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IRS Raises Form 990 Filing Threshold

By Alistair M. Nevius, J.D.

Please note: This item is from our archives and was published in 2011. It is provided for historical reference. The content may be out of date and links may no longer function.

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From the IRS

The IRS has raised the gross receipts threshold for Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, from $25,000 to $50,000, allowing more tax-exempt organizations to avoid filing a full Form 990 or 990-EZ (Rev. Proc. 2011-15).

Tax-exempt organizations are generally required to file either a Form 990 or the shorter Form 990-EZ annually. Under Sec. 6033, organizations with annual gross receipts of less than $5,000 are exempt from the filing requirement, and the IRS has authority to excuse larger organizations from the filing requirement at its discretion.

The IRS previously had set the Form 990 gross receipts threshold at $25,000 for Sec. 501(c)(3) organizations other than private foundations but has now raised the threshold to $50,000, effective for tax years beginning after January 1, 2010.

Small tax-exempt organizations that are not required to file Form 990 or 990-EZ under the new $50,000 threshold must instead generally file Form 990-N, Electronic Notice (e-Postcard) for Tax-Exempt Organizations Not Required to File Form 990 or 990-EZ.