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26 U.S.C. § 7213

Unauthorized disclosure of information

United States · Title 26 — INTERNAL REVENUE CODE · Status: effective

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26 U.S.C. § 7213, Unauthorized disclosure of information, United States, version 1 as recorded 2026-07-09, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/464370
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Full text

It shall be unlawful for any officer or employee of the United States or any person described in section 6103(n) (or an officer or employee of any such person), or any former officer or employee, willfully to disclose to any person, except as authorized in this title, any return or return information (as defined in section 6103(b)). Any violation of this paragraph shall be a felony punishable upon conviction by a fine in any amount not exceeding $5,000, or imprisonment of not more than 5 years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution, and if such offense is committed by any officer or employee of the United States, he shall, in addition to any other punishment, be dismissed from office or discharged from employment upon conviction for such offense. It shall be unlawful for any person (not described in paragraph (1)) willfully to disclose to any person, except as authorized in this title, any return or return information (as defined in section 6103(b)) acquired by him or another person under subsection (d), (i)(1)(C), (3)(B)(i), or (7)(A)(ii), (k)(10), (13), (14), or (15), (l)(6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (12), (15), (16), (19), (20), or (21) or (m)(2), (4), (5), (6), or (7) of section 6103 or under section 6104(c). Any violation of this paragraph shall be a felony punishable by a fine in any amount not exceeding $5,000, or imprisonment of not more than 5 years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution. It shall be unlawful for any person to whom any return or return information (as defined in section 6103(b)) is disclosed in a manner unauthorized by this title thereafter willfully to print or publish in any manner not provided by law any such return or return information. Any violation of this paragraph shall be a felony punishable by a fine in any amount not exceeding $5,000, or imprisonment of not more than 5 years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution. It shall be unlawful for any person willfully to offer any item of material value in exchange for any return or return information (as defined in section 6103(b)) and to receive as a result of such solicitation any such return or return information. Any violation of this paragraph shall be a felony punishable by a fine in any amount not exceeding $5,000, or imprisonment of not more than 5 years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution. It shall be unlawful for any person to whom a return or return information (as defined in section 6103(b)) is disclosed pursuant to the provisions of section 6103(e)(1)(D)(iii) willfully to disclose such return or return information in any manner not provided by law. Any violation of this paragraph shall be a felony punishable by a fine in any amount not to exceed $5,000, or imprisonment of not more than 5 years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution. Any officer or employee of the United States who divulges or makes known in any manner whatever not provided by law to any person the operations, style of work, or apparatus of any manufacturer or producer visited by him in the discharge of his official duties shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $1,000, or imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both, together with the costs of prosecution; and the offender shall be dismissed from office or discharged from employment. All provisions of law relating to the disclosure of information, and all provisions of law relating to penalties for unauthorized disclosure of information, which are applicable in respect of any function under this title when performed by an officer or employee of the Treasury Department are likewise applicable in respect of such function when performed by any person who is a “delegate” within the meaning of section 7701(a)(12)(B). Any person who willfully divulges or makes known software (as defined in section 7612(d)(1)) to any person in violation of section 7612 shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $5,000, or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution. For penalty for disclosure or use of information by preparers of returns, see section 7216. For penalties for disclosure of confidential information by any officer or employee of the United States or any department or agency thereof, see 18 U.S.C. 1905.

Legislative history

The public laws that enacted or amended this section. Tallies are for the whole bill as it passed each chamber — often an omnibus covering far more than this provision — not a vote on this section alone. The law that originally enacted this section predates the public laws loaded here, so only later amendments are listed.

  • Amended byPub. L. 94-455(H.R. 10612)1976-10-04
    Tax Reform Act of 1976
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 95-600(H.R. 13511)1978-11-06
    Revenue Act of 1978
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 96-249(S. 1309)1980-05-26
    An act to amend the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to improve food stamp program fiscal accountability through reductions in inaccurate eligibility and benefit determinations; to improve the system of deductions; to increase the specific dollar limitations on appropriations for the fiscal years 1980 and 1981 food stamp programs; and for other purposes.
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 96-265(H.R. 3236)1980-06-09
    Social Security Disability Amendments of 1980
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 96-499(H.R. 7765)1980-12-05
    Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1980
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 96-611(H.R. 8406)1980-12-28
    Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act of 1980
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 97-248(H.R. 4961)1982-09-03
    Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 97-365(H.R. 4613)1982-10-25
    Debt Collection Act of 1982
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 98-369(H.R. 4170)1984-07-18
    Deficit Reduction Act of 1984
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 98-378(H.R. 4325)1984-08-16
    Child Support Enforcement Amendments of 1984
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 100-485(H.R. 1720)1988-10-13
    Family Support Act of 1988
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 100-647(H.R. 4333)1988-11-10
    Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 101-239(H.R. 3299)1989-12-19
    Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989
    House: no recorded tallySenate: 87–7
  • Amended byPub. L. 101-508(H.R. 5835)1990-11-05
    Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990
  • Amended byPub. L. 104-168(H.R. 2337)1996-07-30
    Taxpayer Bill of Rights 2
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 105-33(H.R. 2015)1997-08-05
    Balanced Budget Act of 1997
  • Amended byPub. L. 105-35(H.R. 1226)1997-08-05
    Taxpayer Browsing Protection Act
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 105-206(H.R. 2676)1998-07-22
    Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998
  • Amended byPub. L. 107-134(H.R. 2884)2002-01-23
    Victims of Terrorism Tax Relief Act of 2001
    House: 418–0Senate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 108-173(H.R. 1)2003-12-08
    Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003
  • Amended byPub. L. 109-280(H.R. 4)2006-08-17
    Pension Protection Act of 2006
  • Amended byPub. L. 111-148(H.R. 3590)2010-03-23
    Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
  • Amended byPub. L. 112-240(H.R. 8)2013-01-02
    American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012
  • Amended byPub. L. 114-184(H.R. 3209)2016-06-30
    Recovering Missing Children Act
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 116-25(H.R. 3151)2019-07-01
    Taxpayer First Act
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 116-260(H.R. 133)2020-12-27
    Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally