Last updated 2026-07-24
TL;DR
Form 990-EZ is for tax-exempt groups with gross receipts under $200,000 and total assets under $500,000. As of tax years beginning after July 1, 2019, it must be e-filed through an IRS-authorized provider, not mailed on paper. It's due the 15th day of the 5th month after your fiscal year ends, with one automatic 6-month extension available via Form 8868.
What is Form 990-EZ, exactly?
Form 990-EZ is the "short form" annual information return that most mid-size tax-exempt organizations file with the IRS. It's shorter than the full Form 990 but longer and more detailed than the postcard-sized 990-N. If your booster club, PTO, or youth sports league has grown past the small-organization threshold, this is probably the form waiting for you. The IRS describes eligibility plainly: organizations can use Form 990-EZ if gross receipts are less than $200,000 and total assets are less than $500,000 at the end of the tax year [1]. Cross either line and you're bumped up to the full Form 990, which asks for a lot more detail on governance, compensation, and program service accomplishments. A lot of treasurers land here by accident. Your group ran a big fundraiser, gross receipts jumped past the 990-N cutoff (currently $50,000), and now you owe the IRS a real return with real schedules. That's normal. It's not a sign you did something wrong. It's a sign your organization got bigger. For background on how 990-EZ fits with the other versions, see our comparison of form 990 options and the plain breakdown of the 990 tax form family.
What is Form 990 (and how is it different from 990-EZ)?
Form 990 is the general name for the IRS's series of annual information returns for tax-exempt organizations. It's not a tax bill in the traditional sense (most exempt orgs owe no income tax), but a public accountability document. The IRS, state charity regulators, watchdog groups, and donors can all pull it and see how your organization spends its money. There are really four tiers, based on size: 990-N (e-postcard, gross receipts normally $50,000 or less), 990-EZ (gross receipts under $200,000 and assets under $500,000), the full Form 990 (everything above that), and Form 990-PF for private foundations [1][2]. Your organization moves between tiers as its finances change, so check the thresholds every single year rather than assuming last year's form still fits. One thing that trips people up: gross receipts is not net income. It's the total amount your organization took in before subtracting expenses. A car wash that brought in $60,000 in ticket sales but only netted $12,000 after costs still counts $60,000 in gross receipts for this test. Read our full explainer on irs form 990 if you want the underlying statute language and the exact worksheet the IRS uses.
What do I need before I start filing 990-EZ online?
Gather these before you open any software: your organization's EIN, your fiscal year start and end dates, a list of officers and directors with titles (no Social Security numbers go on the public form), total revenue by category (contributions, program service revenue, investment income, fundraising event income and expenses), total expenses by category, and your ending balance sheet (cash, savings, any other assets, and liabilities). If your group ran a raffle, gala, or any fundraising event, you'll need gross receipts and direct expenses for that event broken out separately on Schedule G if receipts crossed the reporting thresholds the form specifies. If you paid any individual $100,000 or more, or paid a former officer/director/key employee more than $10,000 in that reporting category, that goes on Schedule O attachments. Most volunteer booster clubs and PTOs never hit that threshold, but check the instructions rather than assuming. You'll also want last year's return, if one exists, for consistency. If this is your first year filing 990-EZ instead of 990-N, don't worry about matching prior years exactly. Just be accurate for this year. Finally, confirm your fiscal year end date with your own bylaws or board minutes. A shocking number of volunteer treasurers inherit an organization and genuinely don't know if the fiscal year ends June 30 or December 31. Check your prior filings on the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search tool if you're not sure.
Can I still file 990-EZ on paper, or does it have to be e-filed?
It has to be e-filed. The Taxpayer First Act of 2019 mandated electronic filing for most exempt organization returns, and the IRS confirms that for tax years beginning after July 1, 2019, Forms 990 and 990-EZ must be filed electronically [3]. Paper 990-EZ filings for those years get rejected or treated as not filed, which is worse than useless. It can trigger a late-filing notice even though you mailed something in good faith. The IRS maintains a list of approved e-file providers for exempt organizations, and you'll need to use one of those, not a generic tax prep service that only handles 1040s or corporate returns [4]. Costs for these providers commonly run somewhere in the range of $50 to $200-plus depending on the vendor and whether your return needs extra schedules, though exact pricing isn't something the IRS sets or publishes, so shop around and confirm the current price before you commit. A few states also require their own separate charity filing on top of the federal 990-EZ, sometimes through a portal, sometimes through the paper mail. That's a completely separate obligation from the IRS one. Confirm with your state charity office (usually inside the Attorney General's office or Secretary of State) what your state expects, because federal e-filing doesn't automatically satisfy state registration or renewal.
When is Form 990-EZ due, and can I get an extension?
| 990-N (e-postcard) | Gross receipts normally ≤ $50,000 | May 15 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 990-EZ | Gross receipts < $200,000 AND assets < $500,000 | May 15 | |
| Full Form 990 | Gross receipts ≥ $200,000 OR assets ≥ $500,000 | May 15 | |
| Form 8868 extension | Any of the above | Grants 6 more months | Source: IRS, Annual Exempt Organization Return: Due Date [5] and Extension of Time to File [6]. |
Form 990-EZ is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after your organization's fiscal year ends [5]. For a calendar-year organization (fiscal year ending December 31), that's May 15. For a fiscal year ending June 30, it's November 15. If you can't make that deadline, file Form 8868 for an automatic 6-month extension. The IRS confirms this extension is automatic, meaning you don't need to explain why or wait for approval, you just need to file it correctly and on time [6]. For a calendar-year filer, that pushes the deadline to November 15. Here's the part treasurers miss: the extension moves your filing deadline, it doesn't change your fiscal year or give you extra time to owe less. And it definitely doesn't stop the clock on auto-revocation. That clock is about consecutive years missed, not about any single deadline. | Filing | Threshold | Typical due date (calendar year org) |
What happens if I miss the deadline or skip a year?
One late 990-EZ usually just means a letter from the IRS and, depending on your organization's gross receipts, a possible penalty of $20 a day up to a cap (the per-day penalty and cap amounts are adjusted periodically, so confirm current figures directly with the IRS instructions for the tax year you're filing) [1]. Annoying, but survivable. The real danger is three years in a row. Federal law is specific here: if an exempt organization fails to file a required annual return or notice for three consecutive years, its tax-exempt status is automatically revoked as of the filing due date of the third year [7]. This isn't a warning-then-action process. The revocation happens by operation of law, and the IRS just publishes the list afterward. If that's already happened to your organization, you're not alone and it's fixable, but it takes real paperwork: usually Form 1023 or 1023-EZ (or 1024 for non-501(c)(3) groups) filed under the IRS's retroactive reinstatement procedures described in Revenue Procedure 2014-11 . Streamlined reinstatement is available for smaller organizations that file within 15 months of revocation, but read the current Rev. Proc. carefully because the exact windows and required attachments matter. Don't let a missed 990-EZ turn into a missed third year. If you inherited a mess and don't know your filing history, pull it from the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search tool before you do anything else.
What does a treasurer do, exactly?
A treasurer keeps the money honest and the paperwork current. That's the whole job in one sentence, but it breaks into concrete tasks: tracking every deposit and expense, reconciling the bank statement every month, presenting a clear financial report at board meetings, and making sure required filings (990-series, state charity renewal, sales tax exemption renewal where applicable) happen on time. What does a treasurer do in a club specifically? In a booster club or PTO, that usually means managing a checking account (sometimes a savings account for reserves), collecting and depositing cash from concessions or fundraisers with a second person present as a witness, cutting reimbursement checks with receipts attached, and keeping a simple ledger that any incoming treasurer could pick up cold. What does a club treasurer do that's different from a corporate bookkeeper? Mostly scale and volunteer turnover. A club treasurer often serves one or two years, hands off to someone with zero accounting background, and has to keep records simple enough that the handoff doesn't lose institutional knowledge. That's why a lot of small nonprofits standardize their process into a simple binder or shared drive rather than relying on one person's memory. The treasurer of a club is also usually the person who watches gross receipts against the 990-N/990-EZ/990 thresholds year over year, since that number decides which form gets filed.
What do treasurers do differently at tax filing time versus the rest of the year?
Most of the year, a treasurer's job is operational: deposits, reimbursements, bank reconciliation, maybe a budget report at monthly meetings. At filing time, that daily record-keeping becomes the source data for the 990-EZ, so the two jobs are really the same job viewed at different zoom levels. If you kept clean monthly records all year (a simple income and expense ledger, a bank reconciliation each month, receipts filed by category), filling out the 990-EZ is mostly copying totals into the right boxes. If you didn't, filing season becomes an archaeology project: reconstructing a year of transactions from bank statements and memory. That's the single biggest time difference between a treasurer who filed clean 990-EZs for years and one who's doing it for the first time under pressure. The honest advice here: build your monthly bookkeeping habit around what the 990-EZ asks for, not the other way around. Categories like "program service revenue," "fundraising event income," and "membership dues" should already exist as line items in your regular ledger, so nothing needs re-sorting in April.
Do I need an accountant to file 990-EZ, or can I do it myself?
Plenty of volunteer treasurers file their own 990-EZ using one of the IRS-authorized e-file providers, especially once they've done it once and understand the categories. It's not inherently more complex than a detailed personal tax return, and the instructions the IRS publishes for Form 990-EZ walk through every line . That said, get a CPA or nonprofit accountant involved if any of these apply to your group: you have any paid staff (even part-time), you received a grant with reporting conditions, you're not sure whether an activity counts as "unrelated business income" (which can trigger a separate Form 990-T), or your organization is close to the $200,000 gross receipts or $500,000 asset ceiling and might tip into full-990 territory mid-year. This article and the tools on BoosterLedger are not tax or legal advice and don't substitute for a professional review of your specific numbers. When in doubt, a one-time consult with a nonprofit CPA (often a flat fee, not an ongoing retainer) is worth it before you file, not after the IRS sends a letter.
How do I actually file 990-EZ online, step by step?
1. Confirm eligibility: check gross receipts (< $200,000) and total assets (< $500,000) against your year-end numbers [1]. 2. Pick an IRS-authorized e-file provider from the current list on irs.gov [4]. Compare pricing and whether they support the schedules you need (Schedule A for public charity status, Schedule G for fundraising events, Schedule O for supplemental info). 3. Gather your financial data: total revenue by category, total expenses by category, ending balance sheet, and a list of current officers/directors. 4. Enter data into the software, which will auto-generate the required schedules based on your answers to qualifying questions (do you have gaming/raffle activity, did you pay any vendor over certain thresholds, etc.). 5. Review the draft return against last year's for consistency, and against your board's own understanding of the year's finances. If a number looks wrong, it usually is. 6. Have your board president or another officer review before submission, more than the treasurer alone. Two sets of eyes catches most errors. 7. Submit electronically and save the confirmation receipt. Keep a PDF copy of the filed return in your organization's permanent records, more than in the vendor's portal, since some providers only retain access for a limited time. 8. Check your state's separate charity registration renewal requirement (many states require an annual report or renewal alongside, not instead of, the federal filing). Confirm current requirements with your state charity office or Attorney General's office.
Where does the 990-EZ fit if my organization also runs raffles or gaming?
If your booster club or PTO runs a raffle, that revenue and those direct expenses get reported on Schedule G of the 990-EZ once you cross the reporting thresholds specified in the form's instructions (the exact dollar trigger is published each year in the Schedule G instructions, so confirm the current figure before you file) . This is separate from any state raffle license or permit you needed to run the raffle legally in the first place. A lot of groups don't realize these are two completely different regulatory relationships: the IRS wants the raffle's revenue and expense figures on your annual return, while your state charity office or gaming commission wants its own license application, often with a separate fee and its own annual report. Missing either one creates a different kind of problem. Missing the IRS piece risks penalties and, over three years, revocation. Missing the state piece can mean an unlicensed raffle, which carries its own state-level consequences. Check with your state charity office or attorney general's office for the specific raffle licensing rules where you operate, since these vary enormously by state and change periodically.
Frequently asked questions
What is Form 990-EZ used for?
Form 990-EZ is the short-form annual information return that mid-size tax-exempt organizations file with the IRS, reporting revenue, expenses, and balance sheet data. It's available to organizations with gross receipts under $200,000 and total assets under $500,000, per IRS eligibility rules for the form.
What is Form 990 in simple terms?
Form 990 is the IRS's annual public information return for tax-exempt organizations. It's not a tax bill, since most exempt orgs owe no income tax, but a transparency document showing revenue, expenses, and governance. There are several versions (990-N, 990-EZ, full 990, 990-PF) based on organization size.
What is a 990 tax form and who has to file one?
A 990 tax form is the general name for the family of annual returns tax-exempt organizations file with the IRS. Nearly every 501(c) organization must file some version each year, chosen by gross receipts and total assets, or risk automatic revocation of tax-exempt status after three consecutive missed years.
Can I file Form 990-EZ on paper?
No, generally not. Under the Taxpayer First Act, the IRS requires electronic filing of Form 990-EZ for tax years beginning after July 1, 2019. Paper filings for those years are typically rejected or treated as not filed, which can trigger late-filing consequences even though something was mailed.
What is the deadline to file 990-EZ?
Form 990-EZ is due the 15th day of the 5th month after your fiscal year ends. For a calendar-year organization, that's May 15. You can get an automatic 6-month extension by filing Form 8868 before the original deadline.
What happens if my organization misses three years of 990 filings?
Your tax-exempt status is automatically revoked by operation of federal law, effective on the filing due date of the third consecutive missed year. The IRS then publishes your organization on its revocation list. Reinstatement requires a new exemption application under IRS retroactive reinstatement procedures.
What does a treasurer do in a club or booster organization?
A club treasurer manages the bank account, records deposits and expenses, reconciles statements monthly, reports finances to the board, and handles required filings like the 990-series return and state charity renewals. The job is mostly about keeping honest, current records that survive a leadership handoff.
Do I need a CPA to file Form 990-EZ?
Not always. Many volunteer treasurers file it themselves through an IRS-authorized e-file provider once they understand the categories. Get professional help if you have paid staff, grant reporting requirements, possible unrelated business income, or numbers close to the eligibility ceiling for 990-EZ.
How much does it cost to e-file Form 990-EZ?
The IRS doesn't set or publish a fixed price. Costs from IRS-authorized e-file providers commonly range from roughly $50 to $200 or more depending on the vendor and required schedules. Confirm current pricing directly with providers before choosing one, since it changes.
What's the difference between Form 990-N and Form 990-EZ?
Form 990-N (the e-postcard) is for organizations with gross receipts normally $50,000 or less and asks only a handful of questions. Form 990-EZ is for organizations above that but under $200,000 gross receipts and $500,000 total assets, and requires detailed revenue, expense, and balance sheet reporting.
What is Form 8868 and when do I need it?
Form 8868 is the IRS application for an automatic extension of time to file an exempt organization's annual return, including Form 990-EZ. Filing it before your original due date grants an automatic 6-month extension with no explanation required, per IRS instructions.
What does a treasurer of a club actually spend their time on?
Mostly routine work: depositing checks and cash, logging every transaction, reconciling the bank statement each month, and preparing a short financial report for meetings. At tax time, that same data becomes the source for the 990-series filing, so clean year-round records make filing season much faster.
Does filing 990-EZ satisfy my state charity registration too?
Usually not by itself. Most states run a separate charity registration or annual report process through the Attorney General's office or Secretary of State, distinct from the federal IRS filing. Confirm with your specific state charity office what's required in addition to the federal 990-EZ.
Sources
- IRS, Annual Electronic Filing Requirement for Small Exempt Organizations / Form 990-EZ instructions: gross receipts and asset thresholds for 990-N and 990-EZ eligibility
- IRS, Form 990 Series Which Forms Do Exempt Organizations File: the tiered structure of 990-N, 990-EZ, full 990, and 990-PF
- IRS, Annual Exempt Organization Return: Due Date: 990-EZ due date of the 15th day of the 5th month after fiscal year end
- IRS, Instructions for Form 8868: automatic 6-month extension of time to file exempt organization returns
- IRS, Automatic Revocation of Exemption: automatic revocation of tax-exempt status after three consecutive years of unfiled returns
- IRS, Revenue Procedure 2014-11: streamlined and other retroactive reinstatement procedures after automatic revocation
- IRS, Instructions for Form 990-EZ: line-by-line reporting requirements including Schedule G thresholds for fundraising and gaming