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IRS

PTIN: Ensuring your Tax Preparer is Registered with the IRS

Charities should be aware that it is now illegal for anyone to receive compensation for preparing a return for someone else if they have not obtained a PTIN from the IRS first; a paid preparer who is not registered with the IRS is perpetrating fraud. If a charity chooses to work with an unregistered paid preparer, it opens itself up to IRS scrutiny and, possibly, denial of tax exemption plus additional attorneys’ fees to resolve any issues arising from the initial filing. Charities also need to keep in mind that the organization, regardless of whether or not a paid preparer was used, is ultimately responsible for the information in it’s exemption application.

January 10, 2012 No Comments

New Form 8940 for Miscellaneous IRS Approval Requests

The IRS has released a new form for tax-exempt organizations to use when they request determinations (other than initial exemption applications) about their tax-exempt status.

August 8, 2011 No Comments

IRS

IRS Permits More Organizations to File Form 990-N

The IRS today issued guidance (Revenue Procedure 2011-15) that will allow more tax-exempt organizations to file the simplified e-Postcard rather than the Form 990-EZ or the standard Form 990.

For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2010, most tax-exempt organizations whose gross annual receipts are normally $50,000 or less will be eligible to file the e-Postcard. Previously, the threshold was set at $25,000 or less. Supporting organizations of any size are still not eligible to file the Form 990-N. So, for the 2010 tax year, the new filing requirements are as follows:

January 15, 2011 No Comments

IRS

Public Disclosure of IRS Filings

Public disclosure requirements applicable to tax-exempt organizations.

December 16, 2010 No Comments

IRS

IRS Cyber Assistant: Is it Worth the Wait?

In 2003, the number of applications for exemption had gone up by over 40% with no corresponding increase in the number of IRS Exempt Organization employees. This motivated the IRS to consider how to streamline the application for exemption process to make processing easier for both the IRS and the applicant. The IRS invited a panel of experts from the nonprofit legal community to make recommendations to improve the application process. The panel’s key recommendation was that the IRS revive earlier plans to develop and fund an interactive online Form 1023 filing tool accessible through the IRS website known as the “Cyber Assistant.”
UPDATE: On May 7, 2010, IRS announced in IRS Exempt Organization Update 2010-11, that Cyber Assistant is delayed – no release this year.

May 2, 2010 1 Comment

IRS

IRS Tips for Year-End Donations

Individuals and businesses making contributions to charity should keep in mind several important tax law provisions that have taken effect in recent years. Some of these changes include the following:

December 23, 2009 No Comments

Governance

IRS Releases Governance Check Sheet

The Internal Revenue Service is at it again. The IRS recently released a Governance Check Sheet that its examination agents will use when examining charitable organizations (other than private foundations), along with a Guide Sheet providing instructions on how to use the Check Sheet. According to the IRS’s webpage for exempt organization governance issues, the Check Sheet “will be used by IRS’ Exempt Organizations Examination agents to capture data about governance practices and the related internal controls of organizations being examined. The data will be included in a long-term study to gain a better understanding of the intersection between governance practices and tax compliance.” These materials are in addition to the governance training materials previously released by the IRS.

December 17, 2009 No Comments

IRS