Filing Officers

English

Departmental filing officers play an important role in helping to ensure provisions of the Political Reform Act are effectively and efficiently administered. The information below provides important information for filing officers about the Form 700 filing procedures, filing deadlines, and other essential information required to perform filing officer duties as prescribed by the Fair Political Practices Commission and the San Francisco Ethics Commission.

Quick Access Links

Important Announcements & Highlights

Click Here to View 2024 Filer Information Session Details
February 5, 2024 Notice: Annual Form 700 Filing Reminder
Post-Annual Filing Deadline Procedures

Resources for Filing Officers

Form 700 Home Page – Contains essential information, including filing requirements and exceptions, deadlines, the conflict of interest code, disclosure categories, and more.
Filing Officer Manual – Provides step-by-step “how-to” instructions for the NetFile SEI Admin System.
Filing Officer Fact Sheet – Summarizes the changes and benefits in connection with the transition to Form 700 e-filing. Includes an overview of the law, a summary of filing officer responsibilities, and answers to frequently asked questions.
NetFile How-to Video Tutorials – Demonstrates how to perform various tasks in the NetFile System in 5 minutes are less.
Sample Filer Notices – Provides recommended information that filing officers should include in filer notices.
Trainings & Resources – Central hub to all online trainings and resources developed and/or recommended by the Ethics Commission, including memoranda, notices and reports.
Departmental Filing Officer Directory – Online listing of filing officers designated in City departments. Departments must submit a Department Contact Change Form to add or remove filing officers. Please note that form submissions require department head authorization.
Filers Page – Form 700 filers’ one-stop-shop to e-file their Form 700 statements and access pertinent information and resources. Direct your Filers here to e-file their Form 700 statements and include a link to this page in all your filer notices and communications.

Filing Officer Responsibilities

Year-round/Ongoing

1. Know Who Files	Review your department’s Conflict of Interest Code (click on the section for your department) to identify the positions that are required by law to file SEI Form 700s. Ensure that the NetFile system contains accurate and up-to-date filer information.
2. Manage Electronic Filer Accounts	Maintain filer accounts and keep filers, their contact information, positions, and filing status current in the NetFile e-filing system.
3. Stay Informed of Comings and Goings	Coordinate with hiring managers and/or your human resources division to ensure you are informed timely of personnel changes affecting designated positions, including new hires, promotions and transfers, acting and interim assignments, and resignations and terminations.
4. Keep your department contact information current with the Ethics Commission	Review the Filing Officer Directory. To update your department’s filing officer(s), submit the Department Contact Change Form to the Ethics Commission from your City email account. (Note: all filing officers must complete training developed by the Ethics Commission before gaining access to the E-Filing system).
5. Provide Guidance to Filers	Login and password assistance Assist with general questions Direct filers to available resources on the Ethics Commission’s website. Refer filers with technical or reporting-related questions to the Ethics Commissions Form 700 Support Portal.
6. Provide Public Access	The filing officer must permit any member of the public to inspect and receive an unredacted copy of any statement. Statements must be available as soon as possible during the agency’s regular business hours, but in any event not later than the second business day after the statement is received. Access to the Form 700 is not subject to the Public Records Act procedures. No conditions may be placed on persons seeking access to the forms. No information or identification may be required from persons seeking access. Reproduction fees of no more than 10 cents per page may be charged.

Assuming Office

1. Onboard New Form 700 Filers	Manually create new filer accounts in the NetFile system. If filer already exists in the system, add new position to existing filer account and update filer information; if filer is transferring to/from another department, contact the Ethics Department. Set-up assuming office filing requirement (if applicable; see assuming office exceptions)
2. Notify Filers of Filing Requirements and Deadlines	Notify filers of their assuming office filing requirement and deadline (if applicable; see assuming office exceptions) Provide general login and filing instructions Send follow-up notices as needed
3. After Filed	Review Form 700 cover page for accuracy Request amendments as needed
4. Late Filers	Send late notices by email

Annual

1. System Clean-up	Ensure that the NetFile system contains accurate and up-to-date filer information by December 15th of each year
2. Notify Filers of Filing Requirement and Deadline	Annual filing requirements are automatically added to applicable filers’ accounts on or shortly after January 1st (see system clean-up) Annual filing notices are auto-system-generated and emailed directly to filers by February 1st
3. After Filed	Review Form 700 cover page for accuracy Request amendments as needed
4. Late Filers	Send late notices by email

Leaving Office (Offboarding Filers)

1. Offboard New Form 700 Filers	Terminate filers’ position in NetFile system Set-up leaving office requirement (if applicable; see leaving office exceptions)
2. Notify Filers of Filing Requirements and Deadlines	Notify filers of their assuming office filing requirement and deadline (if applicable; see leaving office exceptions) Provide general login and filing instructions Send follow-up reminders notices as needed
3. After Filed	Review Form 700 cover page for accuracy Request amendments as needed
4. Late Filers	Send late notices by email

Support

To support requests and questions and better serve departmental filing officers and filers, the Ethics Commission has established a dedicated Form 700 Support Portal. By using this portal, every support request is assigned a unique ticket number, which can be used to track the progress of a request online.