N.Y. Nonprofits Can Now E-File

N.Y. Nonprofits Can Now E-File

Charities registered with the New York State Attorney General’s Charities Bureau (AGCB) may now file their reports online. New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the move will allow release of key information to the public more quickly.

Organizations based in New York are required by law to register and file annual reports with the AGCB including, but not limited to, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990. Charities will now be able to file both federal and state forms on Form990.org, a website powered by the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics.

“E-Filing marks another step towards reducing burdens on charities and promoting transparency,” Schneiderman said via a prepared statement. “Now the public and funders will have immediate access to information about charities they seek to support and reporting procedures for charities are simplified.”

This is the first recommendation that has been implemented by the Leadership Committee for Nonprofit Revitalization in April 2011. The committee, made up of 32 nonprofit leaders from across New York, was put together by Schneiderman and it issued its findings earlier this year. The guidelines were designed to put less of a burden on nonprofits and improve transparency. Some of its other recommendations included streamlining the process to approve the formation of new nonprofits, increasing board responsibilities to oversee financial audits, and requiring organizations to adopt conflict-of-interest and whistleblower policies.

Michael Clark, president of the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York and a member of the Leadership Committee, approved of the move to allow e-filing, saying via a statement, “We applaud the Charities Bureau’s adoption of electronic filing. … Our members’ annual reporting will now be simpler because they can submit both New York’s form CHAR500 and IRS Form 990 with a click of a mouse.”

New York nonprofits interested in learning more about the e-filing process canhttp://www.charitiesnys.com