IRS Determination Letter for Church

Question:

Does a church need an IRS Determination Letter?

Answer:

Generally, a church is already considered tax exempt and is eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions; therefore, a determination letter is not needed. But sometimes a church does need an IRS Determination Letter. To ascertain if a church needs a letter, the church should consult an attorney or CPA.

Requesting a 501(c)(3) IRS Determination Letter can be a time-intensive and costly process, if a letter is needed. Form 1023 needs to be filed to request the determination letter. The IRS's filing cost for Form 1023-EZ is $400. If a full Form 1023 is needed, the filing costs are higher. We encourage any nonprofit to work with a law firm or CPA firm when filing the Form 1023.

Here is an excerpt from the Form 1023 Instructions:

Form 1023 not necessary. The following types of organizations may be considered tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) even if they do not file Form 1023.

Churches, including synagogues, temples, and mosques.

Integrated auxiliaries of churches and conventions or associations of churches.

Any organization that has gross receipts in each taxable year of normally not more than $5,000.

Even though the above organizations are not required to file Form 1023 to be tax exempt, these organizations may choose to file Form 1023 in order to receive a determination letter that recognizes their section 501(c)(3) status and specifies whether contributions to them are tax deductible.

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MinistryCPA - Corey A. Pfaffe, CPA, LLC

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