The aim of this study was to analyze in families with SLE for the presence of linkage and the structure and transmission of haplotypes containing alleles for the low-affinity Fcgamma receptors. The Fcgamma receptor polymorphisms FcgammaRIIA-131R/H, FcgammaRIIIA-176F/V and FcgammaRIIIB-NA1/2 and a polymorphism in the FcgammaRIIB gene were genotyped with RFLP, allele-specific PCR or pyrosequencing. Individual SNPs and haplotypes were tested for linkage in multicase families and for association using contingency tables, transmission disequilibrium test and affected family-based control groups in Swedish and Mexican single-case families. No linkage or association could be detected using the FcgammaR polymorphisms in the multicase families. However, an association was found for both FcgammaRIIA-131R and IIIA-176F alleles in the single-case families, but not for IIIB or IIB. Allelic association to SLE was found for a haplotype that included both risk alleles, but not in haplotypes where only one or the other was present. We propose that FcgammaRIIA-131R and FcgammaRIIIA-176F are both risk alleles for SLE transmitted primarily, but not exclusively on a single major haplotype that behaves functionally in a situation similar to that of compound heterozygozity.