Publication 5248 for Form 990-N

IRS Form 990-N
Electronic
Filing System
(e-Postcard)

User Guide

Publication 5248 (Rev. 3-2018) Catalog Number 68747U Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service www.irs.gov

Steps for using the Form 990-N Electronic Filing System
(e-Postcard)
REMINDER
An organization cannot file Form 990-N until after the end of its tax year. For example:
• Calendar Year Filers
If your organization uses a calendar year (Jan. though Dec.) as its tax year, it must wait
until the following January 1 (after the tax year is complete) to file.
• Fiscal Year Filers
If your organization uses a fiscal year (for example, Oct. 1 through Sept. 30) as its tax
year, it must wait until the following October 1 (after the tax year is complete) to file.
The IRS determines the filing year using the beginning date of the organization’s fiscal
period.

NOTE: BEFORE FILING
If technical issues prevent you from registering or filing with the Form 990-N electronic filing
system, try the suggestions below. If the problem still exists after trying all the suggestions
below, contact IRS Customer Account Services at 877-829-5500 (a toll-free number).
Telephone assistance is also available for individuals with TTY equipment at 800-829-4059.
Take the following steps to prevent problems during the registration and filing processes:
• Close multiple browsers when registering.
Errors may occur if you have additional internet browsers open during the registration
process. Please close other internet browser windows.
• Do not use a smart phone to register or file your Form 990-N.
• Use correct text characters when registering and filing.
Ensure that you use only letters, numbers or a hyphen when entering text fields and
limit your entries to 35 characters/spaces. These character limits do not apply to
password fields. When choosing a password, use only letters, numbers and special
characters except the caret (^).
• Check your spam or junk email folders.
When registering or requesting a user-identification reminder, check your spam or
junk email folders for a response. The email may have been filtered out by your email
program.
• If the suggestions above don’t resolve the issue, sign out of the filing system
(if logged in), close all programs and shut down your computer. Wait a minute,
restart your computer and try again.
This step is required before calling the Customer Account Services line (877-829-5500)
for technical help.

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HOW TO FILE
Open the electronic filing page at https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/annual­
electronic-filing-requirement-for-small-exempt-organizations-form-990-n-e-postcard.
After reviewing the information provided on the Form 990-N webpage, click the “Electronic
Filing System” link under the READY TO FILE? header.
Log In

11/1/1

First Time Users: Select Create Account.

Returning Users: Enter Username and select LOG IN. On the next page, enter your
Password and select Submit. Skip to STEP 5 of this user guide. If you did not register with
the new system until after February 2016, you must register as a First Time User. Your user
At thisfrom
time service
is unavailable
for newwill
usersnot
trying work.
to access Get Transcript Online, View Your Balance, Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN), and Sec
name and password
Urban
Institute
Messaging. If you already have an account, you may continue the login process with your username and password. Other IRS online services such
Online Payment Agreement and Get Transcript by Mail are not affected. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Sign Up

Log In

Don't have an account? Create one now.

Already have a username? Welcome back!
Username

Forgot Username

REGISTRATION: FIRST TIME USERS ONLY PTIN and FIRE users need a separate account in this system
Use your personal information
when
login
IDyouand
password
you are
creating
WARNING! By accessing
and registering.
using this governmentThe
computer
system,
are consenting
to system monitoring
for law
enforcement
and other
purposes. Unauthorized use of, or access to, this computer system may subject you to criminal prosecution and penalties.
are for your personal use - to file the organization’s Form 990-N. With your login ID and

IRS Privacy
Policy | Security
Code Terms and without
Conditions | Accessibility
password, you may file a Form 990-N for
multiple
organizations
the need to register

for each organization. The login ID and password belong to you, not to the organization for

which you are filing.

STEP 1

Enter your contact information, then select SEND CODE.

USE CORRECT TEXT CHARACTERS WHEN REGISTERING AND FILING.
Ensure that you use only letters, numbers or a hyphen when entering text fields and limit
your entries to 35 characters/spaces. These character limits do not apply to password fields
- except that you cannot use the caret (^).

https://sa.www4.irs.gov/eauth/pub/login.jsp?Data=VGFyZ2V0TG9BPUI%…http%3a%2f%2fsa%2ewww4%2eirs%2egov%2fepostcard%2fsecure%2fhome%2f

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STEP 2
Enter the confirmation code found in your email, then select CONTINUE. If you don’t
receive an email, check your spam or junk email folder.

STEP 3A
Choose a USERNAME and PASSWORD on the “Create Your User Profile” page.
Username field: Ensure that you use only letters, numbers or a hyphen and limit your
entries to no more than 35 characters unless noted otherwise. Periods, slashes and other
prohibited characters will cause registration or filing errors. These character limits do not
apply to password fields.
Password field: You may use letters, numbers and special characters except the caret (^).

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STEP 3B
Choose a SITE PHRASE. This phrase will appear on your login page before you input your
password. When you see the phrase you created while logging in, you can be assured you’re not on
a scam or fake page. You may use spaces within the site phrase.

STEP 3C
Choose a SITE IMAGE. This image will appear on your login page before you input your password.
When you see your selected image while logging in, you can be assured you’re not on a scam or
fake page.

STEP 3D
Choose four challenge questions. These questions may appear when you logon using a new
computer or location. When you have selected and answered four questions, select CONTINUE.

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STEP 4

The “User Profile Successfully Created” page will appear. Select CONTINUE.

STEP 5

Select CONTINUE on the “Online Security Information” page.

CREATE AN ELECTRONIC FORM SUBMISSION
STEP 6
Select MANAGE E-POSTCARD PROFILE to create a new Form 990-N electronic filing submission.

STEP 7
From the drop down shown below, select either Exempt Organization or Preparer in the “User
Type” field.
• Exempt Organization: Select if you are only completing 990-N for your organization.
• Preparer: Select if you expect to help multiple organizations.
-

Example: A preparer can be a paid preparer, such as a CPA, volunteer or someone aiding
exempt organizations at a local library. By selecting Preparer, you can use your login to
add as many organizations as you wish.
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After selecting the user type, select CONTINUE.

STEP 8
Enter an EIN for the organization you’re filing for, then click ADD EIN. You may also delete EINs
already associated with your profile. To continue, select CREATE NEW FILING.

STEP 9
Select the EIN you wish to file for from the drop down menu. Once you have selected the EIN, select
CONTINUE.

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STEP 10
Complete the ”Organization Details” page. If you don’t understand the request, click the question
mark icon for an explanation. When you have completed each line, select CONTINUE.

STEP 11
Complete the ”Contact Information” page. If you don’t understand the request, click the question
mark icon for an explanation. When you have completed each line, select one of the following:
• SAVE FILING: Select if you are missing any requested information. This will allow you to return
to complete it later.
• SUBMIT FILING: Select when you are sure all required information has been input.
NOTE WHEN REGISTERING OR FILING: Text fields cannot exceed 35 characters and must contain
only numeric, alpha or hyphen characters unless noted otherwise. Periods, slashes and so on will
cause registration or filing errors.
Also, enter website addresses using “www.” - not “http://www.”

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STEP 12
The filing CONFIRMATION will display the filing status as “Pending.”
Click on the word PRINT in the bottom paragraph to print a copy for your records. Once you leave

the page, you won’t be able to print this filing.

Select MANAGE FORM 990-N SUBMISSIONS to view or submit additional filings.

MANAGING FORM 990-N SUBMISSIONS
STEP 13
On the “Manage Form 990-N Submission” page, your submission will show the status of “Pending.”
• After seven minutes, refresh the page (F5 key for Windows; Command-R for Mac) and the

GET UPDATED STATUS button will be visible.

• The status will change from pending to accepted or rejected.
• If your submission was rejected, select the submission ID hyperlink for additional details.
• After the status is updated, the only valid statuses are “Accepted” or “Rejected.” If your status
displays any other text (like “submitted” or “MeF failed”), contact Customer Account Services at
877-829-5500.

Additional Information
• Annual Electronic Filing Requirement For Small Exempt Organizations - Form 990-N

(e-Postcard)

• Form 990-N FAQs

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