Is your California nonprofit compliant?

Seven quick questions. No login, no pressure, and your results are shown immediately, not hidden behind an email address.

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Question 1 of 7

What this check covers

A California 501(c)(3) reports to four separate agencies, each with its own form and its own deadline. The seven questions above work out which of these apply to your organization. The full list is here in plain text so you can read it without answering anything.

Internal Revenue Service

The annual return in the Form 990 series: Form 990-N, Form 990-EZ, or the full Form 990. Form 990-T applies separately where an organization has unrelated business income. Miss the 990-series return for three consecutive years and exempt status is revoked automatically. IRS annual filing and forms.

California Franchise Tax Board

Form 199 or FTB 199N, the state annual return. FTB charities and nonprofits.

California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers

Form RRF-1 each year, filed with either Form CT-TR-1 or a copy of the IRS return, depending on which return the organization files. Private foundations file Form 990-PF and never file CT-TR-1. Lapse here and the right to solicit donations in California is lost. Registry of Charities and Fundraisers.

California Secretary of State

Form SI-100, the Statement of Information, on a two-year cycle. Statements of Information.

Reinstatement after revocation runs through FTB Form 3500 or 3500A and the IRS retroactive-reinstatement package. Which of the two California forms applies depends on the organization’s current IRS determination status. This is a guide, not a formal determination.