The IRS today released a draft version of the form that tax-exempt organizations will use to calculate the small business health care tax credit when they file income tax returns next year. The IRS also announced how eligible tax-exempt organizations –– which do not generally file income tax returns –– will claim the credit during the 2011 filing season.   Tax-exempt organizations will claim the small business health care tax credit on a revised Form 990-T. The Form 990-T is currently used to report and pay the tax on unrelated business income. Form 990-T will be revised for the 2011 filing season to enable eligible tax-exempt organizations –– even those that owe no tax on unrelated business income –– also to claim the small business health care tax credit.  For more information, please click here.

When a charity significantly expands or changes its activities, it must inform the IRS by disclosing the activities on its next filed Form 990.  The Form 990 includes questions regarding whether the filing charity has undertaken any significant activities not listed on a prior Form 990, whether the charity ceased conducting, or made significant changes in how it conducts any activities, and requires the charity to describe the changes in an attached schedule. The Form 990 also asks whether the charity made any significant changes to its articles or bylaws, and requires such documents be included with the Form 990.  Although disclosing the changes on the next Form 990 satisfies a charity’s obligation to update the IRS, it does not provide any comfort that the new activities do not jeopardize the charity’s exempt status because there is no guaranty any IRS agent will review (or approve) such changes.  

In addition to Form

The IRS Exempt Organizations Division is offering one-day workshops for small and mid-size section 501(c)(3) exempt organizations. Each workshop will explain what 501(c)(3) organizations must do to keep their tax-exempt status and comply with tax obligations. An introductory workshop is designed for administrators or volunteers who are responsible for an organization’s tax compliance. For additional information regarding these free IRS workshops, click here.  Similar virtual workshops are also available (click here). These are great opportunities for officers and directors of 501(c)(3) organizations.

We frequently get asked by new and existing nonprofit organizations about directors and officers liability insurance (“D&O Insurance”). Should you obtain coverage? Is it worth the cost?

Yes, you should explore obtaining D&O Insurance. If you want to recruit high-quality directors, you may find that they will not serve on your board without seeing a copy of your policy. They want to know that they will be protected. In addition, their employers may not allow them to serve on your board unless you have D&O Insurance.

On a related note, you might also want to review your organizational documents for provisions that indemnify your directors and officers against certain acts. The same potential directors who want to see a copy of your D&O Insurance policy may also want to see your indemnification provisions.

There are a number of organizations, some of them nonprofit themselves, that provide affordable D&O Insurance to

A corporate sponsored charitable organization may conduct disaster relief and emergency hardship assistance programs for the benefit of its sponsoring corporation’s employees. With respect to a corporate sponsored “private foundation” (e.g., where the charitable organization receives substantially all of its support from the corporation), relief may be provided to employees who are victims of any Presidentially declared disaster, which may include an earthquake, flood, hurricane, or tornado. With respect to a corporate sponsored “public charity” (e.g., where the charitable organization receives support from the corporation and employees), relief may be provided to employees who are victims of any Presidentially declared disaster or any emergency hardship resulting from a severe personal crisis, such as a fire, accident, illness, death, or crime.

Relief must be provided based on an objective determination of need and the selection committee should be comprised of individuals who are not in a position to exercise substantial

The IRS recently decided, in PLR 201027015, that a taxpayer who directs her credit card “rebates” to a charitable organization is not required to include the amount in gross income and is entitled to a charitable deduction.

The facts are simple: taxpayers make purchases using their credit cards and as a result of the purchases, they earn “rebates.”  These rebates equal 1% of the taxpayer’s purchases, and the taxpayer can either receive cash back or direct the cash to a charitable organization.  The IRS holds that these rebates are not includable in the taxpayer’s gross income becase these “rebates” are adjustments to the purchase price paid for the item.  The problem is: what item??  Presumably the taxpayer purchased several items from several different retailers.  These facts are clearly different from the cell phone company who charges “$50” for my phone by making me pay $200 up front and requiring me to

The IRS, in PLR 201025078, denied exemption under section 501(c)(7) to a winemaking club.   The club was formed for the specific purpose “to encourage the appreciation of winemaking, promote the responsible use of wine, educate wine tasters and home wine makers, and to promote and support the healthful creation of wine made without sulfites.”  Although the club, had it been properly managed, could have qualified under section 501(c)(3) as an educational organization, the club failed to qualify as exempt under any section due to its commercial nature.  Specifically, the club allowed anyone to become a “member” for a fee, didn’t allow its “members” any actual rights, and didn’t allow its “members” enough socializing amongst each other.  Perhaps if the wine club had been more exclusive in its membership and hosted more parties among its members, the IRS would have granted exemption.  Of course, the club should have also considered adding a few more disinterested board members and

In Free Fertility Foundation v. Commissioner, the Tax Court affirmed the IRS’ denial of 501(c)(3) status to The Free Fertility Foundation—an organization that provides its founder’s sperm “free of charge to women seeking to become pregnant through artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization.” Interestingly, the court stated the “free provision of sperm may, under appropriate circumstances, be a charitable activity.” But The Free Fertility Foundation did not qualify because the class of potential beneficiaries is “not sufficiently large to benefit the community as a whole.” After all, the class of potential beneficiaries is limited to those that want the founder to be the biological father of their children. Further, the founder and his father choose recipients from applicants based on a “very subjective, and possibly arbitrary” process that includes a questionnaire on topics such as an applicant’s education, ethnicity, geographic location, fertility history and contribution

The date when an organization files its IRS Form 1023 application for federal tax-exempt status has an effect on the date the organization will be considered tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3). If an organization files Form 1023 within 27 months after the end of the month in which it was legally formed, and the IRS approves the application, the effective date of Section 501(c)(3) status will be retroactive to the date of formation. If an organization does not file within 27 months of formation, Section 501(c)(3) status is generally effective as of the date it files the Form 1023 application (the postmark date).

For organizations with gross receipts exceed more than $10,000 annually, the U.S. Department of Treasury generally requires a fee of $850 to process a Form 1023 application (for organizations with gross receipts do not exceed $10,000 annually, the fee is $400). However, the IRS has been developing an

Joint ventures between Section 501(c)(3) organizations and for-profit parties are becoming more and more common.  The attached memorandum (which may be obtained by clicking the link below) provides a brief overview of tax issues related to joint ventures between tax-exempt and for profit entities:

Structuring Joint Ventures