Tax
The 990 is a public document. Donors read it, watchdogs score it, and journalists quote it — it is filing and it is publicity at the same time.
Tax-exempt organizations file an annual return with the IRS by the 15th day of the 5th month after their fiscal year ends — May 15 for calendar-year filers — with an automatic six-month extension available on Form 8868. Which return depends on size: organizations with gross receipts normally $50,000 or less may file Form 990-N, those with gross receipts under $200,000 and total assets under $500,000 may file Form 990-EZ, and all others file the full Form 990. Private foundations file Form 990-PF regardless of size. Three consecutive years of non-filing results in automatic revocation of tax-exempt status. Goldenthal & Suss Consulting P.C. prepares these returns for nonprofits across New York and New Jersey.
Both tests must be met to use Form 990-EZ — an organization with $150,000 in gross receipts but $700,000 in total assets files the full 990, not the EZ. The 990-N eligibility test uses a three-year rolling average, so a single year inflated by a one-time bequest does not necessarily push a small organization off the e-Postcard.
Miss three consecutive years and exempt status is revoked automatically, by operation of law. There is no notice requirement the IRS must satisfy first, and the organization appears on a public revocation list. Getting reinstated means a new exemption application, a fee, and a gap in exempt status during which contributions may not have been deductible.
This happens most often to small all-volunteer organizations that believed the 990-N was optional. It is not.
Certain parts of the 990 do more work than the financial data. Schedule A carries the public support test, and a public charity that fails it over the testing period risks reclassification as a private foundation — a materially worse tax position. Schedule B lists substantial contributors. Schedule J reports compensation of officers and key employees, and Schedule L reports transactions with interested persons.
The narrative sections in Part VI on governance are not audited or verified by anyone, and are exactly what a sophisticated donor reads first: conflict of interest policy, whistleblower policy, document retention, and whether the board reviewed the return before filing.
The federal return is rarely the only one. New York registered charities file the CHAR500, on the same 15th-day-of-the-fifth-month schedule, with financial statements attached at a level set by revenue. New Jersey has its own annual charity renewal. Soliciting donations across state lines can create registration obligations in additional states.
We coordinate the 990 with the audit and with state filings so the same numbers appear in all of them — inconsistencies between an audit and a 990 are noticed.
The 15th day of the 5th month after the organization's fiscal year ends — May 15 for calendar-year organizations. An automatic six-month extension is available by filing Form 8868, which moves a calendar-year filer to November 15.
Organizations with gross receipts normally $50,000 or less may file the Form 990-N e-Postcard. Organizations with gross receipts under $200,000 and total assets under $500,000 may file Form 990-EZ — both tests must be met. All other organizations file the full Form 990, and private foundations file Form 990-PF regardless of size.
Three consecutive years of non-filing triggers automatic revocation of tax-exempt status by operation of law, and the organization is added to a public IRS revocation list. Restoring status requires filing a new exemption application with the associated fee, and there may be a period during which contributions were not deductible.
Yes. Form 990 is a public document and is widely republished by charity databases and watchdog sites. Donors, grantmakers, and journalists read it, which is why the governance narrative and the compensation schedules deserve as much care as the financial figures.
Sources & review
Filing thresholds and due dates per IRS Form 990/990-EZ instructions; 990-N eligibility uses a three-year rolling average of gross receipts. Automatic revocation per IRC section 6033(j). Reviewed 2026-08-20. Thresholds and deadlines change — confirm current requirements before relying on them.
Tell us about your organization and the deadline you are working toward. We will tell you what the engagement involves and what it costs.
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