Title 26Internal Revenue CodeRelease 119-73

§9034 Entitlement of eligible candidates to payments

Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle H— - Financing of Presidential Election Campaigns › Chapter CHAPTER 96— - PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY MATCHING PAYMENT ACCOUNT › § 9034

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

A candidate who qualifies for these payments gets a payment equal to each qualifying contribution they receive starting at the beginning of the calendar year before the presidential election year they are running for. Money from one person is matched only up to $250; any amount above $250 from the same person is ignored. "Contribution" means a written gift of money that shows the donor’s full name and mailing address. It does not include subscriptions, loans, advances, deposits, other things of value, or certain items listed elsewhere in the law. All matched payments together cannot be more than 50 percent of the spending limit in section 315(b)(1)(A) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.

Full Legal Text

Title 26, §9034

Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Every candidate who is eligible to receive payments under section 9033 is entitled to payments under section 9037 in an amount equal to the amount of each contribution received by such candidate on or after the beginning of the calendar year immediately preceding the calendar year of the presidential election with respect to which such candidate is seeking nomination, or by his authorized committees, disregarding any amount of contributions from any person to the extent that the total of the amounts contributed by such person on or after the beginning of such preceding calendar year exceeds $250. For purposes of this subsection and section 9033(b), the term “contribution” means a gift of money made by a written instrument which identifies the person making the contribution by full name and mailing address, but does not include a subscription, loan, advance, or deposit of money, or anything of value or anything described in subparagraph (B), (C), or (D) of section 9032(4).
(b)The total amount of payments to which a candidate is entitled under subsection (a) shall not exceed 50 percent of the expenditure limitation applicable under section 315(b)(1)(A) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 315(b)(1)(A) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, referred to in subsec. (b), is classified to section 30116(b)(1)(A) of Title 52, Voting and Elections.

Amendments

2007—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 110–172 substituted “section 315(b)(1)(A)” for “section 320(b)(1)(A)”. 1976—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 94–283 substituted “section 320(b)(1)(A) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971” for “section 608(c)(1)(A) of title 18, United States Code”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section applicable with respect to taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 1974, see section 410(c)(1) of Pub. L. 93–443, set out as an

Effective Date

of 1974 Amendment note under section 30101 of Title 52, Voting and Elections.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

26 U.S.C. § 9034

Title 26Internal Revenue Code

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73