# BRD-242 — A tax-exempt organisation must not order a political vet

> A political vet must not be requested or imported for a brand that already holds 501(c)(3), (4), (5) or (6) status.

- **Rule ID:** BRD-242
- **Layer:** Brand (`BRAND`)
- **Checks:** `brand.tax_exempt_status + the political vet order`
- **Severity:** BLOCKING — Breaking this rule gets the submission rejected outright.
- **When it bites:** Gates approval — get this wrong and registration is refused
- **How it is detected:** Deterministic (settled in code from the submitted values)
- **Fix type:** Fix the field — a better value in the form clears it
- **Required by:** TCR
- **Applies:** Applies when the brand is a non-profit.
- **Canonical URL:** https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/brand/brd-242/

## Why this rule exists

The tax-exempt status is itself one of the three qualifying artefacts, so ordering a vet on top of it is disallowed rather than redundant — the request is refused. It is a natural mistake because the vet looks like the thorough option, and nothing in the ordering flow says the status you already hold has made you ineligible for it.

## How to fix it

Rely on the tax-exempt status you already hold and do not order or import a political vet. Make sure the status is recorded as an attribute on the brand rather than only claimed on the form — BRD-263 is the appeal route if the registry did not set it.

## Example of a compliant value

```text
tax_exempt_status: 501(c)(4) with no political vet ordered — the status is the qualifying artefact
```

## Provider rejection codes

| Provider | Code | Resubmission allowed |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TCR | `541` | yes |