How To Remain Compliant With Your Oklahoma Nonprofit

To maintain your 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Public Charity in good standing in Oklahoma, follow this advice.

8 Ways to Keep Your Nonprofit Legal

In order to keep a 501(c)(3) nonprofit company in Oklahoma, you must:

Apply for a state tax exemption.
Tax-exempt organisations must file annual federal returns.
Keep a Registered Agent on file.
Submit periodic reports
Request permissions and licences
Register/Renew Your Charitable Organization
Employees Obey Public Inspection Regulations

1. Apply for a state tax exemption.

A. Exemption from State Income Tax

After receiving your 501(c) decision letter from the IRS, your organisation may apply for state income tax exemptions by registering with the Oklahoma Tax Commission. You may complete your registration via the Oklahoma TAP online (Taxpayer Access Point).

2. Tax-exempt Organizations’ Annual Federal Returns

A. Federal Annual Returns

The IRS requires most tax-exempt charitable organisations to submit an annual return (Check the IRS website for a list of exceptions).

An organization’s yearly gross receipts dictate which form should be utilised to submit the annual federal return.

The IRS defines ‘gross receipt’ as “the total sums the organisation received from all sources throughout its yearly accounting period, before deducting any expenditures or expenses.”

For gross revenues of $50,000 or more, file Form 990-N.
$200,000 in gross income and $500,000 in total assets —- File 990-EZ
If your gross revenues exceed $200,000 or your total assets exceed $500,000, you must file a 990 form.

If you have any concerns, please contact the IRS at

(800) 829-3676 (Form related questions)
(800) 829-1040 (general information)
FAQ

Q: When is the 990 form due?
A: Form 990 is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after the end of the organization’s fiscal year.

For example, if the fiscal year closes on December 31st, the form 990 is due on May 15th.

NOTE: If an organisation fails to complete Form 990 for three years in a row, it will lose its tax-exempt status.

B. Unrelated Business Profits

If an organisation earns more than $1,000 from a trade or company that is unrelated to the organization’s declared purpose, it must submit Form 990-T to pay taxes on that revenue.

If your organisation anticipates to pay $500 or more in unrelated business income taxes for the year, you must pay a quarterly estimated tax on the unrelated business income using Form 990-W.

3. Keep a Registered Agent.

Any incorporated nonprofit must have a registered agent with an office location in Oklahoma. If you change your registered agent or their office location, you must submit a Change of Registered Agent form with the Secretary of State so that your Certificate of Incorporation may be revised.

Your company may be terminated if you fail to inform the Secretary of State of this change.

4. Submit Periodic Reports

Every year, the Oklahoma Secretary of State requires nonprofits to renew their registration. Furthermore, the Oklahoma Tax Commission requires organisations to file Form 512-E each year.

Failure to submit the required reports may result in the termination of your company.

5. Obtain Permits and Licenses

A state-level business licence will not be required for the vast majority of Oklahoma NGOs. Check with your city or county clerk to see if there are any local restrictions you must follow.

If your group intends to hold philanthropic games in Oklahoma, you may need to get a licence. To learn more, visit the Oklahoma ABLE Commission’s website.

6. Register/Renew Your Charitable Status

Charitable Oklahoma NGOs must use FORM FM101 to register with the Oklahoma Secretary of State. This registration must be renewed each year.

7. Workers

If your organisation will hire people, you must:

If you haven’t already, register with the Oklahoma Tax Commission by submitting the Business Registration Application.
Fill out form OES-1 to register with the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.

8. Obey Public Inspection Rules

To comply with federal requirements governing 501(c)(3) organisations, you must make the following papers available to any member of the public who wants them:

Annual returns for your organisation may be filed up to three years after the due date (including the following Forms: 990-PF, 990-EZ, 990-T, and 990)
Any supporting documentation and attachments for the 990 forms listed above. For Schedule B, however, you simply need to indicate the kind of the gift and the amount given.
Official IRS documentation demonstrating that your group is tax-exempt.
Your organization’s exemption application and any supporting documentation filed with it (including Form 1023).

Your company is NOT required to share the following papers or information with the general public:

Any part of Schedule B of Form 990/990-EZ that names donors.
Anything deemed an adverse judgement, including past rejections of tax-exempt status.
Any extra information that the IRS is entitled to withhold, such as trade secrets, patents, and so forth.