Last updated 2026-07-24
TL;DR
Form 990-EZ is the IRS's mid-size annual return for tax-exempt orgs with gross receipts under $200,000 and total assets under $500,000. Below that, most small groups file the simpler 990-N postcard instead. Above it, you need the full Form 990. Miss three years of any required filing and the IRS auto-revokes your exempt status.
what is form 990 and why does your booster club or PTO have to file one
Form 990 is the annual information return the IRS requires from most tax-exempt organizations, including 501(c)(3) booster clubs, PTOs, and youth sports leagues. It is not a tax bill in most cases. It is a disclosure document: the IRS (and anyone else who looks it up on Candid or ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer) gets to see your revenue, expenses, program spending, and who runs the place. [1] The IRS actually offers three versions depending on how much money moved through your organization in the year: the 990-N (electronic postcard), the 990-EZ, and the full Form 990. There's also the 990-PF for private foundations, which almost no booster club or PTO needs to worry about. Which one you file depends entirely on your gross receipts and total assets for that tax year, not on how big your group feels or how much cash sits in the bank account right now versus at year-end. Here's the part new treasurers get wrong constantly: filing something, even the free postcard version, is mandatory every single year regardless of whether you owe any tax. Skip it three years running and your exempt status is gone automatically, no warning letter required beyond what the IRS already sent. More on that below.
what is the 990-ez tax form and who has to use it
Form 990-EZ, officially the "Short Form Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax," is the middle-tier annual return for organizations with gross receipts under $200,000 and total assets under $500,000 at the end of the tax year. [1] Both thresholds have to be true. If either one is exceeded, you're bumped up to the full Form 990. The IRS states it plainly: organizations with gross receipts less than $200,000 and total assets less than $500,000 at the end of the tax year "may file Form 990-EZ" instead of the full Form 990. [1] Note the word "may." Nothing stops a smaller org from voluntarily filing the full 990 if it wants, though almost nobody does that by choice, it's more work. A lot of booster clubs land right in this EZ zone during a good fundraising year (a big raffle, a large concession season, a capital push for new uniforms or equipment) even if most years they're small enough for the 990-N postcard. That's the trap: your filing obligation can change year to year based on receipts, so you have to check the math every single year, more than file the same form you filed last time out of habit.
990-n vs 990-ez vs full 990: which one do you actually file
| 990-N (e-postcard) | Normally ≤ $50,000 | No asset test | Online only, IRS site | Free | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 990-EZ | < $200,000 | < $500,000 | Paper or e-file via approved software | Free to file; software may charge | |
| Full 990 | ≥ $200,000 OR assets ≥ $500,000 | Same | E-file required (for most orgs, tax years after July 2019) | Free to file; software may charge | The 990-N eligibility threshold is gross receipts "normally $50,000 or less." [2] The IRS defines "normally" using an averaging test over the current and prior two years, so one unusually good fundraising year doesn't automatically knock you out of postcard territory, but a sustained jump does. Check the exact averaging rule on irs.gov before assuming you still qualify. [2] Once you're required to file, the IRS also requires electronic filing for almost all 990 series returns now, a shift phased in after the Taxpayer First Act of 2019 mandated e-filing for exempt organizations. [3] That means paper 990-EZ filing is mostly gone for the years it applies to; check the current year's requirement on irs.gov since transition relief has changed which tax years were affected. For the 990 tax form family generally, and specifically for orgs deciding between the 990n and the EZ version, the receipts and assets test is the whole ballgame. Don't file based on what feels right; do the math from your actual books. |
The three thresholds break down like this, and getting this wrong is the single most common filing mistake volunteer treasurers make. | Form | Gross receipts | Total assets | Filing method | Cost |
what does form 990-ez actually ask for
The 990-EZ is shorter than the full 990 (it runs about 4 pages, versus a dozen-plus for the full form and its schedules) but it still asks for real detail. Expect to report: total revenue by source (contributions, program service revenue, fundraising events, gaming/raffles), total expenses broken into program services versus management and fundraising, a balance sheet showing assets and liabilities at start and end of year, and a list of officers, directors, and key employees with their compensation (even if that compensation is $0, which it usually is for volunteer boards). You'll also likely need to attach Schedule A if you're a public charity documenting your public support test, and Schedule G if you ran gaming or large fundraising events, which covers most booster clubs running raffles or bingo nights. [1] If your group has any unrelated business income over $1,000, you may also owe a separate Form 990-T alongside it. That's a different filing with its own tax liability question. One practical note from the field: the compensation and related-party disclosure questions trip people up most, because volunteer treasurers assume "nobody got paid" means they can skip that section. You still have to list the officers by name and title even at $0 compensation. Leaving that blank is one of the most common reasons a return gets flagged or rejected.
what happens if you don't file for three years
This is the single scariest fact in the whole 990 world, and it's real. Under Internal Revenue Code section 6033(j), any organization required to file an annual return or notice that fails to do so for three consecutive years automatically loses its tax-exempt status. [4] The IRS is explicit that this is automatic, there's no extra warning letter, no phone call, no grace period beyond the three years themselves. The IRS publishes an Auto-Revocation List and it's public. [5] Anyone, including a parent, a school district finance office, or a bank asking about your 501(c)(3) letter, can look up your EIN and see if you're on it. Recovery is possible but it's a process, not a form. The IRS offers streamlined retroactive reinstatement (Rev. Proc. 2014-11) for organizations that were eligible to file the 990-N or 990-EZ for the years they missed, generally requiring you to file Form 1023 or 1023-EZ again along with the missed returns, within 15 months of the revocation date to get retroactive relief back to the original exemption date. [6] Miss that window and you may still get reinstated, just not retroactively, which can create a gap where donations weren't tax-deductible. If you're a new treasurer who just discovered your organization is on that list, don't panic and don't guess your way through it. Confirm your exact situation with the IRS Exempt Organizations customer account services line and, if state registration is also lapsed, with your state charity office, before filing anything.
what is the deadline for filing a 990-ez
The 990-EZ, like all 990 series returns, is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after your organization's accounting period ends. [7] For an organization on a calendar tax year (ending December 31), that's May 15 of the following year. Many school-affiliated boosters and PTOs run on a fiscal year matching the school year (July 1 to June 30), which puts their deadline around November 15 instead. Know which fiscal year your bylaws or founding documents actually specify; this is a common handoff gap between outgoing and incoming treasurers. A single 6-month extension is available using Form 8868, filed by the original due date. [7] That pushes a calendar-year filer's deadline to November 15. There's no fee for the extension request itself, but it's an extension to file, not an extension to pay any tax owed on unrelated business income.
what is a treasurer and what does a treasurer do
A treasurer is the officer responsible for an organization's money: tracking it, reporting on it, and making sure it's spent according to the group's rules and any legal requirements. In a booster club, PTO, or youth sports league, that usually means one volunteer wearing several hats at once, bookkeeper, bill payer, bank reconciler, and tax filer. What does a treasurer do in practice, month to month? Reconcile the bank statement against the check register or accounting software. Deposit cash and checks from fundraisers, concessions, and dues promptly and with a paper trail. Pay approved bills and reimburse volunteers with receipts on file. Present a written financial report at each board meeting showing income, expenses, and current balance. Keep records organized enough that an audit committee or incoming treasurer can pick up the books cold. What does a club treasurer do that's specific to nonprofits, as opposed to a treasurer at, say, a private business? The nonprofit treasurer also has compliance duties nobody teaches in a normal bookkeeping class: filing the correct 990 series return every year, keeping the state charity registration current if required, tracking restricted versus unrestricted funds (a booster club that raised money "for new uniforms" generally can't spend that pot on a banquet instead), and understanding gaming/raffle rules if the group runs any games of chance. Confirm your state's specific raffle licensing and charity registration requirements with your state attorney general or state charity regulator's office, since these vary widely by state.
what does a treasurer of a club do differently from a president or secretary
The treasurer role is distinct from other officer roles in one big way: legal exposure and reporting duty attach directly to the money function, not to the group's general leadership. A club president sets agenda and vision; a secretary keeps minutes; the treasurer is the one whose name often ends up listed on the 990 as the person the IRS and state regulators expect to be accountable for the numbers. In most small nonprofit bylaws, the treasurer specifically has the authority (and duty) to maintain financial records, prepare or coordinate the annual budget, sign or co-sign checks above a threshold, and prepare or arrange for the annual tax filing. Many well-run clubs require two signatures on checks over a set dollar amount and a second person to review bank statements, precisely because a lone treasurer with unchecked access is the classic setup for both honest mistakes and, less often but not never, actual misuse of funds. That's a financial controls topic worth its own read if your bylaws don't already require dual control. A good rule for a first-year treasurer: assume you'll hand these books to a stranger in twelve months, and keep them clean enough that the handoff takes an afternoon, not a forensic investigation. See our handoff and audits guidance for what that packet should include, if that hub exists on your reading list yet.
does filing form 990-ez cost anything
Filing the form itself costs nothing; the IRS doesn't charge a filing fee for any 990 series return. [1] What costs money is the software or preparer you use to file it, since the IRS requires electronic filing and doesn't offer its own free e-file portal for the 990-EZ the way it does for the 990-N postcard. Expect commercial e-file providers approved for exempt organization returns to run anywhere from free (some offer a free 990-N-only tier) up to a few hundred dollars for 990-EZ preparation software, and considerably more if you hire a CPA to prepare it for you, especially with Schedule A or G attached. If your organization went through auto-revocation and needs reinstatement, the separate cost is the Form 1023 or 1023-EZ user fee: $275 for Form 1023-EZ and $600 for the full Form 1023, as of the IRS's current fee schedule. [8] Confirm the current amount on irs.gov since these fees are adjusted periodically.
how do you know which gross receipts number to use
Gross receipts, for this purpose, means total revenue from all sources during the year before subtracting any costs or expenses, not net profit. Run a raffle that grossed $60,000 in ticket sales but only netted $20,000 after prizes and expenses? Your gross receipts figure for the threshold test is $60,000, not $20,000. This trips up more treasurers than any other single number on the form. The IRS's own worksheet for figuring gross receipts (used to determine 990-N eligibility, and relevant background for the EZ threshold too) adds up receipts from all sources without netting out expenses first. [2] If your group runs concessions, a golf tournament, a gala, and regular dues, add every dollar of gross income from each before you decide which form applies. Get this wrong in the too-small direction (filing the 990-N postcard when you actually crossed into EZ or full-990 territory) and you risk an incomplete filing that doesn't satisfy your actual legal obligation, which still counts as a missed year toward that three-year auto-revocation clock if it's later deemed insufficient. When close to a threshold, it's worth having someone double-check the math before you file, or at minimum keep your worksheet on file in case anyone asks how you calculated it.
where to check your organization's exact filing requirement
The safest source is always irs.gov directly: the Exempt Organizations section of the IRS's Charities and Nonprofits site has the current thresholds, forms, and instructions, and they do get updated. [1] Don't rely on a blog post (including this one) for the exact current-year dollar thresholds without a quick confirm, since Congress or the IRS can adjust these over time and you want the number that applies to the specific tax year you're filing. Also check whether your state requires a separate charitable registration or annual financial report on top of the federal 990. Many states do, filed with the state attorney general's office or a dedicated charity registration division, and the state form is often due around the same time as the federal one but is a completely separate filing with its own late fees. Confirm your specific state's requirement directly with your state charity office or attorney general's website, since requirements and fees vary by state and change periodically. If you're starting from scratch as a new treasurer trying to figure out where your organization even stands right now (are we current? did the last treasurer file anything? are we even still tax-exempt?), the IRS's Tax Exempt Organization Search tool lets you look up your EIN and see filed returns and revocation status for free. [5] That's step one before you file anything new.
Frequently asked questions
What is Form 990 in plain terms?
Form 990 is the annual information return tax-exempt organizations file with the IRS to report income, expenses, assets, and leadership. It's a public disclosure document, not usually a tax bill. There are three main versions (990-N, 990-EZ, full 990) based on your gross receipts and total assets, and you must file some version every year to keep your exempt status.
What is a 990 tax form used for?
It's used by the IRS and the public to see how a tax-exempt organization raises and spends money, who runs it, and whether it's still operating within its exempt purpose. Donors, watchdogs, and grantmakers commonly check it before giving money. Filing it (in whichever version applies) is required annually regardless of whether the organization owes any tax.
What does a treasurer do in a booster club or PTO?
A treasurer tracks all income and expenses, reconciles the bank account, pays approved bills, reports financial status at meetings, and handles annual tax filings like the 990 series. In a nonprofit specifically, the treasurer also has compliance duties: keeping restricted funds separate, following raffle/gaming rules, and maintaining records clean enough for handoff to the next volunteer.
What does a club treasurer do that other officers don't?
The treasurer carries direct accountability for the money and the filings tied to it, where a president or secretary carries general leadership or record-keeping duties instead. The treasurer's name is often the one on file with the IRS and state charity regulators as the responsible party for financial reporting.
Who qualifies to file Form 990-EZ instead of the full Form 990?
Organizations with gross receipts under $200,000 and total assets under $500,000 at year-end may file the 990-EZ instead of the full 990, per IRS guidance. Both conditions have to be true; exceeding either one requires the full Form 990 instead. Confirm the current thresholds on irs.gov before filing, since limits can be updated.
What's the difference between the 990-N and the 990-EZ?
The 990-N (e-postcard) is for organizations with gross receipts normally $50,000 or less, is free, online-only, and asks only basic identifying information. The 990-EZ is for organizations above that threshold but under $200,000 in receipts and $500,000 in assets, and requires a full revenue, expense, and balance sheet breakdown plus officer information.
What happens if a booster club doesn't file any 990 for three years?
Its tax-exempt status is automatically revoked under Internal Revenue Code section 6033(j), with no separate warning required. The organization appears on the IRS Auto-Revocation List, and any donations made afterward may not be tax-deductible until reinstatement is granted. Reinstatement generally requires refiling exemption paperwork and the missed returns.
How do you fix auto-revocation after missing 990 filings?
Small organizations eligible for the 990-N or 990-EZ can generally use the IRS's streamlined retroactive reinstatement process (Rev. Proc. 2014-11), filing Form 1023 or 1023-EZ within 15 months of revocation along with the missed annual returns. Miss that window and reinstatement is still possible, just not retroactive to the original exemption date.
When is Form 990-EZ due?
It's due the 15th day of the 5th month after your organization's fiscal year ends: May 15 for calendar-year filers, or November 15 for organizations on a July-to-June school-year fiscal calendar. A single 6-month extension is available using Form 8868, filed by the original due date.
Does it cost money to file Form 990-EZ?
The IRS charges no filing fee for any 990 series return. Costs come from e-file software or a preparer, since electronic filing is required for most organizations. Prices for approved e-file providers range from free basic tiers to a few hundred dollars, more if a CPA prepares it for you.
What counts as gross receipts for the 990-EZ threshold?
Gross receipts means total revenue from all sources before subtracting any costs, not net profit. A raffle that brought in $60,000 in ticket sales counts as $60,000 in gross receipts even if only $20,000 was left after paying out prizes and expenses. Use total revenue, not net income, when checking your filing threshold.
Does a booster club need to file a state charity registration too?
Many states require a separate annual charitable registration or financial report alongside the federal 990, filed with the state attorney general or a dedicated charity office. Requirements, fees, and deadlines vary widely by state. Confirm your specific state's requirement directly with your state charity regulator's website before assuming the federal filing is enough.
What is form 990 vs form 990-EZ vs the 990-N postcard, in one line each?
The 990-N is a free online postcard for organizations normally under $50,000 in gross receipts. The 990-EZ is a short paper/e-filed return for organizations under $200,000 in receipts and $500,000 in assets. The full Form 990 is a detailed multi-schedule return for everyone above those thresholds.
Sources
- IRS, e-Postcard (Form 990-N) filing requirements: 990-N gross receipts threshold of normally $50,000 or less and the averaging test for 'normally'
- IRS, Taxpayer First Act of 2019, Public Law 116-25: Electronic filing mandate for most 990 series returns following the Taxpayer First Act of 2019
- 26 U.S.C. Section 6033(j), Internal Revenue Code: Automatic revocation of tax-exempt status after three consecutive years of failing to file required returns
- IRS, Tax Exempt Organization Search and Auto-Revocation List: Public searchable list of organizations that have had exempt status automatically revoked
- IRS Revenue Procedure 2014-11, 2014-3 I.R.B. 411: Streamlined retroactive reinstatement process and 15-month filing window after auto-revocation
- IRS, About Form 990-EZ: 990-EZ due date (15th day of 5th month after fiscal year end) and availability of a 6-month extension via Form 8868
- IRS Revenue Procedure 2024-5, 2024-1 I.R.B. 235 (exempt organization user fees): Form 1023-EZ and Form 1023 user fees for reinstatement of exempt status
- IRS, About Form 1023-EZ: Form 1023-EZ eligibility and its role in streamlined reinstatement