Earlier this year, the IRS reminded all exempt organizations that, regardless of their size, they must file the Form 990 on time in order to preserve their tax-exempt status. Starting this year, organizations that fail to file these information returns for three consecutive years will automatically lose their exempt organization status.
Form 990
Good Governance: The Bedrock of a Successful Not-for-Profit Organization
By Alison M. Langlais on
The goal of the revision of the IRS Form 990 is to increase transparency, encourage compliance, and emphasize the importance of ethics within a not-for-profit organization. Given that so much emphasis has now been placed on “good” governance, it is increasingly important for not-for-profit boards to draft, adopt, and implement relevant governance policies – meant to be “living” documents reflecting the organization itself, and changing as an organization grows and develops.
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Form 990 Makeover, Version 2.0
By Elizabeth M. Mills on
Even hard-core tax mavens don’t usually get excited when the IRS releases instructions for tax forms. An exception this year is the release of instructions for the 2009 Form 990, the form to be filed by tax-exempt organizations (other than private foundations) for calendar year 2009 and tax years starting in 2009.
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With the New Form 990, Directors and Trustees Must Complete a Complicated Disclosure Form
By Elizabeth M. Mills on
The IRS completely redesigned Form 990, the Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, to be filed for calendar year 2008 and subsequent periods. This form is filed by most tax-exempt organizations and is open to public inspection. One stated purpose of the makeover was to increase transparency and disclosure of exempt organization operations, thereby improving governance and highlighting conflicts of interest and insider dealings. One major change in the form is that it requires extensive reporting concerning the organization’s governance and management policies, the independence of its board, and board members’ and key employees’ family and business relationships with each other and with the reporting organization.
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IRS Issues Audit Checklist for Exempt Organization Governance
By Elizabeth M. Mills on
Over the past few years, the IRS has become increasingly interested in monitoring the governance practices of tax-exempt organizations, particularly public charities. This interest has been shown through public statements of IRS officials, the addition of questions about board makeup and policies to the Form 990, an explanation of why the IRS considers governance important, and the development of training materials on governance for IRS personnel. Not all members of the exempt organizations community agree that the IRS should focus on governance. However, the IRS rationale is that a well-governed organization is a tax-compliant organization.
The IRS has now developed and released a governance issues checklist (the Governance Check Sheet) to be completed in each audit of an exempt organization. The checklist provides a very specific roadmap for exempt organizations to compare their practices and policies with what the IRS wants to see and to make adjustments where necessary.
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