i4506-a--2021-11-00

Instructions for Form 4506-A
(Revised November 2021)
Request for a Copy of Exempt or Political Organization IRS Form
Section references are to the Internal Revenue Code unless
otherwise noted.

TIP

To see an organization’s current activities or financial data,
you can use www.guidestar.org.

Future Developments
For the latest information about developments related to Form
4506-A and its instructions, such as legislation enacted after this
form and instructions were published, go to www.irs.gov/
form4506ab.

What's New
Forms 990, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax,
990-EZ, Short Form Return of Organization Exempt From Income
Tax, 990-PF Return of Private Foundation or Section 4947(a)(1)
Trust treated as a Private Foundation, and 990-T, Exempt
Organization Business Income Tax Return received in 2017 or
later are available in bulk download free of charge on Tax Exempt
Organization Search (TEOS), www.irs.gov/teos.
To request copies of exemption applications and letters, you must
submit Form 4506-B, Request for a Copy of Exempt Organization
IRS Application or Letter.

General Instructions
Purpose Of Form
Use Form 4506-A to request under Section 6104:
● A copy of an exempt or political organization’s return, report, or
notice.
You do not have to complete Form 4506-A to get copies of the
following forms:
● Forms 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF and 990-T received in 2017 or
later, use Tax Exempt Organization Search (TEOS),
www.irs.gov/teos. You can use TEOS for individual copies and
for bulk data downloads. Note: Before you complete a Form
4506-A please check Tax Exempt Organization Search (TEOS)
at www.irs.gov/teos for the form you are requesting. If return is
not available submit a Form 4506-A.
● Form 8871, Political Organization Notice of Section 527 Status,
and Form 8872, Political Organization Report of Contributions
and Expenditures, are available for inspection and printing from
IRS.gov. The website address for both forms is www.irs.gov/
polorgs.
● You may request images of Form 990-N (e-Postcard), for TaxExempt Organizations Not Required to File Form 990 or 990EZ, filings at Tax Exempt Organization Search (TEOS),
www.irs.gov/teos.
● The machine readable data for the efiled Forms 990, 990-EZ
and 990-PF are available for download at Tax Exempt
Organization Search Bulk Data Downloads, www.irs.gov/
charities-non-profits/tax-exempt-organization-search-bulk-datadownloads.
● If you want to determine if charitable contributions are
deductible, use Tax Exempt Organization Search, www.irs.gov/
teos.
Note. Exempt or political organizations must make their returns,
reports, and notices available for public inspection. You can visit
the organization to inspect the material instead of requesting it
from the IRS. The organization may be able to mail the copies to
you.

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An organization, or its officers, may request a copy of the
organization's own return on Form 4506-A. However, they will only
receive the copy that is “Open for Public Inspection.” The publicly
CAUTION available copy will not include, for example, information that may
identify a contributor and documents that were filed with the return, but are not open
to public inspection. An organization, or its officers, may request a complete copy of
the organization's own return by completing Form 4506, Request for Copy of Tax
Return, and paying the applicable fee.

Digital Data Request
The IRS can provide copies of exempt organization returns on
USB for returns received in years 2015 through 2016. Requesters
can order the complete set (for example, all Forms 990 and 990EZ or all Forms 990-PF filed for a year) or a partial set by state. If
you are ordering a partial set on USB, indicate the state(s), and
month(s) you are ordering. Sample USB requests are not
available for individual states. USB and sample USB requests are
not available for individual exempt organizations. Complete
information, including the cost, is available on the IRS website.
Search Copies of Scanned EO Returns Available at www.irs.gov/
copies.

Format
Raw. The USB contain image files in Tag Image File (TIF) format
for returns selected for the month or quarter requested. This
format is best for users who intend to process the image files
through their data software.

How Much Will It Cost?
You may inspect a return, report, or notice at an IRS office free of
charge.
If you want a photocopy of a return, report, or notice see the
chart below.
Note. The IRS will send you a bill for the photocopy cost. If your
cost is over $250, we will ask for payment in advance.

IF you are. . .

THEN the charge for paper copies
is . . .

A commercial user,

$ .20 per page.

An educational institution, media,
non-commercial scientific institution,
or all other requesters,

First 100 pages free, $ .20 per page
thereafter.

USB requests and sample USB requests must be prepaid.
Please include your payment with your request. Search Copies of
Scanned EO Returns Available at www.irs.gov/copies, available
for the cost of USB and sample USB. A check or money order for
the fee should be payable to “United States Treasury.”
Reminder: Fees for USB are updated in January of each year.
See www.irs.gov to determine the required fee.

Catalog Number 51552X

Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction Act Notice. We ask for
the information on this form to carry out the Internal Revenue
laws of the United States. We need the information to gain
access to the return or other exempt or political organization IRS
form you requested in our files and properly respond to your
request.

Where To File
To file Form 4506-A, mail or fax to:
Internal Revenue Service
RAIVS Unit MS: 6716
Ogden, UT 84201

The authority to ask for the information requested on this form
is Internal Revenue Code Section 6104 and its regulations. You
are not required to provide the information requested on this form.
However, if you do not furnish the information, we may not be
able to fulfil your request. Providing willfully false or fraudulent
information may subject you to criminal penalties. Routine uses
include disclosing the information to the Department of Justice for
civil or criminal litigation. We may also disclose this information to
federal and state agencies to enforce federal nontax criminal laws
and to federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to
combat terrorism.

Fax number - 855-653-9144

How Long Will It Take?
Generally, it may take up to 60 days for us to process your
request.

Specific Instructions
Line 1
Exempt or political organization. Enter the organization's
official name under which exempt status was approved, address,
and employer identification number. If you do not enter the official
name, we may not be able to locate the requested form.

You are not required to provide the information requested on a
form that is subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act unless the
form displays a valid OMB control number. Books or records
relating to a form or its instructions must be retained as long as
their contents may become material in the administration of any
Internal Revenue law. Generally, tax returns and return
information are confidential, as required by Section 6103. The
time needed to complete and file Form 4506-A will vary
depending on individual circumstances. The estimated average
time is:

Complete a separate Form 4506-A for each organization.

Line 2
Requester. Enter the requester's name, address, phone number,
and the name of a contact person.

Line 3
Category of requester. Check the appropriate category of the
requester. You must check a box.

Recordkeeping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Learning about the law or the form . . . . . . . .
Preparing the form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Copying, assembling, and sending the form to the IRS

Line 4
Reason for request. To avoid being charged the commercial
rate, all requesters, except commercial users, must provide a
reason for requesting the records and explain how the records
will be used.

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6 min.
10 min.
21 min.
20 min.

If you have comments concerning the accuracy of these time
estimates or suggestions for making Form 4506-A simpler, we
would be happy to hear from you. You can send us comments by
going to www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/comment-on-tax-forms-andpublications. You can also send your comments to:

Lines 5-8
For each applicable form, complete the item(s) you are
requesting. You may request more than one form. For each form
requested enter the specific tax year(s) or period(s) for a paper or
USB request as indicated. If ordering a partial set on USB or
sample USB, indicate, state(s), and month(s) requested. If
ordering a sample USB, check the sample USB box, and write in
the calendar year(s). Sample USB requests are not available for
individual states. USB and sample USB requests are not
available for individual exempt organizations.

Internal Revenue Service
Tax Forms and Publications Division
1111 Constitution Ave. NW, IR-6526
Washington, DC 20224
Do not send Form 4506-A to this address. Instead, see Where
To File.

Line 8b
Other form(s). Use this box to request any other form that is
publicly disclosable. Examples include Form 8886-T and, if filed
by a private foundation, Form 4720.
Note. Requests for these “other” documents take longer to
process and could result in significant delays.

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Incomplete requests will be rejected.

CAUTION

Note. Tax returns are generally available only for seven years
from filing before they are destroyed.

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