How to Invite Users to Review Your Organization's Return

As deadlines approach, you might find yourself needing to share your Form 990 series return with someone on your board of directors, and you don’t want to share your own ExpressTaxExempt login. Well, we’ve added a new feature that simplifies this whole process!


With our new Manage Reviewers and Approvers feature, you’re just a few clicks away from inviting users to review your tax exempt organization's return.

When you start on your dashboard, click on the tab that says My Account. From there, scroll down and click on Manage Reviewers and Approvers.

In order to share your return with another person, click on the Add User button. You’ll be prompted to enter the user’s information, like their name, email address, and phone number, as well as the tax year of the return, in order to proceed. After that, you just need to click Share Return, and the invitation is sent.

After your click share, an email that contains a secure link and login credentials to the shared viewing portal are then sent to the intended user. To continue, the user will need their credentials, and they’ll be prompted to change their password upon signing in. The user will have as much access to the return as you granted within the invitation. After logging in, the user can view the return, and add their own comments and corrections for the main user’s reviewal.

Not only can the reviewing user add comments, they also have the option to download Form 990 for further review. If you simply require a signature, users can e-sign the return straight from ExpressTaxExempt.

Still confused? We’ve covered the basics in this video!



And if you share your Form 990 series return and your reviewer gives you enough comments and corrections to set you back, e-file for an automatic 3-month extension of time to file with Form 8868, the application for extension of time to file an exempt organization return.

If you or your reviewers have any questions about the Manage Reviewers and Approvers feature, call us at 704.839.2321, live chat with us from our website, or send us an email.

Read More »

Boost Donations with Video

You’ve been running your social media campaign for a few weeks, and you’ve noticed a rise in donations. But you want to take your nonprofit to the next level. What can you do? Have you considered boosting donations with video?

By producing videos, you have a unique opportunity to give potential and current donors more insight than the average tax exempt organization. Videos let your marketing team cover local fundraising events, capture personal stories, and inspire people to donate. These days, decent video cameras are affordable (plenty of photo cameras double as video cameras, too). And since most people have smart phones, capturing video is even easier than ever! So we suggest grabbing a camera, finding your subject, and yelling ACTION!

“Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second.” - Jean-Luc Godard

Does your nonprofit produce videos to gather the support of donors and keep people informed? Did you know you can boost your donations with videos?

Why Should I Make Videos?

Well, if you’re willing to run social media marketing campaigns, share photos, and status updates with your donors, the next logical step would be video. Now, we’re not expecting you to be the next Steven Spielberg, but with some effort you can at least produce enough content for a steady YouTube channel.

• Interviews - Whether you’re interviewing your organization founder or one of the people your nonprofit helped, capturing an interview gives your viewers the inside scoop on your mission. Best practices would be to let your interviewee preview and prepare answers to the questions, and then edit their responses into a video one to two minutes long. Less is more with interviews!
• Events - Spent two months planning a fundraiser and you want to immortalize it before it’s all said and done? By documenting your event turnout, you can show potential donors that people care about your cause. Also, if your event is fun and successful, you will inspire viewers to catch the next one.
• Results - Want to show how your fundraiser helped build a house, save an animal shelter, or pay for a medical treatment? Show the results with a video update! When viewers know their efforts contributed to success, they’ll be more willing to click that donate button!
• All of the Above - Of course, for the most effective strategy, your nonprofit should use a combination of these efforts to produce a constant stream of updates. Sure, you may need a video guru to make that happen, but the results would benefit you more than you know.

Donation Cards

Once your videos are ready, the easiest distribution model is to share them on YouTube. With YouTube, you can also use the donation card system to inspire action. What is a donation card? They are clickable “Donate Now” buttons that appear on your videos, and make use of Google Payments. Best of all, YouTube has a specific program to help nonprofits become YouTube creators.

What sets donation cards apart? Well, they allow viewers to contribute from the video from both desktop and mobile. When viewers donate, the nonprofit gets 100% of the donation! That’s right, Google currently covers the processing fees. If making your own videos is just out of the question, you can always team up with a current YouTube creator and have them use donation cards to support your cause!

Once the donations come rolling in, use our bulk upload feature to e-file Form 990 come tax exempt deadline day. If you have any questions, reach us by live chat, phone at 704.839.2321, or by email.

Have you captured your events with video? How’d it go?

Read More »

How to View 2012 Form 990

Every now and then, we need to examine where we’ve come from. For your nonprofit, this can be how you transformed your vision from a spark to a grassroots effort and then into a force for change in your community. Or maybe you just need to look back at prior year’s tax filings! While it’s less exciting than an introspective journey into your past, you never know when you’ll need to access a prior return.


Have you filed with us before? Well, if you e-filed tax exempt return Form 990 in 2012 with us, you can now access that return directly from your dashboard.





It’s simple, really. Start by logging into your account and going to the dashboard. From there, click the tab near the top that says My Tax Returns.



From the My Tax Returns tab, find the appropriate tax year -- in this case Tax Year 2012-- on the left-hand side of the screen and click the View in Dashboard button.



From there, you are redirected back to your Dashboard, but now you can now access your 2012 Form 990 return. On this 2012 Dashboard, you can choose Approval Letter, Draft Letter, or Receipt.



After you’re done with your 2012 tax exempt return, you can return to your standard dashboard with just a few clicks.

Related Posts:

• Change Contact Details
• Completed 990 Forms
• Gifts and Contributions

We like to keep things simple around here at ExpressTaxExempt, so we’ll make sure to update you on any new features with our blogs, tutorials, and videos. If you run into any issues viewing prior updates, please email us or reach us by phone at 704.839.2321.


How far has your organization come over the years? Let us know in the comments!

Read More »

Five Common Form 990 Errors

Paying taxes is unavoidable; paying even more money to the IRS because their long, complex forms caused you to make an error and incur penalties is not. 

Form 990 is a long and eye-blurring form (and the IRS-provided instructions for filling out the form is 100 pages long). But if you’re directing an organization exempt from income tax under section 501(a), you probably hardly have time for such “light” reading. So here are five common, avoidable errors made on Form 990 that could subject you to steep penalties or even an IRS inquiry:

• Using the wrong form. There are different types of Form 990 that apply to different tax exempt organizations. Using one form when you should use another can incur penalties.

• Form 990-N (“ePostcard”) is filed when your gross receipts are less than $50,000
• Form 990-EZ is filed when your gross receipts are less than $200,000 and your assets are less than $500,000
• Form 990 (“long form”) is filed when your gross receipts are greater than $200,000 or your assets are greater than $500,000.

• Using the calendar year instead of a fiscal year. The deadline to file Form 990 is the 15th day of the 5th month after the end of your organization’s fiscal year. Typically, this deadline is May 15 as many fiscal years do coincide with the calendar year. However, if your fiscal year ends on a day other than December 31, you could be at risk for filing late or even filing for the wrong year. Your filing year is dictated by the first month of the fiscal year. For example, an organization whose fiscal year runs from December 1, 2013-November 30, 2014 should file a 2013 Form 990 by April 15, 2015.

• Failing to prepare and include Schedules. ALL section 501(c)(3) organizations MUST prepare and attach Schedule A to Form 990. If this form is missing or incorrect, the IRS can penalize you. Based on organization type, gross receipts, and other stipulations, you may also be required to fill out and submit other schedules, without which your filing is incomplete.

• Submitting Form 990 with missing or inaccurate information. This could be anything from failing to mark an applicable box, to failing to list officers and key employees (including volunteers), to an imbalance between your ending net assets sections. Any discrepancies could flag your Form 990 as incomplete or incorrect, resulting in penalties or an IRS inquiry.

• Failing to file an extension. An extension can allow you to postpone your deadline for 3-6 months, depending on your type of organization and whether you plan to file a Form 990 or Form 990-EZ. However, an extension cannot be filed after your organization’s original deadline. If you are late filing your Form 990 and have not filed an extension, you’re at risk of accruing late penalties.

Avoiding these common mistakes and staying informed can make taking on Form 990 seem like less daunting of a task. And to make it seem even LESS daunting, here’s a bonus avoidable error, just for you:

• Not using Express990 to file! Sure, you could try to keep in mind these and all of the other errors you might make while filing, but why would you when we can do it for you? Express990 is easy to understand; it turns Form 990 into a conversation. Answer “yes” or “no” questions, fill in your financial specifics, and we’ll make sure everything matches up and everything required is included. We’ll then run an error check before submitting so that any obvious errors can be fixed and you avoid filing an incorrect or incomplete form. And if you see where you might need more time to file, you can e-file extension Form 8868 right from our website.

But if you still feel like pulling your hair out over Form 990, you can contact the Express990 team Monday-Friday from 9am-6pm EST by phone (704-839-2321) or by live chat (www.expresstaxexempt.com), or 24/7 by e-mail at support@expresstaxexempt.com.

Read More »

How To: Filing An Annual Tax Exempt Return For a New Organization

Are you new to the wonderful world of nonprofit/tax exempt organizations? Express990.com would like to be the first to welcome you and get you ready for e-filing your organizations IRS Form 990.

Let's take a look at the process...

Once you receive a confirmation from the IRS that they have you filed as a tax-exempt organization, you may begin gathering the information you need to file. You need to determine which 990 form to file by knowing your total gross receipts for the tax period...

• Form 990-N - $50,000 or less a year in gross receipts
• Form 990-EZ - $200,000 or less a year, or total assets of less than $500,000
• Form 990 - $200,000 or more a year, or total assets greater than or equal to $500,000

Next, after you determine which 990 form to file and have all the needed information to enter, it's time to get started.

Express990.com has designed our filing experience to feel more like a conversation than a tax form. Simply go to the homepage and select "New User". From there, you will enter in your email address, create a password, set up a username, and provide a phone number.

After creating your account, you will be redirected to your "Dashboard" page, where you will immediately be able to start creating your return. From there just follow the directions and transmit to the IRS, it really is that easy. Once your return has been accepted, you will receive a confirmation email form us. Should your return be rejected, you will also receive an email containing details as to why it was rejected. You can quickly correct the information and re-submit the form to the IRS at no cost.

If you have any questions about e-filing Form 990 for your new organization, please do not hesitate to give us a call. You can contact our US-based Express990 Support Team via phone: 704.839.2321 or email: support@expresstaxexempt.com 

Read More »