Did you know that the Charities Bureau has recently announced that annual Form CHAR500 filings must now be completed online via the Charities Bureau’s application portal? The application portal must be used to complete your annual registration filing after September 19, 2022. Paper filings postmarked after this date may be rejected. The Charities Bureau has developed an Annual Filing Guide as well as a video to assist organizations with filing.
The first thing you must do is create an account with the Charities Bureau. Next, activate the account and login. To begin the Annual Filing – make sure you have your New York Registration Number, it is a six-digit number that can be found on your organization’s registration approval letter. You can also look it up in the Registry. You will also want your Federal Employer Identification Number handy – you will need this when filling out your contact information section.
There are a lot of new questions in the portal, so make sure to have someone within your organization that is familiar with your registration, exemption qualifications, and financial information prepare the form. The financial information needed can be found your Organization’s IRS form unless you are 990N flier. You will also need a digital copy of the CPA’s audit, review or compilation that will need to be uploaded at the end of the form.
Some other information required is related to the use of a professional fundraiser or fundraising counsel. If you used this type of service, there is a section that requires you to disclose certain information to the state related to that relationship.
Do you receive government grant funding? If yes, make sure you have available the name of the government agency and amount received for the year you are reporting on. This information will also need to be disclosed.
OK, you are almost done! Upload your CPA’s report, review your answers and gather the necessary digital signatures and make your payment. Don’t worry you can save your work for up to 30 days before the filing expires.
If you need further guidance or have any questions on this topic, we’re here to help. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our trusted experts to discuss your specific situation.
