Filing in Comptroller Connect without a rejection

Late fees stop only when the Comptroller receives a compliant report. A report that is rejected, or uploaded as a draft, loses its received date and the fees run on from the due date. Most rejections come from a handful of steps. Here they are, from the Comptroller's own Comptroller Connect instructions (fiscal 2025 and 2026 editions) and fines FAQ.

Before you start

Have the password ready. If it is lost, "Forgot My Password" on the login page asks for your unit code and security answer, or call the Comptroller's Local Government hotline, 877-304-3899.
Three people, three government emails. The contact person, the chief executive and the chief financial officer each need their own government email. The Comptroller emails each a validation link, and each person must click it before the report can go on. The purchasing agent and FOIA officer need their own emails too.
One fiscal year per login. Comptroller Connect asks for the fiscal year first. Each late year is its own report. File the oldest first.

Entering the figures

Whole dollars only. No commas, dollar signs, decimals or letters.
Tab, not Enter, to move between boxes.
Click Add/Update on every page, or the page is not saved.
Accept each total with "Yes". On the revenue and spending total pages, skipping the "Yes" makes later totals come out wrong.
Funds are not bank accounts. A separate bank account is not a separate fund unless an ordinance or statute made it one.
Explain every "other". The explanation page wants a note for every "other" figure, any beginning balance that differs from last year's ending balance, any deficit and any unequal transfers.

The answers to the registration questions decide which version of the form you get. A district's answers on its appropriation and revenue decide whether it sees the one-line verification, the abbreviated form or the full report, so get those right first.

The steps that cost a received date

Step	What goes wrong	What to do
Uploading a draft	A draft is not compliant. Its received date is removed and fees run from the due date.	Submit only final figures, approved first where your board or route requires it.
The extension	Filing inside the 60-day extension window without having asked for it is still late from day 181.	Request the extension in Comptroller Connect before you submit and within 240 days of year end.
The vote document	Under the no-audit route, a Certified Copy of Vote missing any field is rejected with the report. Approval can take up to 5 business days, and fees run while it waits.	Use the Comptroller's own form, fill every blank, have only the record keeper sign, add a notary stamp or the official seal. After approval, log back in and submit.
Finish Up errors	Red, critical errors block submission; other errors left unexplained can lead to a return.	Fix every critical error. For the rest, fix or explain.
The 45-day review	The Comptroller has 45 days to review. A rejection removes the received date.	Read every email from the Comptroller's office after you submit.
Reopening	A reopened report stays open for only 2 business days.	Ask to reopen only when the corrected figures are ready.

After you submit

Print the confirmation page and keep it.
Use "Print Annual Financial Report" to make a PDF. The Comptroller asks the local official to sign and date the printed copy for your records. Do not mail a copy to the Comptroller.
File a copy with your county clerk, and keep one as a public record open to inspection.
If you owe late fees, wait for the Comptroller's instructions on asking for a reduction. The FAQ asks units not to inquire before then.

How we fit in

We never log in. We hand your officer a figures sheet with every number and answer in screen order, each tied to the record it comes from, plus a plain filing guide that walks these steps in order and a list of anything your records could not settle. If the Comptroller returns a report for a reason inside our work, we fix it free.

Late on a year already?

The free statement lists every late report on the Comptroller's list for your unit, with the fee math. Ask for it.

Sources, read October 14, 2026

This page summarizes the Comptroller's published instructions. It is not legal or accounting advice; for questions about the screens, the Comptroller's hotline is the authority.