specific portion that is directly related to his or her elected office.
Take all or a portion of truly surplus funds and open a separate Surplus Funds Account (or transfer latest surplus into an already existing Surplus Funds Account). The campaign reports an expenditure to show that a transfer has occurred.
When the account is established by opening a separate bank account: