Cray Kaiser recently attended the 37th Annual Conference for Not-For-Profit Organizations hosted by Chicago-Kent College of Law. The conference provided two major takeaways that will directly impact our nonprofit clients. If either of these topics raise questions for your organization, please do not hesitate to contact us today.
The New IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search Engine
The IRS has revamped their tax exempt organization search website, formally known as “Select Check.” The new search engine, now called “Tax Exempt Organization Search”, has several user-friendly updates. Previously the IRS only had an all-inclusive list (publication 78) filled with nearly 1.5 million tax exempt organizations making it hard to narrow searches. Now the search engine can filter by several key factors such as EIN, Name, Location, Auto Revocation List, Forms, and Determination Letters.
To visit the search engine, click here.
Illinois Attorney General Going Online
What was once wishful thinking may finally be coming to fruition. Although registered nonprofits have been filing electronic returns with the IRS for years, they have been stuck with paper filing in Illinois. Representatives of the Illinois Attorney General’s office announced during the conference that they were working on a collaborative effort with 39 other states to implement a one-stop online filing system for nonprofits.
The system would not only process the required annual report, Form AG990-IL, but also facilitate other forms such as registration applications. It will also integrate with the IRS to match up with electronically filed Form 990s. However, it won’t be a perfect online system as there may still need to be PDF uploads or paper filings for Illinois nonprofits that are required to attach audited financial statements.
The AG won’t say when the online system will be ready, but they are hopeful it will be available by the 2018 filing period next year. We will keep you informed on the progress Illinois makes toward launching the system.
If you have any questions about your these nonprofit updates or nonprofit organization in general, please contact Cray Kaiser today.