Form 990-EZ preparation and e-filing

The Form 990-EZ is the four-page return for organizations that have outgrown the e-Postcard but are not yet large: a youth league, a neighborhood association, a local scholarship fund, a growing arts group. You may file it when gross receipts (all amounts received during the year, before subtracting expenses) are under $200,000 and total assets at year end are under $500,000. If either figure reaches its limit, the full Form 990 is required.

It is shorter than the full 990, not simpler. The compliance questions about political activity, lobbying and transactions with insiders still need careful answers, and the return is public. Our Form 990-EZ guide covers the rules in more detail.

What's included

• An eligibility check every year. We test that year's gross receipts and year-end assets, and confirm you aren't in a group that can't use the 990-EZ (private foundations, sponsoring organizations of donor-advised funds, certain controlling organizations, group returns).
• Parts I through VI, completed in full: revenue and expenses, balance sheet, program accomplishments, officers and their pay, compliance questions, and the 501(c)(3) questions.
• Schedule A for 501(c)(3) organizations, with the five-year public support calculation.
• Schedule B if any contributor gave $5,000 or more (or more under the special 2% rule), with a redacted public copy.
• Schedule O for explanations, plus Schedule C (political and lobbying activity), Schedule G (fundraising events and gaming) or others when your activities call for them.
• Help with Part III, where you describe what your programs accomplished.
• A reconciliation of the return to your financial statements or bank records.
• A short board summary of what the return shows and what changed from last year.
• Form 8868 if you need more time.
• E-filing, the IRS acceptance and a public-inspection copy.

What we need from you

• Last year's return (990-N, 990-EZ or 990) and your IRS determination letter
• Year-end financial statements, or a profit-and-loss report and balance sheet from your accounting software; bank statements if your books are simple
• Detail on major revenue: contributions, grants, program fees, membership dues, fundraising event income and costs, and any sales of goods
• Year-end balances: cash, investments, equipment, buildings and any loans
• Officers, directors, trustees and key employees, with titles, average weekly hours and any compensation
• A contributor list with names, addresses and amounts, for Schedule B
• Five years of support figures for Schedule A (last year's Schedule A, if you filed one)
• Your three largest programs: what you did, people served and what each cost
• Answers to compliance questions: lobbying or political activity, transactions with board members or their families, any change to your governing documents

How it works

1. Short consultation to confirm your fiscal year, filing history and that the 990-EZ fits.
2. Fixed quote and checklist. Nothing starts until you approve.
3. Preparation of the return and its schedules, with an extension filed if records are late.
4. Review with you. We walk through the draft and point out anything a donor or your board will notice.
5. Your signature. An officer signs Form 8879-TE electronically.
6. E-filed and confirmed. You get the IRS acceptance and a public-inspection copy.

Deadlines to know

The 990-EZ is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after your year ends (May 15 for a calendar year, November 15 for a June 30 year end), moved to the next business day after a weekend or holiday. It must be e-filed for tax years ending July 31, 2021 and later. Form 8868 filed by the due date adds six months.

Late returns face the same daily penalty as the full 990. For returns required to be filed in 2026, that is $25 a day, up to the lesser of $13,000 or 5% of gross receipts. A community arts group with $180,000 of gross receipts that files 60 days late faces $1,500. Check your date with the due date calculator and see due dates and extensions.

When this gets more complex

• Crossing a threshold. The test is applied to each year's own figures. A year with $205,000 of gross receipts, or a donated building that pushes assets past $500,000, means the full 990 for that year. We tell you before you start which return you need; see Form 990 preparation.
• Public support near the line. Newer organizations that rely on a few large donors can drift toward private foundation status. We flag it early; the public support calculator shows the math.
• Fundraising events and gaming that pass the reporting thresholds bring Schedule G.
• Unrelated business income of $1,000 or more needs a separate Form 990-T.
• Prior years never filed. We sort out the order of filing first; see late returns and reinstatement.

990IRS.com is a private company, not the IRS. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice for your organization. Example organizations and figures are hypothetical.