Form 990 for nonprofits: what treasurers need to file

Last updated 2026-07-24

What is Form 990?

Form 990 is the annual information return the IRS requires from most organizations recognized as tax-exempt under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is not an income tax return in the way most people think of one. Exempt organizations generally don't owe federal income tax on money raised for their mission, but the IRS still wants an annual accounting of revenue, expenses, assets, and governance. That's what the 990 series does. The IRS describes it plainly: tax-exempt organizations, nonexempt charitable trusts, and section 527 political organizations file Form 990 "to provide the IRS with the information required by section 6033" ^[1]. Section 6033 of the Internal Revenue Code is the actual law behind the requirement, and it's the same section cited when the IRS revokes an org for not filing. Most people asking "what is a 990 tax form" or "what is the 990" are really asking the same question from two different angles: what do I have to send the IRS, and what happens if I don't. Both matter. The filing itself is public record too. Anyone can look up a nonprofit's past 990s through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search tool ^[2], so treat it as a document donors and reporters might actually read, more than paperwork you file and forget.

What is a 990 tax form, exactly, and who has to file one?

Normally $50,000 or less	Form 990-N (e-Postcard)
Less than $200,000, and total assets less than $500,000	Form 990-EZ (or full 990)
$200,000 or more, or total assets $500,000 or more	Form 990 (full form)
Private foundations (any size)	Form 990-PF	A typical youth sports booster club or small PTO running a few fundraisers a year almost always lands in the 990-N bucket. That's the postcard-length version, filed entirely online, and it asks for basics like your EIN, legal name, address, confirmation you're still under the $50,000 threshold, and the name of a principal officer. There's no financial detail line-by-line, which is exactly why people mix it up with the fuller 990-EZ. If your booster club had one big raffle year that pushed receipts over $50,000, you likely need to bump up to a 990-EZ for that year, then can drop back down the next year if receipts fall again. Check your specific year against the thresholds; don't assume last year's form still applies. See our guides on form 990, 990n, and 990-tax-form for the differences in what each version actually asks for.

Almost every organization recognized as tax-exempt under 501(c) has to file something in the 990 series every year, based on gross receipts and total assets. There is no size cutoff that lets you skip filing entirely; the smallest orgs just file the shortest form. Here's the breakdown the IRS uses to sort organizations into a filing type ^[3]: | Annual gross receipts | Which form to file |

What does a treasurer do?

A treasurer keeps the organization's money organized, accounted for, and reported, both internally to the board and externally to the IRS and state regulators. For a small booster club or PTO, that usually means one volunteer doing what a company would split across a bookkeeper, an accountant, and a controller. Day to day, that's tracking every deposit and expense, reconciling the bank statement monthly, and keeping receipts for anything the club spent money on. Month to month, it's giving the board a clear picture of the balance, cash on hand, and any upcoming big expenses like tournament fees or uniform orders. Year to year, it's making sure the org's federal filing (the 990 series) and any required state charitable registration actually get submitted on time. None of this requires a CPA license. It requires consistency: same categories every month, same reconciliation process, receipts filed the same way every time. The orgs that get into trouble aren't usually the ones with fraud; they're the ones where nobody did the boring parts consistently and three years later nobody can find the records or remembers if last year's 990-N even got filed.

What is a treasurer, in plain terms?

A treasurer is the person a nonprofit board, club, or association designates as responsible for its money and its financial reporting. The title shows up in the bylaws as an officer position, usually elected annually alongside a president and secretary. Legally, the treasurer isn't automatically personally liable for the organization's debts just by holding the title, but they are the person expected to know where the money is, produce records on request, and flag problems before they become disasters. In a volunteer-run booster club, that also means being the one person who can answer "can we afford this?" honestly, because you're the one who actually looked at the bank statement this month. If you just got handed this job from someone who resigned, retired, or vanished mid-season, the honest first move is a full handoff audit: get the bank login, get the checkbook, get last year's tax filings, and confirm the EIN and legal name match what's on file with the IRS. Don't assume the last treasurer did everything right. Verify it.

What do treasurers do day to day, month to month, and year to year?

Day to day: record deposits and expenses as they happen, keep receipts, and don't let cash sit uncounted after an event. If your club runs a concession stand or a raffle table, count the cash with two people present and log the total immediately, not the next morning. Month to month: reconcile the bank statement against your records, report a simple balance sheet to the board (cash in, cash out, ending balance), and flag anything unusual, like a check that hasn't cleared in two months or a deposit that doesn't match an event's expected total. Year to year: prepare and file the appropriate 990 form by the deadline (the 15th day of the 5th month after your fiscal year ends, per IRS instructions ^[4]), renew any state charitable solicitation registration if required, and hand over a clean set of books to the next treasurer or auditor. A calendar-year org (fiscal year ending December 31) has a 990 deadline of May 15 the following year. If your club's fiscal year ends June 30, your deadline is November 15. Mark it, and set a reminder two months out, because IRS extensions exist (Form 8868 for an automatic 6-month extension) but the underlying filing still has to happen.

What does a club treasurer do differently from a corporate treasurer?

A club treasurer for a booster group, PTO, or youth sports association is doing a scaled-down version of the same job a corporate treasurer does, minus the investment management and debt financing most companies deal with. You're not managing a bond portfolio. You are managing a checking account, maybe a small savings account, and cash from fundraisers. The practical differences: club treasurers usually handle physical cash more often (concession stands, raffle tickets, car washes), deal with a higher turnover of volunteers who need training every single year, and often inherit a mess from a predecessor who meant well but wasn't organized. Corporate treasurers rarely face any of that. What's the same: both need clean records, both need to reconcile regularly, and both are the person the board turns to when someone asks "can we afford this." If you're asking "what does a treasurer of a club do" because you just got voted into the role at last week's meeting, start with three things this week: locate the EIN, locate last year's 990 filing (or confirm none was filed), and open or confirm access to the bank account in the org's name, not a personal account.

What is a treasurer's role in a booster club or PTO specifically?

In booster clubs and PTOs, the treasurer's role usually splits into three buckets: fundraising accountability, expense approval, and compliance filings. Fundraising accountability means every dollar raised through car washes, raffles, concession sales, or sponsorships gets recorded against that specific event, so the board can see which fundraisers actually make money versus which ones just feel busy. Expense approval means having a simple process, even a basic form, for anyone requesting reimbursement or club funds for a purchase, so spending doesn't happen on a handshake. Compliance filings mean the 990 series and, in many states, an annual or biennial charitable registration renewal with the state attorney general's office or secretary of state. Many states require charitable organizations soliciting donations to register before fundraising, separate from the federal 990 requirement. Rules vary widely by state on dollar thresholds and exemptions for small or all-volunteer groups, so confirm with your specific state's charity office or attorney general what applies to your organization size and activity. Don't assume a booster club is automatically exempt from state registration just because it's small; some states exempt only religious organizations or groups under a very low revenue threshold.

What happens if a booster club doesn't file its 990?

If an exempt organization fails to file the required 990-series return for three consecutive years, the IRS automatically revokes its tax-exempt status by law. This isn't a warning followed by discretion; the statute is automatic. As the IRS states directly: "Under the Pension Protection Act of 2006, most tax-exempt organizations, other than churches, are required to file an annual return or notice with the IRS. Organizations that fail to file for three consecutive years automatically lose their tax-exempt status" ^[5]. Once revoked, the organization is treated as a taxable entity going forward, any donations made to it after revocation are no longer tax-deductible for donors, and the group's name shows up publicly on the IRS Auto-Revocation List ^[6]. Getting reinstated means filing Form 1023 or 1023-EZ again (the same application used for original exemption) and, depending on how long you've been revoked and your gross receipts, possibly paying user fees and back-filing prior years' returns. This is the single most common crisis new booster club treasurers inherit: a predecessor stopped filing the 990-N a few years back, nobody noticed, and now the club is technically not tax-exempt anymore even though it's been operating fine the whole time. Check your org's status right now on the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search before you assume everything's fine.

How do you check if your organization has already been auto-revoked?

Go to the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search tool ^[2] and search by your organization's name or EIN. The tool shows current exempt status, and there's a separate Auto-Revocation List you can search or download that shows every organization that lost status for non-filing ^[6]. If you find your club or PTO on that list, don't panic, but do act. Reinstatement is a known, well-documented process. Smaller organizations (those eligible to file 990-EZ or 990-N in the years they missed) generally qualify for a streamlined retroactive reinstatement process if they apply within 15 months of the revocation date, per IRS Revenue Procedure guidance ^[7]. Miss that window and you can still apply for reinstatement, it just requires a fuller explanation and possibly covers a longer gap of back returns. Either way, the fix starts with the same paperwork: a new Form 1023 or 1023-EZ application, the appropriate user fee, and copies of any 990s you can reconstruct for the missed years. This is exactly the kind of situation where getting organized before you call anyone (a CPA, a lawyer, the IRS exempt organizations line) saves real money, because you'll be able to answer their first three questions instead of paying them to dig through boxes.

What's the difference between 990-N, 990-EZ, 990, and 990-PF?

The four forms in the 990 series serve the same underlying purpose (annual reporting to satisfy section 6033) but scale in detail with organization size. 990-N (e-Postcard): for orgs with gross receipts normally $50,000 or less. Filed entirely online through the IRS's Form 990-N electronic filing system , eight basic data points, no financial statements attached, no paper option. 990-EZ: for orgs with gross receipts under $200,000 and total assets under $500,000. This is a multi-page form with a simplified income and expense statement, balance sheet, and some program service description. 990 (full form): for orgs at or above $200,000 in gross receipts or $500,000 in total assets. This is the long version with schedules covering compensation, governance policies, related organizations, and detailed program service accomplishments. 990-PF: filed by private foundations regardless of size, with its own set of rules around distribution requirements and excise taxes on investment income. Most booster clubs and PTOs only ever deal with 990-N or occasionally 990-EZ. If your organization is suddenly required to file the full 990, that's usually a sign you've grown enough to bring in a real bookkeeper or accountant, because the schedules get genuinely complicated. See our breakdowns of ^[990](/articles/treasurer-basics/990), irs-form-990, and form-990-n for line-by-line guidance on each version.

Is Form 990 public? Can anyone see our nonprofit's filing?

Yes. Form 990 filings (except for certain donor information on some schedules) are public record, and the IRS makes them available through its Tax Exempt Organization Search tool ^[2]. Sites like ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer also republish them for easy browsing. Anyone, including parents in your booster club, local reporters, or a rival PTO, can look up your organization's revenue, expenses, and officer names. This matters practically in two ways. First, sloppy or wildly inconsistent numbers on a public 990 look bad even if there's no actual wrongdoing, just disorganization. Second, it means the 990 isn't just an IRS chore; it's the closest thing your club has to a public annual report. Treat the numbers as something you'd be comfortable explaining to any parent who asks. If your organization only files a 990-N, there's less to see (it's just the postcard data), but the fact that you're filing at all, and filing on time, is itself visible and checkable by anyone who looks.

What records does a treasurer need before filing the 990?

Before you sit down to file anything in the 990 series, gather your bank statements for the full fiscal year, a running log of income by source (dues, concessions, raffle proceeds, sponsorships, donations), a running log of expenses by category, your EIN confirmation letter, and last year's filed 990 if one exists. If you're filing 990-N, you genuinely just need your EIN, tax year, legal name and address, and confirmation your gross receipts are $50,000 or less (plus the name of a principal officer). If you're stepping up to 990-EZ or the full 990, you'll need actual reconciled financial statements, more than a checkbook register. This is where a lot of first-time treasurers get stuck: they inherited a shoebox of receipts and a bank statement, not a set of books. Building that from scratch for a full year takes real time, so start early, at least two months before your deadline. A State-Personalized Treasurer Kit built for your specific state can shortcut a lot of this by giving you the category structure and deadline calendar upfront instead of building it yourself from IRS instructions.

What's the honest bottom line for a new booster club treasurer?

The 990 filing itself takes maybe 15 minutes a year if you're on the 990-N tier and your records are clean. The actual work is keeping records clean all year so those 15 minutes are possible. Most auto-revocation cases aren't fraud; they're a volunteer who moved, a filing deadline nobody wrote down, or a handoff where nobody mentioned the 990-N existed at all. Set a recurring calendar reminder two months before your fiscal year-end filing deadline. Check the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search once a year to confirm your status is still active, not revoked. And when you hand this job to the next volunteer, hand over more than a checkbook: hand over the EIN, the login, last year's 990, and a one-page note on what's due when. This isn't tax or legal advice, and nothing here guarantees any particular filing outcome or exempt status. Confirm your organization's specific filing requirement, deadline, and state registration rules with the IRS and your state charity office before you file, especially if your numbers are close to a threshold or you're unsure which form applies.

Frequently asked questions

What does a treasurer do in a nonprofit or club?

A treasurer tracks all money coming in and going out, reconciles the bank account monthly, reports the financial picture to the board, and makes sure required filings like the 990 and any state charity registration happen on time. In small clubs, it's one volunteer doing what a company splits across a bookkeeper and controller.

What is Form 990 used for?

Form 990 is the annual information return the IRS requires from most tax-exempt organizations under Internal Revenue Code section 6033. It reports revenue, expenses, assets, and governance details, and it becomes public record, viewable through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search tool.

Do small booster clubs and PTOs have to file a 990?

Yes. Nearly every 501(c) organization must file some version yearly, based on gross receipts. Groups with $50,000 or less in annual gross receipts file the short Form 990-N (e-Postcard) online; there's no size that skips filing entirely, just a shorter form for smaller groups.

What happens if we forget to file the 990 for a few years?

Miss three consecutive years and the IRS automatically revokes your tax-exempt status under the Pension Protection Act of 2006. There's no warning notice first; it's automatic by law. Reinstatement requires reapplying with Form 1023 or 1023-EZ and possibly back-filing missed returns.

How do I know if our organization already lost its tax-exempt status?

Search your organization's name or EIN on the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search tool, or check the separate IRS Auto-Revocation List, which lists every organization that lost exemption for not filing three years running. Both are free public IRS.gov tools.

What's the difference between Form 990-N and Form 990-EZ?

990-N is for organizations with gross receipts normally $50,000 or less; it's eight basic data points filed online with no financial detail. 990-EZ is for organizations under $200,000 in gross receipts and under $500,000 in total assets; it requires an actual income statement and balance sheet.

When is the 990 filing deadline?

The 15th day of the 5th month after your organization's fiscal year ends. For a calendar-year organization (year ending December 31), that's May 15. An automatic 6-month extension is available by filing Form 8868, but the underlying return still has to be filed eventually.

Is our nonprofit's Form 990 public information?

Yes, with limited exceptions for certain donor schedules. The IRS publishes filed 990s through its Tax Exempt Organization Search tool, and third-party sites republish them too. Anyone, including parents, donors, and reporters, can look up your organization's reported revenue, expenses, and officers.

What does a club treasurer do differently from a booster club treasurer?

Not much differently in practice; both track club money, reconcile accounts, and handle year-end filings. The main variation is scale and cash handling: booster clubs often deal with more physical cash from concessions and raffles, and higher annual volunteer turnover, than a typical school club treasurer role.

Does a treasurer need to be a CPA or accountant?

No. Most volunteer treasurer roles in booster clubs, PTOs, and youth sports groups don't require any professional license. What matters is consistency: recording transactions the same way every time, reconciling monthly, and keeping receipts organized so filings and audits go smoothly.

What records should a new treasurer collect immediately after taking over?

Get the EIN confirmation letter, bank account access and statements, last year's filed 990, any state charity registration paperwork, and a log of recent income and expenses. Confirm the organization's current IRS exempt status hasn't already lapsed before assuming everything is in order.

Do all states require charitable registration in addition to the federal 990?

Many states require organizations soliciting donations to register with a state charity office or attorney general, separate from the federal 990 requirement, though rules and exemptions for small or volunteer-run groups vary widely. Confirm your specific state's threshold and exemption rules with your state charity regulator directly.

Sources

1. IRS, About Form 990: Form 990 provides the IRS with information required by section 6033
2. IRS, Tax Exempt Organization Search: public tool to look up nonprofit filings and exempt status
3. IRS, Annual Exempt Organization Return: Which Forms to File: gross receipts and asset thresholds determining 990-N, 990-EZ, or full 990
4. IRS, Form 990 Instructions: 990 filing deadline is the 15th day of the 5th month after fiscal year end
5. IRS, Automatic Revocation of Exemption: organizations failing to file for three consecutive years automatically lose tax-exempt status under the Pension Protection Act of 2006
6. IRS, Automatic Revocation of Exemption List: public list of organizations that lost exempt status for non-filing
7. IRS, Form 990-N (e-Postcard) filing system: 990-N is filed entirely online with eight basic data points, no paper option