Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle H— - Financing of Presidential Election Campaigns › Chapter CHAPTER 96— - PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY MATCHING PAYMENT ACCOUNT › § 9042
Breaking the rules in section 9035 is a crime. A person who does so can be fined up to $25,000, jailed for up to 5 years, or both. If an officer or member of a political committee knowingly approves an illegal spending under section 9035, they face the same punishment. Anyone who gets money under section 9037 (or someone the money is transferred to) must use it only for qualified campaign costs or to repay or restore funds used for those costs. It is also illegal to lie to or hide records from the Commission, or to give or take kickbacks tied to those campaign costs. Violating any of these rules can lead to a fine up to $10,000, up to 5 years in jail, or both. Someone who accepts a kickback must also pay back 125 percent of what they got to the Secretary for the matching payment account.
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Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
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Reference
Citation
26 U.S.C. § 9042
Title 26 — Internal Revenue Code
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73