Title 5 › PART IV — ETHICS REQUIREMENTS › CHAPTER 131 — ETHICS IN GOVERNMENT › SUBCHAPTER I — FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL PERSONNEL › § 13104
People who file annual or termination financial reports must give a clear list of certain money and financial dealings from the prior calendar year. They must report income over $200 (including honoraria and, starting January 1, 1991, payments given to charities instead of honoraria), and for dividends, rents, interest, and capital gains over $200 they must put each item into one of these ranges: not more than $1,000; greater than $1,000 but not more than $2,500; greater than $2,500 but not more than $5,000; greater than $5,000 but not more than $15,000; greater than $15,000 but not more than $50,000; greater than $50,000 but not more than $100,000; greater than $100,000 but not more than $1,000,000; greater than $1,000,000 but not more than $5,000,000; or greater than $5,000,000. They must also list gifts and reimbursements above the greater of the minimal value set by section 7342(a)(5) or $250 (small gifts of $100 or less need not be combined), interests in business or investment property over $1,000 at year end, liabilities over $10,000 (with common exceptions for a personal residence mortgage and loans for vehicles or household items up to the purchase price, and special rules for certain officials), purchases or sales over $1,000 in non‑residence real estate or securities, outside jobs or positions held, and any major outside pay over $5,000 in any of the two years before a first report (with a description of duties). Reports must describe agreements about future employment, leaves, continued payments from former employers, or continued benefit plan participation. New hires, nominees, and candidates report similar items for specified years and dates. Reporters may use approved alternative formats or give exact dollar amounts instead of ranges. Reports also cover spouse and dependent child finances in many of the same areas (for example, spouse earned income over $1,000). A qualified blind trust gets special treatment: the filer must report only the trust’s total cash-value category unless the trust was set up before July 24, 1995 and bars disclosure; the filer must notify the supervising ethics office within 30 days after approval, transfers, or dissolution and file lists of assets and their value categories; certain written communications and trustee reports must be filed and made public like other reports. Trustees and reporting individuals must not disclose or seek forbidden trust information; knowing or willful violations can lead to civil penalties up to $10,000 and negligent violations up to $5,000. Widely held, publicly traded or diversified funds over which the filer has no control need not be listed. Political campaign funds do not have to be reported. Retirement systems under this title (including the Thrift Savings Plan) and benefits under the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 301 et seq.) do not have to be reported.
Full Legal Text
Government Organization and Employees, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
5 U.S.C. § 13104
Title 5, Government Organization and Employees
Last Updated
Sep 23, 2026
Release point: 119-110