990-N Form 990-N Electronic Notice (e-Postcard) for Tax-Exempt

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

Publication 5248 (Rev. 8-2023) 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 (a year ending December 31) as its tax year, it must
wait until January 1, the day following the end of its tax year, to file.
• Fiscal Year Filers
If your organization uses a fiscal year (a year ending on a date other than December 31) as its
tax year, it must wait until the day following the end of its fiscal year to file.
The IRS determines the filing year using the beginning date of the organization’s tax year.

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:
• Do not use a smart phone or tablet to file your Form 990-N.
• 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.
• 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 (^).
• 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 SIGN IN
STEP 1
Open the electronic filing page: https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/annual-electronic-filingrequirement-for-small-exempt-organizations-form-990-n-e-postcard.
After reviewing the information provided on the Form 990-N webpage, click the “Submit Form 990-N
(e-Postcard)” link under the “Submitting Form 990-N (e-Postcard)” header.
STEP 2
Sign In or Create a New Account
• IRS offers sign-in options with Login.gov and ID.me. Both offer access to IRS online services
through a secure account that protects your privacy.

HOW TO CREATE AN ELECTRONIC FORM SUBMISSION
STEP 1
Select MANAGE E-POSTCARD PROFILE to create a new Form 990-N electronic filing submission.

STEP 2
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.
After selecting the user type, select CONTINUE.

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STEP 3
Enter an EIN for the organization you’re filing for, then click ADD EIN. You may also delete EINs
already associated with your profile by selecting DELTE EIN. To continue, select CREATE NEW
FILING.

STEP 4
Select the EIN you wish to file for from the drop-down menu. Once you have selected the EIN, select
CONTINUE.

STEP 5
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.

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STEP 6
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: TText fields cannot exceed 35 characters and must
contain only alphanumeric characters. Periods, slashes and most special characters will cause
registration or filing errors. Hyphens are permitted.
Also, enter website addresses using “www.” - not “http://www.”

STEP 7
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.
Note: 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.

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MANAGING FORM 990-N SUBMISSIONS
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
• StayExempt.IRS.gov/workshop – Free online courses to help organizational leadership and
volunteers understand the benefits, limitations and expectations for exempt organizations.

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