The LD-2 lobbying report filing requirements apply to every firm and organization registered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995: file a quarterly report within 20 days after each calendar quarter ends, submit it electronically through lda.congress.gov, and disclose the issues lobbied, the people who did the lobbying, any foreign interests, and the money involved. The obligation runs every quarter you remain registered, even quarters with no lobbying activity, and it ends only when you file a final report marked as a termination.
Who Has to File
If you are registered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, you file an LD-2 every quarter you stay in the system. Lobbying firms file a separate report for each client. Organizations with in-house lobbyists file one report covering all of their advocacy. A quarter with no lobbying still gets a report; the filing stops only when you formally terminate.
Registration itself is triggered by dollar thresholds. A lobbying firm does not need to register for a client whose lobbying income stays at or below $3,500 in a quarter. An organization with in-house lobbyists is exempt if its total quarterly lobbying expenses stay at or below $16,000.1Office of the Clerk, United States House of Representatives. Lobbying Disclosure Those figures are adjusted for inflation every four years using the Consumer Price Index.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 2 USC 1603 – Registration of Lobbyists Once you cross either threshold, registration follows, and the quarterly LD-2 obligation follows registration.
The Four Quarterly Deadlines
Each report covers a calendar quarter and is due 20 days after the quarter ends:
- First quarter (January 1 through March 31): due April 20
- Second quarter (April 1 through June 30): due July 20
- Third quarter (July 1 through September 30): due October 20
- Fourth quarter (October 1 through December 31): due January 20
If any of those dates falls on a weekend or federal holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.3Lobbying Disclosure Act Guidance. Lobbying Activity Report Requirements
What the Form Asks For
Before you start, have your Senate ID and House ID ready. They were assigned when you first registered. The Senate ID doubles as your login credential, and the House ID begins with a five-digit registrant number.4Office of the Clerk, United States House of Representatives. Lobbying Disclosure – Register
Issue Codes and Specific Activities
You pick from standardized three-letter codes that categorize the lobbying work done during the quarter. The official list covers dozens of topics, from taxation (TAX) and healthcare (HCR) to defense (DEF) and education (EDU).5United States Senate. Instructions for Form LD-2, Lobbying Report Beyond selecting codes, you write a description of the specific bills, regulations, or executive actions you tried to influence. Vague descriptions tend to draw follow-up requests from oversight staff, so experienced filers include bill numbers and concrete references to agency actions.
Lobbyists and Covered Officials
List every individual who acted as a lobbyist for the client during the quarter. For each one, the form asks whether that person previously held a “covered official” position in the federal government.
Covered executive branch officials include the President, the Vice President, staff in the Executive Office of the President, political appointees in Executive Schedule positions (Levels I through V), senior uniformed military officers at pay grade O-7 and above, and Schedule C employees.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 2 USC 1602 – Definitions Covered legislative branch officials include Members of Congress, elected officers of either chamber, and congressional staff. Senior Executive Service employees do not qualify unless they also fall within one of those specific categories.7Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) Guidance. Covered Executive Branch Official
Foreign Entity Interests
If a foreign entity was identified on your original LD-1 registration, the LD-2 must describe how that entity connects to the quarter’s lobbying activities.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 2 USC 1604 – Reports by Registered Lobbyists
How to Report the Money
The financial section depends on which type of registrant you are. Lobbying firms report total income received from the client for lobbying-related work during the quarter. Organizations with in-house lobbyists report total expenses, which typically include a proportional share of staff salaries, benefits, and overhead tied to lobbying activity.
Amounts above $5,000 are rounded to the nearest $10,000. If the quarter’s income or expenses came in at $5,000 or less, you report that the total was under $5,000 rather than giving a specific number.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 2 USC 1604 – Reports by Registered Lobbyists
Filing Electronically
All LD-2 reports go through the Lobbying Disclosure Electronic Filing System at lda.congress.gov. Log in with your Senate ID and password.9Lobbying Disclosure Online Reporting. Lobbying Disclosure Online Reporting From there, create a new quarterly report, enter the data for the reporting period, review, and submit. The system generates a confirmation and receipt number. Keep it. That receipt is your evidence of timely filing if anything is questioned later.
After submission, oversight staff at the Secretary of the Senate’s Office of Public Records and the Clerk of the House’s Legislative Resource Center review filings for completeness and consistency. If they find errors or gaps, they send a written notice asking for corrections.5United States Senate. Instructions for Form LD-2, Lobbying Report
Fixing an Error
You must file an amended LD-2 in two situations: when the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House notifies you of a defect, or when you discover an error on your own. To amend, mark the “Amended Report” box on Line 9 and resubmit the corrected version through the electronic system.5United States Senate. Instructions for Form LD-2, Lobbying Report
Ignoring a correction notice is expensive. Knowingly failing to fix a defective filing within 60 days of receiving notice carries a civil fine of up to $200,000.10Lobbying Disclosure Electronic Filing System. General Filing Requirements There is no formal deadline for self-initiated amendments, but sooner is safer than later.
Ending the Filing Obligation
Stopping lobbying does not stop the filing clock on its own. To end the obligation, file one final LD-2 covering the quarter in which lobbying ceased, mark the “Termination Report” box, and enter the specific date lobbying ended. That date has to fall within the quarter the report covers; the system rejects dates outside the filing period.11Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) Help. LD-2 Instructions Until that termination report is on file, the system will keep expecting a new LD-2 every quarter.
Penalties for Missing or Ignoring the Report
Knowingly failing to file, knowingly failing to correct a defective report within 60 days of notice, or knowingly violating any other provision of the Act can result in a civil fine of up to $200,000. The amount depends on how serious and widespread the violation is. A separate criminal provision applies to anyone who knowingly and corruptly fails to comply: up to five years in federal prison, a fine under Title 18, or both.10Lobbying Disclosure Electronic Filing System. General Filing Requirements
In practice, enforcement usually starts with a deficiency notice and a 60-day window to respond. The heavy penalties are reserved for registrants who ignore those notices or engage in deliberate deception. Filing on time with accurate data keeps you well clear of that path.
The LD-203 Is a Separate Obligation
The LD-2 does not cover political contributions. Each registrant, and each individual listed as a lobbyist on an LD-1 or LD-2, must also file a semiannual contribution report on Form LD-203. Those reports cover January through June (due July 30) and July through December (due January 30). The LD-203 discloses political contributions of $200 or more to federal candidates, leadership PACs, and party committees, along with payments for events honoring covered officials, and includes a certification that the filer has read and understands the House and Senate gift and travel rules and has not knowingly violated them.12Lobbying Disclosure Act Guidance. Lobbying Disclosure Act Guidance Any lobbyist listed on an LD-1 or LD-2 must file their own LD-203 unless they were removed from every one of a registrant’s reports before the start of the relevant semiannual period.