The Secret to Stress-Free Form 990 Filing

The month of November is rather nostalgic with the Fall season bringing about cooler temperatures and Thanksgiving kicking off holiday gatherings and celebrations. 

November is also a big month in the tax exempt industry. If your exempt organization operates on a fiscal year which ends on June 30, your IRS Form 990 return is due by November 15. If you operate on a calendar year (original due date of May 15) but filed a 6-month extension through Form 8868, your 990 return is due also. 

Deadlines are never fun and trying to meet them can become stressful. Thankfully, e-filing with ExpressTaxExempt eliminates the stress of tax filing while on a time-crunch. 

ExpressTaxExempt offers the entire Form 990 Series to be completed in the most simple and easiest method possible. You won’t have to worry about missing your Form 990 deadline because the interview style e-filing process will help you complete your form and instantly transmit it directly to the IRS. 

All that you will need to do is follow the simple step-by-step guide to create your free account, enter basic information about your organization, complete the form interview, review your information and audit report, pay for your form, and transmit it directly to the IRS. The entire process is completed in 5 simple steps! 

Failing to file your Form 990 return can result in accumulating expensive penalties very quickly. If your organization fails to file on time and has less than $1,000,000 in gross receipts for the entire year and do not provide reasonable cause for missing the deadline, the IRS will charge you $20 per day for every day that your return is late. 

This penalty continuously accrues until you reach the maximum of $10,000 or 5% of your organization’s total gross receipts, depending on which amount is less. Filing with ExpressTaxExempt prevents this from happening. 

Stress-Free Filing

The best way to handle any type of situation, especially tax filing, is to be prepared. By being proactive and having a tax plan in place, the risk of last minute tax surprises can be avoided. Here are some other ways to have stress-free filing experience: 

1. Know your specific filing deadline 
2. Determine and Organize all of the information you will need when filing in advance. 
3. Strategize the amount of time needed to file your 990 while still conducting the daily tasks of your exempt organization, charity, etc. 
4. Maintain detailed records throughout the calendar or fiscal year. 
5. Utilize the ExpressTaxExempt website as an informative resource before, during, and after the e-filing process. 

Filing Process

Our service at ExpressTaxExempt is dedicated to providing the best and most efficient e-filing experience for tax exempt organizations, no matter how big or small. Because of this, all ExpressTaxExempt users can begin the filing process for free and easily enter their organization’s information individually. Payment is only required at the very end when it’s time to transmit your return directly to the IRS. Furthermore, our interview-style form completion includes internal audit checks to ensure that all information is entered properly with no areas left undone, auto-generated IRS form Schedules to accompany your 990 return, along with several other exclusive features.

We're Help To Help

E-filing your appropriate Form 990 Series return before the November 15 due date with the #1 authorized IRS e-file provider (ExpressTaxExempt) is a piece of cake. Contact our support team of e-file experts at 704.839.2321 for any questions or help with your e-filing experience. We’re available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST or reach us 24/7 via email with support@ExpressTaxExempt.com.

Read More »

What Taxes Does Your Nonprofit Need to File?

As the seasons change and the holidays quickly approach, it’s pretty easy to unintentionally put tax
filing concerns on the back burner.

While some organizations may have already filed their 990 forms this year, others that operate on a fiscal tax year might have a deadline that is right around the corner. 

If your tax exempt organization operated on a fiscal tax year of July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017, you must file Form 990-N, Form 990-EZ, Form 990, Form 990-PF or Form 1120-POL by next Wednesday, November 15, 2017.

Filing Form 990-N (e-Postcard) with ExpressTaxExempt is very easy and can be completed within minutes. With just three steps, you can file and transmit your Form 990-N (e-Postcard) directly to the IRS and keep your exempt status. 

How To File Form 990-N

1. Search Organization’s EIN - Enter your Employer Identification Number (EIN) to view filing history and e-file your Form 990-N to the IRS. 
2. Select Filing Year - Choose the available tax year from your filing history list to e-file and create an account to review your filing details. You can also update any of your organization information if necessary. 
3. Review & Transmit to the IRS - Complete payment information and transmit your e-Postcard to the IRS instantly. You can review your payment receipt or summary of e-Postcard once you transmit your return.

Information Needed To File Form 990-N

Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Tax Year

Legal Name & Address

Different Names Used By The Organization, if applicable

Website, if applicable

Name & Address Of A Principal Officer

Confirmation Of Gross Receipts Of $50,000 Or Less

A Statement That The Organization Is Going Out Of Business, if applicable 

Benefits of Filing with ExpressTaxExempt

Why should you e-file with ExpressTaxExempt instead of other tax filing providers?

Honestly, the list of reasons is too long to post, but here are a few reasons why:

With ExpressTaxExempt you can e-file your 990-N as well as 990-EZ, 990, 990-PF, or 1120-POL forms in the most simple and easiest method possible. We even offer extension Form 8868, which provides you with an additional 6 months to file.

Our recently reduced pricing for filing Form 990 Series returns is paired with several exclusive features such as bulk upload for large amounts of information, mobile filing for iOS and Android devices, error-checks which make sure you don't leave any necessary fields blank, and live phone, chat and email support for any questions you may have.

Furthermore, ExpressTaxExempt takes the security of its users very seriously and ensures that all information entered and stored with our intensive, up-to-date web securities which are guaranteed to safeguard your private information. 

Final Steps

With all of these benefits, features, and reduced pricing for all 990 forms, why go through all the stress and time it takes to paper file? E-file your appropriate Form 990 Series return before the November 15 due date with the #1 authorized IRS e-file provider, ExpressTaxExempt. Contact our support team of e-file experts at 704.839.2321 for any questions or help with your e-filing experience. We’re available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST or reach us 24/7 via email with support@ExpressTaxExempt.com.

Read More »

Upcoming Filing Deadline for Exempt Organization Employers

Has your organization employed individuals to help carry out the mission of the group?

Do you or someone you know own and operate a business with employees?

If so, as an employer, it is required that you file Form 941 with the IRS quarterly.

Employers are responsible for withholding federal income tax, social security tax, and Medicare tax from each of their employee’s salary. Form 941, also known as the Employer’s Quarterly Tax Return, is used to report these employment taxes quarterly and assists with calculating the employer’s portion of Social Security and Medicare tax.

Quarterly Filing Deadlines:

Form 941 has a total of four filing deadlines each year. These deadlines are split into first, second, third, and fourth quarters with the following due dates:

With only two days left in the month of September, the Third Quarter deadline is right around the corner. Be sure to file your Form 941 no later than October 31 with TaxBandits.

Filing Process:

Most people think that filing taxes can be a headache and an extremely time consuming process...not with our sister product, TaxBandits! You will only need two major pieces of information to get started--Employer and Employment Details.

GIF via GIPHY

Employer details include the employer’s name, EIN, and address; while employment details include the following:

• Employee Count
• Medicare Tax & Social Security
• Deposit Made to the IRS
• Tax Liability (Monthly/Semiweekly)
• Signing Authority Information
• Online Signature PIN or Form 8453-EMP

Once that is entered all you will need to do is review the completed form, pay a small, affordable price per form, and transmit directly to the IRS. And just like that, you’ve avoided IRS penalties and compliance issues.

Well, since we said the word ‘penalties’ let’s just go ahead and discuss it briefly so you know what you’re avoiding when filing with us.

Form 941 IRS Penalties:

Failure to file by the Form 941 deadline will result in a 5% penalty on the tax return for each month that the return is late. Although this penalty cpas at 25%, the IRS will penalize you heavily for late payment or not paying the full amount owed. Your organization will be charged 2-15% of the unpaid tax determined by the number of days it remains unpaid.

NOTE: Late deposit penalty amounts are determined using calendar days, starting from the due date of the liability.

Next Steps:

Out of the many components to running your organization, one of the most important is staying in compliance with the IRS. TaxBandits, sister product to ExpressTaxExempt, is an industry leader for online tax preparation and tax filings which offers accurate and efficient e-filing at prices that can’t be beaten! Visit their website today to find out more information about Form 941 and the other services that TaxBandits offer.

As always, we at ExpressTaxExempt aim to help all exempt organizations and hope that your organization can benefit from both of our services. If you need any assistance with filing, just know that we’re available to assist you via phone at 704.839.2321 on Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST or reach out to us 24/7 via email at support@ExpressTaxExempt.com.

Read More »