Electronic Filing Help
Access, Log-in
The e-filing program can be accessed only by people required to file a Financial Disclosure Statement and authorized Commission employees. Required filers are sent separate letters with their User Identification and Password, about 30 days before their form is due. The program operates from about April 1 until December 31 each year. It is off-line January through March and users cannot access their data, even if they have a partially completed form in the system.
You need both a User ID and password issued by the Commission. Those issued by your agency are not valid on this system. The password that we mail to you is a one-time-use password. When you complete your first log-in you are forced to change your password and the new one that you select is the only valid password.
Lost or Forgotten User ID
Your User ID (User Identification or UID) is five letters and six numbers. It is found above your name on the left side of the address label on a letter we send you. E-mail or call us at 518-408-3976 or 1-800-873-8442 if you have problems with your User ID.
Lost or Forgotten Password
We cannot retrieve passwords, whether issued by us or reset by the user. If the Forgotten Password feature accessed from the log-in page does not help, e-mail cpi@nyintegrity.org from your government office e-mail and ask for a new password.
Password-User ID Rejected
IF YOU HAVE LOGGED IN THIS YEAR the valid password is the one you created. The one we mailed cannot be used after you log in the first time.
IF YOU LOGGED IN LAST YEAR BUT NOT SINCE, last year’s password will not work. You need the new one we mailed you this year.
IF YOU HAVE NOT LOGGED IN YET THIS YEAR, please check the date on the password letter we sent. You must use this year’s password.
IF YOU ARE ON A NETWORK, your network ID and password must be entered where you usually enter them. Then, the ID and password that we send must be entered on the Ethics Commission log-in page. You cannot use your network log-in on our system or our log-in on your network.
IF YOU HAVE more than one State appointment you may have been issued two user identifications and two passwords. They are paired and are not interchangeable; each User ID has a different password. Call or e-mail the Commission to have your accounts merged.
IF YOUR COMPUTER "REMEMBERS" your password, it very likely remembers the wrong one. E-mail the Commission from your government office e-mail account and ask for a new password.
Disabled Account
A user account becomes disabled when three efforts to access are made using an incorrect password. E-mail the help desk or telephone us at 518-408-3976 or 1-800-873-8442 between 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. on business days. Staff will re-enable your account and help you determine your password or help you get a new one.
Second Log-In, Time Out and Connection Lost
If no changes are made in your form for 15 minutes, you will be logged off but the program will remain on your screen. When you try to use the program, you will be asked to log in again. If you misspell your user ID or password, your log-in will be rejected and you will be asked to log in again.
Incomplete Answer (or Incomplete Form)
When you finish your form, the program checks to see if every question is completely answered. If some questions are not answered, or if an answer is incomplete, you will be shown a list of problem questions with a link back to each question. Each line must be complete, with all required columns filled in, or with no items filled in.Do not use two lines for the same item, such as a street address on line two and city name on line three. The answer boxes will take a large amount of data.
Printing a Copy
Your printout will be at least 6 pages long when using portrait (vertical) mode. You must print using the following directions:
1. Click on “View FDS Form” in the Main Menu area.
2. When your form is displayed, click anywhere on the form. While this does not appear to do anything, it makes that part of the page active for printing in the event it is not already active.
3. Use your browser’s “File” button (upper left). On the drop-down “File” menu, choose “Print.” Select your printer, number of pages, etc., and click OK. (Some browsers may use slightly different terminology.)
Saving Your Data
You may work on the form over as many sessions as you wish, and from different locations. As you move from one question to another, your work is saved. When you want to stop work, use the "Log Off" button. As a security measure, your data is not saved on your computer. The data is encrypted and transmitted to our secure server. When you log in again, your computer reloads your data.
Required Fields
The program checks your form for completeness before submitting it. An answer to each question is required. If any of the required fields are left blank when you submit the form, the program will display a checklist showing which questions are incomplete. You may then jump back to the questions. NOTE: Each answer must be confined to a single line. Using two or three lines on the form for an address leaves the second and third lines incomplete and the form will be rejected. The answer boxes will take many, many more letters than are visible at any one time.
Submitting Your Form
When you click on "Finish FDS Form" after completing all questions, several things happen. 1) Your data is checked to be sure it is complete and a list of incomplete entries is displayed. 2) You are asked to confirm your address and the e-mail address to which you want a receipt sent. 3) Your data is encrypted and transmitted to our secure server. 4) A receipt is sent to the e-mail address that you specified. 5) Your data is locked and no further changes may be made. However, you may still log in and view your data, and make a printout, until December 31. On and after January 1, your prior year data is inaccessible.
Confirmation of Filing
If you do not receive a confirming e-mail within 24 hours of your submission, e-mail us at cpi@nyintegrity.org or call the help desk at 518-408-3976 or 1-800-873-8442. You can also determine whether your filing was received by logging in. If your form was filed, the Welcome Page will tell you that, and the filing date. You may use the "View FDS Form" button. Our print preview give the date of filing at the bottom. You may also print the form confirming your filing date. Go to Print Form.
Browsers
You must use Internet Explorer (version 5 and higher) or Firefox (any version 1.5.0.1 or higher) to use the filing application. Other browsers are unsupported. Our staff cannot give browser support.
Security and Encryption
The security of financial disclosure statements is a top priority at the Commission. All data is encrypted during transmission, using 128-bit encryption, the strongest available to the public. The data is not left in your computer. On receipt, the data is locked down in a secure server. Your User ID and password prevent access to your data by anyone but you.
Who Can File Electronically
All people who are required to file a financial disclosure statement to the New York State Commission on Public Integrity may file electronically if their equipment and connection are compatible. All people who can file electronically are sent separate letters with their password and user ID. The materials are sent to most filers in late March or early April. They are sent to academic employees of the State University and City University in late September or early October. If you receive only one letter but not the other, call the Commission. If you filed in prior years but changed your address and did not receive our letters, call the Commission for assistance.
Who Must File: Filing Rate
You are required by Public Officers Law Section 73-a to file a financial disclosure statement if you serve in a job title with an annual salary rate in excess of the job rate of SG24, or are designated a policymaker by your agency. The filing rate is posted at the top of our home page . In addition, several specific State officials are required by statute to file. If you have any questions about your status as a designated filer, you should contact your State agency or appointing authority.
SUNY and CUNY
The Commission re-evaluated the short form filing process formerly used by academic employees and found the academic filings do not meet the statutory standard. The law makes no distinction – and no exception – for academic employees of the State University or City University of New York. The text of the Commission's decision may be found on this Web site, under Advisory Opinions, as Advisory Opinion 03-6. Advisory Opinion 04-4 extended 03-06 to CUNY. Academic filers are on a later filing schedule. Access information is mailed about October 1 and forms are due November 15.
Name and Address Changes
You may correct your postal or e-mail address but you may not change your name in the electronic filing program. Ask your agency personnel office to update your records and notify the Commission of your new name.
Help
The most comprehensive help is this help file and its index in the menu area at left.
Commission staff can offer limited help by telephone or e-mail. However our staff are not computer technicians and cannot help you with problems in your own software or your Internet connection. We know how to use the program and can help you find the correct resources for more technical problems.
Our help desk may be reached at 518-408-3976 or 1-800-873-8442 between 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. on regular business days. The help desk e-mail address is cpi@nyintegrity.org. E-mail replies will be sent to the originating address. We usually answer overnight e-mails on the next business morning. On business days, we expect to answer e-mails received before noon by 3:00 P.M., and e-mails received before 4:00 P.M. by 5:00 P.M. that day.
Telephone Help
Commission staff may be reached by telephone from 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. on business days. Call 518-408-3976 or 1-800-873-8442 and ask for the help desk.
Other Help
These other resources may be appropriate for some kinds of problems: 1) Your browser software manufacturer, 2) Your Internet service provider, 3) Your network support section if you are trying to connect through a network.
Reporting Period
All forms, whether from academic or other filers, are for the calendar year preceding the filing year. For example, the form due in 2008 covers the calendar year 2007.