Nonprofit and 501(c)(3)

Start your nonprofit.

We form your nonprofit corporation with the state, get its EIN, and can then prepare your application to the IRS for 501(c)(3) tax exemption.

Bylaws in every package
501(c)(3) application $199

Start your nonprofit

Already formed? We prepare your 501(c)(3) application

Two steps: the state, then the IRS

1. Form the nonprofit corporation

Filed with the state you choose, with bylaws and first board resolutions. Each state has its own nonprofit filing and fee, and we confirm yours before you pay.

2. Apply for 501(c)(3) status

Once the EIN arrives, the application goes to the IRS. Form 1023-EZ is filed online only, through Pay.gov, with the IRS user fee paid there. Larger organizations use the full Form 1023, also filed electronically.

Form 1023-EZ or the full Form 1023?

The IRS's eligibility worksheet decides. A yes to any of its questions means the full form, including these:

Do you expect gross receipts over $50,000 in any of the next 3 years?
Have gross receipts been over $50,000 in any of the past 3 years?
Are your total assets worth more than $250,000?

Filed within 27 months after the end of the month you were formed, an approved Form 1023-EZ generally backdates your exemption to the day you were formed. We prepare Form 1023-EZ for $199, plus the IRS's user fee. A full Form 1023 is quoted for each organization.

Form your nonprofit

The same two packages as every structure, with nonprofit bylaws. Complete also gets your EIN, which the IRS needs before you apply. The 501(c)(3) application is added separately.

CoreFiling and company documents$19.99

Your LLC filed with the state, name checked first
Your corporation filed with the state, name checked first
Your nonprofit corporation filed with the state, name checked first
Operating agreement for your type of LLC
Bylaws
Nonprofit bylaws
First minutes and resolutions
We file within 3 business days of your paymentOur own preparation time. The state's processing time is separate
Compliance checklist with reminders for 1 year

Add to CoreRegistered agent, first year$89EIN from the IRS$59Your first annual report filed$79

Move to Complete any time in your first year: you pay only the difference ($179.01).

CompleteRecommendedPlus rush processing, agent, EIN and annual report$199

Everything in Core
Rush processing: we file within 1 business day of your paymentInstead of 3. Our own preparation time; the state's processing time is separate
Registered agent for the first yearThrough our provider, then $89 a year
EIN from the IRSApplied for by phone, fax or mail, as the IRS requires for owners outside the US
Your first annual report filed, our fee waivedThe state's fee at cost
Compliance checklist with reminders for 5 years
One change to your company in the first year, our fee waivedSuch as a new address. Any state fee at cost
Bank application checklistThe bank makes its own decision

Continue with Complete

Prices are plus the state's fee, passed on at cost.

Every year after

A 501(c)(3) organization files a yearly return with the IRS. An eligible organization that normally has gross receipts of $50,000 or less files the short Form 990-N e-Postcard instead. A required return or notice missed for 3 years in a row means automatic loss of exemption.

Your state may ask for its own yearly report too. We remind you before each one.

Questions people ask

Is forming a nonprofit the same as getting 501(c)(3) status?

No. You form a nonprofit corporation with a state, then apply to the IRS for recognition of tax exemption under section 501(c)(3). We do both, as two steps.

Do I need an EIN before applying?

Yes. The IRS won't accept Form 1023-EZ until the organization has an EIN, and every organization needs one, whether or not it has employees.

Can we use the shorter Form 1023-EZ?

Only if you can answer no to every question on its eligibility worksheet. Among them: gross receipts over $50,000 in any of the next 3 years or the past 3, and total assets over $250,000. Otherwise it's the full Form 1023.

When does our tax exemption start?

If Form 1023-EZ is filed within 27 months after the end of the month you were formed, and the IRS approves it, exemption generally dates back to your formation. Later, it starts from the date you file.

What does a small nonprofit file every year?

An eligible organization that normally has gross receipts of $50,000 or less files the Form 990-N e-Postcard instead of a full return. Missing a required return or notice for 3 years in a row means automatic loss of exemption.