Form 990 due dates and the Form 8868 extension

Most missed Form 990 deadlines aren't caused by a hard return. They are caused by not knowing when the return was due. The rule itself is simple, and so is the extension, as long as you act before the date passes.

The rule

Forms 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF and 990-N are due on the 15th day of the 5th month after the organization's accounting period ends. Your accounting period (also called your tax year or fiscal year) is the 12-month period your books cover; it is shown on your IRS determination letter and on your prior returns. For an organization on a calendar year, the due date is May 15.

These are the dates before any weekend adjustment. The extended date doesn't apply to the 990-N. If you aren't sure which return you file, start with which Form 990 to file.

Weekends and holidays

If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the IRS treats a return filed on the next business day as on time. That moves real deadlines more often than you might expect. Here are the next deadlines for the four most common year-ends:

Don't plan around the extra day, though. E-filed returns can be rejected for a technical error, and you want time to fix and resubmit. See e-filing Form 990 for how acknowledgments work.

The Form 8868 extension

Form 8868, Application for Extension of Time To File an Exempt Organization Return, gives an automatic six-month extension for Forms 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF and 990-T (and several other exempt organization returns). The rules:

• File it by the original due date. An 8868 that arrives late, or is attached to a late return, does nothing.
• One extension only. A single six-month extension is allowed for each return for a tax year. The old system of a three-month extension plus a second, discretionary three months ended with the January 2017 revision of the form.
• No reason required. The extension is automatic if the form is properly completed and filed on time.
• One form per return. If you need more time for both the 990 and the 990-T, file two 8868s. An extension for a private foundation's 990-PF doesn't extend its Form 4720 either.
• It can be e-filed, and most preparers do so.
• Group returns: a central organization can request an extension for its group return using its group exemption number.

How to file the extension, step by step

1. Confirm the return and its original due date. Use the table above or the calculator.
2. Gather the basics: legal name, employer identification number (EIN), address, the tax year and the return code for the form you are extending.
3. Estimate any tax. Most Form 990 and 990-EZ filers owe none. A 990-T filer or a private foundation should estimate the tax and pay it with the extension.
4. File it electronically, through your preparer or e-file software, on or before the due date. Paper filing is still allowed by mail.
5. Keep the IRS acceptance with your records, and move the extended date onto your calendar.

What an extension doesn't do

An extension of time to file is not an extension of time to pay. If the organization owes tax (for example on Form 990-T or the excise tax on a private foundation's investment income), it must estimate and pay it by the original due date. Interest runs from the original date on anything paid later, and a late-payment penalty of ½ of 1% a month, up to 25%, can apply.

No extension for the 990-N

You can't use Form 8868 for the e-Postcard. The 990-N is due on the 15th day of the 5th month, period, and it can't be filed until the tax year has ended. There is no penalty for a late 990-N, but three missed years in a row cost the organization its exemption. See automatic revocation.

Form 990-T has its own date for some trusts

For an exempt corporation, Form 990-T follows the same 15th-day-of-the-5th-month rule. Employees' trusts under section 401(a), IRAs (including SEPs and SIMPLEs), Roth IRAs, Coverdell education savings accounts and Archer MSAs file by the 15th day of the 4th month.

Common mistakes

• Using the calendar year when your fiscal year is different. Check your determination letter and last return.
• Assuming the extension is automatic without filing anything. It is automatic only once Form 8868 is filed.
• Waiting for the extended date with no plan. There is no second extension; treat the extended date as final.
• Forgetting state deadlines. Many states key their own charity filings to the 990, and not all of them follow the IRS extension.
• Changing your fiscal year without telling the IRS. That shifts the due date; see changing your name, address or fiscal year.

What happens if you miss it

For the 990, 990-EZ and 990-PF, penalties start the day after the deadline and run daily until the return is filed. For returns required to be filed in 2026 that is $25 a day for most organizations and $130 a day for organizations with gross receipts over $1,309,500. Late-filing penalties explains the amounts and how to ask for relief.

990IRS.com is a private company, not the IRS. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice for your organization. Example organizations and figures are hypothetical.