IRS Regulations and Updates
04/27/2012
IRS Posts Articles for Tax-Exempt Organizations
View the current edition of the EO Update, which includes remarks by EO Director Lois Lerner on governance and compliance (as well as other informational articles).
Also, six articles are posted on IRS.gov that your organization (and your member organizations) can publish in newsletters, post on websites, or use in preparing educational materials.
The articles are:
- Tax-Exempt Entities Must File with the IRS
- Tax-Exempt Organizations Should Avoid Political Campaign Intervention
- Employment Tax Issues Important to All Tax-Exempt Entities
- Tax-Exempt Nonprofts Must Meet Inspection and Disclosure Requirements
- Divulge All Suspected Tax Exempt Status Abuses to the IRS
- Contact the IRS if Your Organization is Going Out of Business
02/13/2012
IRS posts FY 2011 Annual Report and FY 2012 Work Plan and makes tax credit available
In case you missed it, this week IRS Exempt Organizations posted its FY 2011 Annual Report and FY 2012 Work Plan on irs.gov/charities and made available the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. The tax credit – amended by the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 – is available to qualified tax-exempt organizations for the first time for hiring qualified veterans who begin work on or after Nov. 22, 2011 and before January 1, 2013.
Also, applications for IRS EO’s 2012 Graduate Student Summer Internship are due March 2nd. This unpaid opportunity gives participants the chance to enhance their understanding of how EO works and increase their knowledge of the Federal tax code. Detailed information about the internship, including the application form, can be found on the AII page on IRS.gov. All completed forms should be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or faxed to 202-283-9848 in care of Pilar Jarrin no later than Friday, March 2.
Please read the current edition of the EO Update for more information on these topics. If you’re not on the publication’s mailing list, click here to subscribe.
01/20/2012
IRS Launches New Online Search Tool
As featured in today's EO Update, the IRS launched a new online search tool, Exempt Organizations Select Check, to help users more easily find information about tax-exempt organizations.
Users can now go to one location on IRS.gov to search for:
- Organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (formerly listed in electronic Publication 78). Users may rely on this list in determining deductibility of contributions, just as they did with Pub. 78
- Organizations whose federal tax exemption automatically revoked for not filing a Form 990-series return or notice for three consecutive years (Auto-Revocation List)
- Form 990-N (e-Postcard) filers and their submissions
12/20/2011
IRS Seeks Interns and Academic Partners
Academic Institution Initiative
IRS Exempt Organizations (EO) plans to recruit several graduate students for an unpaid internship this summer as part of its Academic Institution Initiative (AII). The program offers students the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of how EO works and become familiar with the federal tax code. Detailed information about the initiative, as well as the intern application form, can be found on the AII page on IRS.gov. All completed forms should be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or faxed to 202-283-8858, in care of Pilar Jarrin ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 202-283-8946), no later than Friday, March 2.
Workshops for Small and Medium-Sized Exempt Organizations
In FY 2011, in collaboration with nine universities, EO offered its small and medium-sized (SMS) workshop program to faculty, students, and nonprofit and practitioner communities of its academic hosts. In these successful joint ventures, EO provided the workshop presenters while the schools provided the venue and handled logistics. In 2012, all SMS workshops will be associated with academic institutions.
EO Customer Education & Outreach is seeking academic partners to host workshops for small and medium-sized (SMS) nonprofit organizations for the second half of the 2012 fiscal year (June-September 2012). If you are interested, please contact Pilar Jarrin at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. '; document.write(''); document.write(addy_text24415); document.write('<\/a>'); //-->\n This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 202-283-8946. See attached for a description of the workshop, as well as a current schedule of dates/locations, or go to Calendar of Events on the Charities pages of IRS.gov.
11/17/2011
IRS seeking applicants for ACT vacancies
The IRS is seeking applicants for vacancies on the Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT).
The ACT provides an organized public forum for the IRS and representatives who deal with exempt organizations, employee plans, tax-exempt bonds, and federal, state local and tribal governments to work together. The ACT provides public input and makes recommendations on administrative policy and procedures of the IRS Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division.
Please read the news release on IRS.gov and share the information with your colleagues.
9/13/2011
Health Care Tax Credit Widget for Nonprofits
Many small nonprofits may not be aware that they can take advantage of the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit or may be unsure how to claim the credit.
We need your help to get out the word. We have a great tool we think will be an attractive addition to your organization’s website – and it’s easy to place there. It’s a widget, a portable on-screen advertisement for the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit.
The widget is called “Small Nonprofit? Check your way to a Tax Break.” It explains in several screens that eligible tax-exempt employers that have fewer than 25 full time equivalent employees earning annual average wages of less than $50,000 may qualify for a refundable tax credit. Eligible 501(c) employers who pay at least half of the cost of their employees’ health insurance coverage may qualify for a tax credit of up to 25% of those premiums. On January 1, 2014, this rate will increase to 35% for tax-exempt employers.
The credit phases out gradually for organizations with average wages between $25,000 and $50,000 and for organizations with the equivalent of between 10 and 25 full-time workers. The widget links directly to the latest information about the credit for tax-exempt organizations and other small businesses on IRS.gov, including information on how to compute and claim the credit and FAQs.
Simply go to the IRS Marketing Express and follow the instructions to install the Widget.
8/9/2011
New Form 8940 for Miscellaneous Determination Requests
The IRS has released a new form that tax-exempt organizations will use to request determinations (other than initial exemption applications) about their tax-exempt status. In addition to foundation status issues, organizations will use Form 8940, Request for Miscellaneous Determination, to obtain advance approval of certain activities and exemption from Form 990 filing requirements.
The simple one-page form is accompanied by instructions that specify what information needs to be submitted to support each of the nine types of requests that may be submitted. The IRS reminds organizations that a user fee must accompany most requests.
Please read about this new form in the recent edition of the EO Update.
http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=135307,00.html
6/9/2011
New Members of the Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT)
The Internal Revenue Service announced Tuesday the selection of 10 new members to the Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT). The ACT consists of external stakeholders and representatives who deal with employee retirement plans, tax-exempt organizations, tax-exempt bonds and federal, state, local and Indian tribal governments. Click here for details.
06/9/2011
Automatic Revocation of Exemption List
Today the IRS released the automatic revocation of exemption list.
The organizations on the list automatically lost their recognition of tax-exempt status because they failed to file their required annual information returns for three consecutive years. They are no longer listed in Publication 78, Cumulative List of Organizations described in Section 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or in the IRS Business Master File extract.
Attached is a Fact Sheet providing basic highlights about auto-revocation. The link above also provides a set of Frequently Asked Questions about auto-revocation, including how an organization can pursue reinstatement of its exemption.
06/02/2011
Comment on transitional issues and FAQs on redesigned Form 990
Announcement 2011-36 invites public comments on transitional issues and frequently asked questions involving the redesigned Form 990.
Submit comments in writing on or before August 1.
05/12/2011
Retirement News for Employers
Retirement News for Employers is a free IRS online newsletter that provides practical retirement plan information for small business owners.
The newsletter’s plain-language articles focus on SEP, SIMPLE IRA, 401(k) and 403(b) plans, etc. It also includes FAQ’s.
4/20/2011
New Refundable Tax Credit
A tax-exempt employer paying employee health insurance premiums might be eligible to claim a new refundable tax credit worth up to 25% of the premiums paid for the 2010 tax year.
Small Nonprofit? Check Your Way to a Tax Break