2017 Citywide Elections
Contribution limits apply to all campaigns, whether or not you join the matching funds program. These limits apply for the entire election cycle. Both monetary and in-kind contributions of goods and services are subject to these limits. All candidates are prohibited from accepting contributions from corporations, LLCs, and partnership. If a Program participant, you are also prohibited from accepting contributions from political committees not registered with the CFB.
| Office | Contribution Limit |
| Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller | $4,950 |
| Borough President | $3,850 |
| City Council | $2,750 |
View a list of registered political committees for this election cycle
If an individual contributor has business dealings with the city at the time their contribution is made, lower limits apply. Doing Business contributions are not eligible for matching funds and do not count toward the threshold to receive public funds.
| Office | Doing Business Contribution Limit |
| Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller | $400 |
| Borough President | $320 |
| City Council | $250 |
Program participants must observe strict spending limits. A spending limit is the maximum total amount a campaign can spend during different periods of an election cycle. The amounts vary depending on which office you seek.
| Office | Out-Year * (years prior to election year) |
Primary Election † | General Election |
| Mayor | $328,000 | $6,969,000 | $6,969,000 |
| Public Advocate, Comptroller | $328,000 | $4,357,000 | $4,357,000 |
| Borough President | $146,000 | $1,569,000 | $1,569,000 |
| City Council | $49,000 | $182,000 | $182,000 |
* Spending in excess of these amounts will be charged against the first limit applicable.
† If no primary is held, there is no primary election spending limit.
If a non-participant raises or spends more than half the applicable spending limit, the spending limit for all participants in that race will be increased by 50%. If a non-participant raises or spends more than three times the applicable spending limit, participants in that race will no longer be subject to a spending limit. The CFB will review disclosure statements to see if expenditure limit relief is warranted and will notify affected campaigns. Candidates may also petition the Board if they believe that a non-participating opponent has triggered expenditure limit relief. Candidates should never assume that their expenditure limit has been increased or suspended unless they receive written confirmation from the CFB.
In order to qualify for matching funds, Program participants must meet a two-part threshold, abide by Program requirements, and face opposition on the ballot. Only the first $175 of an individual New York City resident’s contribution is applied toward meeting dollar amount threshold.
| Office | Minimum Funds Raised | Number of Contributors |
| Mayor | $250,000 | 1,000 |
| Public Advocate, Comptroller | $125,000 | 500 |
| Borough President | $10,000 – $50,094 * | 100 † |
| City Council | $5,000 | 75 ‡ |
* The threshold amount is based upon the number of persons living in each borough, according to the 2010 Census and rounded to the nearest dollar. The amount for each borough is: Bronx ($27,702), Brooklyn ($50,094), Manhattan ($31,717), Queens ($44,614), and Staten Island ($10,000).
† Must be borough residents.
‡ Must be district residents.
Maximum Public Funds Payments (Per Election—Primary and/or General)
| Mayor | Public Advocate | Comptroller | Borough President | City Council |
| $3,832,950 | $2,369,350 | $2,369,350 | $862,950 | $100,100 |
2017 Public Funds Payment Schedule
| 2017 Payment Dates | Based on Valid Matching Claims Reported in Disclosure Statement(s) Up To: | Payment Type |
| 1st week of August | 1 - 9 due July 17, 2017 | Primary Election |
| August 17, 2017 | 10 due August 11, 2017 | Primary Election |
| TBD (Extra primary payment) | Corrected invalid matching claims | Primary Election |
| September 8, 2017 | 11 due September 1, 2017 | Primary Election |
| TBD - if needed | 25% of Primary Payment | Runoff Election |
| September 28, 2017 | 12 due September 22, 2017 | General Election |
| October 13, 2017 | 13 due October 6, 2017 | General Election |
| TBD (Extra general payment) | Corrected invalid matching claims | General Election |
| November 2, 2017 | 14 due October 27, 2017 | General Election |