When do i need to file a 990

The IRS and the public can evaluate nonprofits and how they operate just by examining their s. The form collects information about the mission, programs, and finances of tax-exempt organizations. The also gives each nonprofit an opportunity to report what it accomplished the prior year, thus making a case for keeping its tax-exempt status. Due to recent revisions, Form collects even more information such as disclosure of potential conflicts of interest , compensation of board members and staff, and other details having to do with financial accountability and avoidance of fraud.

You must file your , EZ, N, or PF by the 15th day of the 5th month after your accounting period ends. So, if your fiscal year ends on December 31, the is due on May 15 of the following year. Two ninety-day extensions are allowed, except for N postcard filers. It's important that you file and on time.

If you don't file a Form for three years in a row, your tax-exempt status will be automatically revoked by the IRS. The N is a postcard with minimal information that can be filed electronically. If you think that your status has been revoked, check the IRS list of revoked exempt organizations. If you do lose your exempt status by not filing the , there is no appeal process with the IRS. Your nonprofit could have to pay income taxes, user fees, and have to file additional paperwork. Avoid this arduous process by filing on time each year.

Forms , EZ and N are filed by tax-exempt organizations, Which form you submit depends on your gross receipts. If your N is late, the IRS will send a reminder notice to the nonprofit's last address in its records. Filing Form N is so simple that, technically speaking, the IRS doesn't even consider it to be a tax return.

It should take you no more than ten or 15 minutes to complete. You don't even need to pay for a postage stamp to mail it to the IRS, because it must be sent electronically -- paper copies of the form will not be accepted.

This is why the IRS calls the form an "e-Postcard. A one-time registration is required to access the IRS system. You do not need any special software, just access to the Internet and an email address for your nonprofit. You then complete an online form that asks for your nonprofit's legal name, address, website address if any , EIN, name and address of a principal officer usually the president, vice president, secretary, or treasurer , and tax year either the calendar year or a non-calendar fiscal year.

You will also be asked whether your nonprofit has terminated or gone out of business. Allow up to four weeks for the TEOS system to display your filing. If you don't file the form for any single year, the IRS will merely send your nonprofit a reminder notice. But if you fail to file your Form N year after year, things will get tougher. If your nonprofit is required to file Form N but fails to do so for three consecutive tax years, it will automatically lose its tax-exempt status on the filing due date of the third year.

Printer-friendly version Most charitable nonprofits that are recognized as tax-exempt have an obligation to file an annual information return with the IRS. If your nonprofit has never filed, call the IRS Exempt Organizations Hotline at and ask that an account be established for the organization to allow filing of the e-Postcard. Exceptions to this filing requirement include: Organizations that are included in a group return, Churches, their integrated auxiliaries, and conventions or associations of churches, and Organizations required to file a different return Background IRS information returns are known as the " series " because there are several forms that use the number , including Form , Form EZ , and for the smallest nonprofits, Form N.

Since tax-exempt organizations have also been required to annually report their unrelated business income. Which form to file? Information on electronic filing. What happens if our nonprofit fails to file? The IRS publishes the list of organizations whose tax-exempt status was automatically revoked because of failure to file a required Form , EZ, PF or Form N e-Postcard for three consecutive years.

A church, an interchurch organization of local units of a church, a convention or association of churches,. A church-affiliated organization that is exclusively engaged in managing funds or maintaining retirement programs,. Church-affiliated mission societies if more than half of their activities are conducted in, or are direct at persons in, foreign countries,.

A corporation described in section c 1 that is organized under an Act of Congress, an instrumentality of the United States, and is exempt from Federal income taxes,. A religious or apostolic organization described in section d required to file Form , U.

Return of Partnership Income ,. A foreign organization, including an organization located in a U. A governmental unit or an affiliate of a governmental unit that meets the requirements of Revenue Procedure , C.