Arizona Corporation Commission Changes Impact Nonprofit Corporate Filings

Arizona Corporation Commission makes changes

The Arizona Corporation Commission (“ACC”) has recently changed its website and its online corporate forms to make them more user-friendly. As part of these changes, the ACC has revamped its forms including its form Articles of Incorporation.

Related Read: More on ACC Changes

The ACC’s nonprofit articles of incorporation forms no longer include options to check the required language for tax-exempt nonprofits. The old forms were designed with options to check if you wanted to include the tax-exemption language Code Section 501(c)(3) organizations are required to include.

The changes were made in recognition of the fact that there are over 27 different classes of tax-exemption under Code Section 501(c); therefore, the tax provisions led many self-preparers to commit malpractice on themselves.

We applaud the ACC’s sensitivity to nonprofit and tax-exempt issues and we suspect these changes will lead to fewer filings with inappropriate tax provisions. However, the downside is that the free Arizona Corporation Commission forms are no longer appropriate for nonprofits who wish to qualify for tax-exempt status.

Related post: Piercing the Corporate Veil of a Nonprofit in Arizona


Ellis Carter is a nonprofit lawyer with Caritas Law Group, P.C. Ellis advises nonprofit and socially responsible businesses on corporate, tax, and fundraising regulations.  Ellis is licensed to practice in Washington and Arizona and advises nonprofits on federal tax and fundraising regulations nationwide. Ellis also advises donors with regard to major gifts. To schedule a consultation with Ellis, call 602-456-0071 or email us through our contact form.

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