Federal Lobbying Disclosure Act Registration Threshold Increased

Effective on January 1, 2021, the registration threshold for lobbying under the federal Lobbying Disclosure Act (FLDA) increased from $13,000 to $14,000, reflecting changes in the Consumer Price Index. The registration threshold updates every four years, with the next update coming January 1, 2025.

The FLDA requires individuals and organizations that lobby various federal officials, to register and report their lobbying activities once they meet designated thresholds. Organizations must register when they meet these three criteria:

• An employee will make more than one lobbying contact on behalf of the organization;
• An employee will spend more than 20% of their time on lobbying over any three month period; and
• The organization will spend more than $14,000 on lobbying in a calendar quarter.

If all three criteria are not met, the organization is not required to register. For more information on the FLDA, see our factsheet here.