Lobbying Disclosure Act Registration Threshold Increased

Effective on January 1, 2017, the registration threshold for lobbying under the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act has been increased from $12,500 to $13,000 to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index. The registration threshold is updated every four years, with the next update in 2021.

The Lobbying Disclosure Act requires individuals and organizations that lobby various federal officials, to register and report their lobbying activities once they meet designated thresholds. Organizations must register once they meet all three of the following criteria:

• An employee will make more than one lobbying contact on behalf of the organization; and
• An employee will spend more than 20% of their time on lobbying over any three month period; and
• The organization will spend more than $13,000 on lobbying in a calendar quarter.

If all three criteria are not met, registration is not required. For more information on the Lobbying Disclosure Act, see our factsheet here.