What Form 990-EZ is for
Form 990-EZ is the yearly report a tax-exempt organization sends the IRS about its money and its work. It covers revenue, expenses, assets, the people who run the organization, and the programs it paid for. The IRS uses it to collect the information required by section 6033. Most of what you file becomes public, so your return may be the main thing outsiders read about you.
You can use the short form only if gross receipts are less than $200,000 and total assets at the end of the year are less than $500,000. Above either line, you file Form 990. Groups that normally bring in $50,000 or less can submit Form 990-N instead if they choose not to file a full return. Private foundations use Form 990-PF.
Who has to file Form 990-EZ?
Most organizations exempt under section 501(a) file an annual return or submit an annual notice, and which one depends on size. You can use Form 990-EZ if gross receipts are less than $200,000 and total assets at the end of the year are less than $500,000. Some organizations are shut out no matter how small they are. Sponsoring organizations of donor advised funds, organizations that operated a hospital facility, section 501(c)(29) nonprofit health insurance issuers, and certain controlling organizations under section 512(b)(13) all file Form 990. A group return also has to be Form 990, not Form 990-EZ.
- Section 501(c)(21) black lung trusts file Form 990, unless gross receipts are not more than $50,000 and they can file Form 990-N
- Section 527 political organizations file only if gross receipts reach $25,000, or $100,000 for a qualified state or local political organization
- Section 4947(a)(1) nonexempt charitable trusts complete everything a section 501(c)(3) organization completes
- Churches, certain church-related organizations, and some governmental organizations do not file Form 990 or 990-EZ
When is Form 990-EZ due?
File by the 15th day of the 5th month after your accounting period ends. For a calendar year filer, that is May 15. If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, you file by the next business day. If the organization is liquidated, dissolved, or terminated, the return is due by the 15th day of the 5th month after that happens. Need more time? Use Form 8868 to request an automatic extension. If the return is not filed by the due date, including any extension granted, attach a statement giving your reasons.
How do you file it?
The 2025 Form 990-EZ has to be filed electronically. Electronic filing is available for the current tax year and two prior tax periods only. Older returns go in on paper, and as of December 26, 2023, the IRS stopped accepting electronically filed returns for years 2020 and older. When you paper file an older year such as 2020, write at the top of the return that the IRS no longer accepts electronic filing of the tax year 2020 returns after December 26, 2023. Filing on paper when you were required to file electronically counts as not filing at all.
How do you fill out Form 990-EZ?
Every filer completes Parts I through V along with any schedules that apply. Section 501(c)(3) organizations also complete Part VI and attach Schedule A. Make an entry on every line that asks for an amount or an answer, using a zero where a zero fits, and leave a line blank only when told to skip it. Schedule O is where you explain or supplement answers that do not fit in the space given. You can round cents to whole dollars, but then you have to round every amount.
- Schedule B lists contributors, unless you check the box in Item H
- Schedule G, Part III if gaming income on line 6a is more than $15,000
- Schedule G, Part II if fundraising gross income and contributions together are more than $15,000
- Schedule N if you liquidated, dissolved, terminated, or made a significant disposition of net assets
- Do not password protect or encrypt PDF attachments, since that stops the IRS from opening them
What happens if you file late or skip a year?
A late return brings a daily penalty unless you can show the late filing was due to reasonable cause. An incomplete or incorrect return can draw the same charge, so a missing line item or a skipped part of a schedule matters. If you do not supply the information after the IRS sends a letter with a deadline, the person who failed to comply is charged as well. Miss three years in a row and tax-exempt status is revoked automatically on the due date for the third annual return. Organizations that lose exemption may apply for reinstatement.
Form 990-EZ line by line
| Line | What goes there |
|---|---|
| Item H | Check this box if you are not required to attach Schedule B (Form 990). Check it or file the schedule, or the return is treated as incomplete. |
| Item L | Add lines 5b, 6c, and 7b to line 9 to get gross receipts. At $200,000 or more, file Form 990 instead. |
| 1 | Contributions, gifts, grants, and bequests received, including the part of a fundraising payment that is more than the value of what you gave back. |
| 2 | Program service revenue, including tuition, admissions, patient charges, and government fees and contracts that benefit the agency directly. |
| 3 | Membership dues and assessments that compare reasonably with the benefits members get. Dues beyond that value belong on line 1. |
| 4 | Interest, dividends, gross rents from investment property, and royalties for use of your property. Do not deduct investment management fees here. |
| 6a | Gross income from gaming such as bingo, raffles, pull tabs, and card games. More than $15,000 means you complete Schedule G, Part III. |
| 6b | Gross income from fundraising events, with the contribution part shown in the parentheses. More than $15,000 combined means Schedule G, Part II. |
| 9 | Total revenue. Add lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5c, 6d, 7c, and 8. |
| 17 | Total expenses. Add lines 10 through 16. |
| 21 | Net assets or fund balances at end of year. Combine lines 18 through 20. It must agree with line 27, column (B). |
| Part II | Balance sheet for the beginning and end of the year. Both columns are required. Total assets of $500,000 or more at year end means you file Form 990. |
| Part III | Your primary exempt purpose, plus what your three largest program services did, measured by expenses, with people served or sessions held. |
| Part IV | Every officer, director, trustee, and key employee during the year, even unpaid ones, with average hours per week and compensation. |
Penalties and withholding
$25 a day
Late, incomplete, or incorrect return, up to the lesser of $13,000 or 5% of gross receipts for the year
$130
Each day late for organizations with annual gross receipts over $1,309,500, up to $65,000 for one return
$10 a day
Person who fails to supply the information after the IRS letter, up to $6,500 for one return
Source: IRS, Form 990-EZ (Rev. 2025) and Instructions for Form 990-EZ, Short Form Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. This page explains the form in plain English. It is not tax advice.