Pennsylvania candidate filing & campaign-finance deadlines
Official 2026 report due dates for Pennsylvania state candidates file with Pennsylvania Department of State — Bureau of Campaign Finance and Lobbying Disclosure.
3 more deadlines follow in this cycle.
Electbase emails you before every deadline — 14, 7, and 2 days out — and stays current as the official schedule changes.
Get deadline remindersIncluded in every Electbase plan · See pricingThis page also covers Pennsylvania candidate-filing (ballot access) deadlines for 2027–2028 — the process of becoming a qualified candidate, distinct from the campaign-finance reporting below. Here's how to run for office in Pennsylvania: what to file, when, and with whom.
8 report deadlines for the 2026 cycle.
These are the campaign-finance report due dates a Pennsylvania state candidate files with Pennsylvania Department of State — Bureau of Campaign Finance and Lobbying Disclosure for the 2026 election cycle, stored verbatim from the official schedule. The 2026 primary is May 19, 2026.
| Due | Type | Report | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual/Year-end | PA Cycle 7 — 2025 Annual Report Annual report complete as of December 31, 2025; due January 31 (2026: moved to Monday, February 2). |
— – Dec 31, 2025 | |
| Pre-election | PA Cycle 1 — 6th Tuesday Pre-Primary Report (statewide candidates only) Statewide candidates (Governor/Lt. Governor in 2026) only; complete as of March 30. General Assembly candidates skip this cycle. |
— – Mar 30, 2026 | |
| Pre-election | PA Cycle 2 — 2nd Friday Pre-Primary Report All candidates on the primary ballot; complete as of May 4. |
— – May 4, 2026 | |
| Post-election | PA Cycle 3 — 30 Day Post-Primary Report All candidates on the primary ballot; complete as of June 8. |
— – Jun 8, 2026 | |
| Pre-election | PA Cycle 4 — 6th Tuesday Pre-Election Report (statewide candidates only) Statewide candidates only; complete as of September 14. General Assembly candidates skip this cycle. |
— – Sep 14, 2026 | |
| Pre-election | PA Cycle 5 — 2nd Friday Pre-Election Report All candidates on the general ballot; complete as of October 19. |
— – Oct 19, 2026 | |
| Post-election | PA Cycle 6 — 30 Day Post-Election Report All candidates on the general ballot; complete as of November 23. |
— – Nov 23, 2026 | |
| Annual/Year-end | PA Cycle 7 — 2026 Annual Report Annual report complete as of December 31, 2026; due January 31 (2027: moved to Monday, February 1). |
— – Dec 31, 2026 |
Shaded rows are deadlines that have already passed.
Good to know
Cycles 1 and 4 (6th-Tuesday reports) apply only to statewide candidates — General Assembly candidates file Cycles 2, 3, 5, 6 and the annual report. Mailed reports must be postmarked at least one day before the deadline; e-file at campaignfinanceonline.pa.gov.
Pennsylvania candidate-filing deadlines — 2027–2028.
Deadlines to become a qualified candidate for office in Pennsylvania — declarations of candidacy, nominating petitions, and related ballot-access filing requirements — compiled from Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Elections. Distinct from the campaign-finance report deadlines above.
2027
Municipal
Municipal Offices (Mayor, Council, etc.)
Filing window: –
Candidacy method: Nonpartisan · Deadline type: Nonpartisan filing
Petition deadline: Aug 24, 2027
Files with: Municipality Clerk or County Board of Elections
Fee: Filing fee or petition in lieu of fee per municipal/county regulations · Signatures: Nomination petition signatures from registered voters in the municipality per local regulation and state statute
Pennsylvania Election Code and Municipal Election Provisions · accessed Jul 13, 2026
Last verified Jul 13, 2026
Filing for Municipal Offices (Mayor, Council, etc.) in Pennsylvania Municipalities (Statewide) for the 2027 Pennsylvania Municipal General Election (Nov 2, 2027) closes Aug 24, 2027 at 5:00 PM America/New_York. Opens Aug 3, 2027. This date is calculated from statute and is not an official calendar date. Source: Pennsylvania Department of State; Pennsylvania General Assembly.
School Board
School Board Director
Filing window: –
Candidacy method: Nonpartisan · Deadline type: Nonpartisan filing
Petition deadline: Aug 24, 2027
Files with: School District Office or County Board of Elections
Fee: Filing fee or petition requirement per district/county regulation · Signatures: Nomination petition signatures from registered voters in the school district
Pennsylvania Election Code and School Board Election Provisions · accessed Jul 13, 2026
Last verified Jul 13, 2026
Filing for School Board Director in Pennsylvania School Districts (Statewide) for the 2027 Pennsylvania School Board General Election (Nov 2, 2027) closes Aug 24, 2027 at 5:00 PM America/New_York. Opens Aug 3, 2027. This date is calculated from statute and is not an official calendar date. Source: Pennsylvania Department of State; Pennsylvania Department of Education.
2028
Federal
President of the United States
Filing window: Closes
Candidacy method: Party Primary · Deadline type: Party primary filing
Files with: Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth
Fee: $200.00 for statewide office, or petition in lieu of fee · Signatures: Petition signatures of registered voters in accordance with 25 Pa.C.S. § 2873
Pennsylvania Election Code, Title 25 P.S., § 2873 · accessed Jul 13, 2026
Not yet independently verified
Filing for President of the United States in Statewide for the 2028 Pennsylvania Primary Election (Apr 25, 2028) closes Feb 15, 2028 at 5:00 PM America/New_York. This date is calculated from statute and is not an official calendar date. Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly / Pennsylvania Department of State.
U.S. House of Representatives
Filing window: Closes
Candidacy method: Party Primary · Deadline type: Party primary filing
Files with: Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth or County Board of Elections
Fee: Tiered by office; filing fee or petition in lieu of fee per 25 Pa.C.S. § 2873 · Signatures: Petition signatures required per statute
Pennsylvania Election Code, Title 25 P.S., § 2873 · accessed Jul 13, 2026
Last verified Jul 13, 2026
Filing for U.S. House of Representatives in Statewide for the 2028 Pennsylvania Primary Election (Apr 25, 2028) closes Feb 15, 2028 at 5:00 PM America/New_York. This date is calculated from statute and is not an official calendar date. Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly.
U.S. Senate
Filing window: Closes
Candidacy method: Party Primary · Deadline type: Party primary filing
Files with: Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth
Fee: $200.00 for statewide office, or petition in lieu of fee · Signatures: Petition signatures of registered voters statewide per 25 Pa.C.S. § 2873
Pennsylvania Election Code, Title 25 P.S., § 2873 · accessed Jul 13, 2026
Last verified Jul 13, 2026
Filing for U.S. Senate in Statewide for the 2028 Pennsylvania Primary Election (Apr 25, 2028) closes Feb 15, 2028 at 5:00 PM America/New_York. This date is calculated from statute and is not an official calendar date. Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly; FEC confirmation of 2028 Senate seat.
President of the United States
Filing window: Closes
Candidacy method: Independent · Deadline type: Independent candidate filing
Petition deadline: Aug 29, 2028
Files with: Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth
Fee: $200.00 for statewide office, or petition in lieu of fee · Signatures: Nomination petition signatures from registered voters per 25 Pa.C.S. § 2912
Pennsylvania Election Code, Title 25 P.S., §§ 2912.2 and 2911 · accessed Jul 13, 2026
Last verified Jul 13, 2026
Filing for President of the United States in Statewide for the 2028 Pennsylvania General Election (Nov 7, 2028) closes Aug 29, 2028 at 5:00 PM America/New_York. This date is calculated from statute and is not an official calendar date. Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly.
U.S. House of Representatives
Filing window: Closes
Candidacy method: Independent · Deadline type: Independent candidate filing
Petition deadline: Aug 29, 2028
Files with: Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth or County Board of Elections
Fee: Filing fee per office, or petition in lieu of fee · Signatures: Nomination petition signatures from registered voters in the district per 25 Pa.C.S. § 2912
Pennsylvania Election Code, Title 25 P.S., §§ 2912.2 and 2911 · accessed Jul 13, 2026
Last verified Jul 13, 2026
Filing for U.S. House of Representatives in Statewide for the 2028 Pennsylvania General Election (Nov 7, 2028) closes Aug 29, 2028 at 5:00 PM America/New_York. This date is calculated from statute and is not an official calendar date. Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly.
U.S. Senate
Filing window: Closes
Candidacy method: Independent · Deadline type: Independent candidate filing
Petition deadline: Aug 29, 2028
Files with: Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth
Fee: $200.00 for statewide office, or petition in lieu of fee · Signatures: Nomination petition signatures from registered voters statewide per 25 Pa.C.S. § 2912
Pennsylvania Election Code, Title 25 P.S., §§ 2912.2 and 2911 · accessed Jul 13, 2026
Last verified Jul 13, 2026
Filing for U.S. Senate in Statewide for the 2028 Pennsylvania General Election (Nov 7, 2028) closes Aug 29, 2028 at 5:00 PM America/New_York. This date is calculated from statute and is not an official calendar date. Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly.
Federal Offices (President, U.S. House, U.S. Senate)
Candidacy method: Write In · Deadline type: Write-in filing
Files with: Pennsylvania County Board of Elections (optional notification)
Pennsylvania Election Code and official guidance on write-in voting · accessed Jul 13, 2026
Last verified Jul 13, 2026
The filing deadline for Federal Offices (President, U.S. House, U.S. Senate) in Statewide for the 2028 Pennsylvania General Election (Nov 7, 2028) is not yet a confirmed date (not applicable); check with Pennsylvania County Board of Elections (optional notification). Source: Pennsylvania Department of State.
State Legislative
Pennsylvania State Senate
Filing window: Closes
Candidacy method: Party Primary · Deadline type: Party primary filing
Files with: Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth or County Board of Elections
Fee: Filing fee per office designation, or petition in lieu of fee · Signatures: Petition signatures from registered voters in the district per 25 Pa.C.S. § 2873
Pennsylvania Election Code, Title 25 P.S., § 2873 · accessed Jul 13, 2026
Last verified Jul 13, 2026
Filing for Pennsylvania State Senate in Statewide for the 2028 Pennsylvania Primary Election (Apr 25, 2028) closes Feb 15, 2028 at 5:00 PM America/New_York. This date is calculated from statute and is not an official calendar date. Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly.
Pennsylvania State House of Representatives
Filing window: Closes
Candidacy method: Party Primary · Deadline type: Party primary filing
Files with: Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth or County Board of Elections
Fee: Filing fee per office designation, or petition in lieu of fee · Signatures: Petition signatures from registered voters in the district per 25 Pa.C.S. § 2873
Pennsylvania Election Code, Title 25 P.S., § 2873 · accessed Jul 13, 2026
Last verified Jul 13, 2026
Filing for Pennsylvania State House of Representatives in Statewide for the 2028 Pennsylvania Primary Election (Apr 25, 2028) closes Feb 15, 2028 at 5:00 PM America/New_York. This date is calculated from statute and is not an official calendar date. Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly.
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Electbase compiles these dates from official state sources as a workflow aid. It is not legal advice. Confirm every deadline with your filing authority before you rely on it.
Last updated August 27, 2026