Banker wants IRS letter to open a checking account

Hi Carol,

At your leader meeting a few months back, you had recommended that all of our groups have the same EIN number.  When a group leader tried to change their account to one using our EIN, the banker wanted a copy of our original letter from the IRS.   I told the banker that we have never had to provide anything except a letter from me (one who obtained the number in 2002) and the EIN number which we provided.  He said it was just a personal preference of his.  Have you heard of this?  I am uncomfortable doing more than what is usually required and providing personal paperwork to him.  Am I being unreasonable, or do you think it is okay to provide it?   Thanks for any insight.

Debi in Indiana

Debi,

I’m with you-the banker should not need an IRS determination letter (I assume that’s what’s he is talking about) to open a nonprofit checking account. Many nonprofits never get a tax exempt determination letter from the IRS because they remain very small.

Don’t believe the banker if he says an IRS 501c3 determination letter is required to open a checking account (fortunately he said it was his personal preference).  I once had a bank teller  tell me that nonprofits couldn’t earn interest on their savings accounts because they were nonprofit!  She was greatly mistaken. Bankers don’t always know what they are talking about (outside of banking…)

Carol Topp, CPA

Debi followed up my reply with the following

I think there is some confusion on what the bank manager is asking for.

I don’t think he is asking for us to prove that we are a 501c3 non-profit as recognized by the IRS. I think that all he wants is a copy of the letter from the Department of the Treasury that assigned us the EIN number. He probably doesn’t even know the right terms for what he is asking.

Yes, I think you are correct.  The banker may have only been asking for the EIN paper from the IRS, not a 501c3 determination letter.
I guess he’s being careful about getting the EIN correctly from the IRS letter itself.  I can’t blame him for that.

Carol Topp, CPA

More lessons from a homeschool co-op

Faye had so many good lessons she learned from her homeschool co-op, I’m splitting them into two parts. here’s more great lessons learned from someone in the trenches of a homeschool co-op.

6.  Sometimes kids won’t like the class you are teaching; some may even decide to drop out after a few weeks.  Try not to take it personally.

7.  A co-op with mixed ages provides amazing opportunities for older kids to learn how to be around, and help, younger kids.  My little guy made so many connections with the older boys; it was wonderful.  And, having the older kids play with my son was a huge help to me.  Bonus–I may have found a future babysitter!

8.  There is nothing like a good game of Twister to shake things up a bit.  Read my Twister article to learn about our fun!

9.  It may take some effort to stick with a co-op.  After all, you probably had a routine before you joined the co-op, but don’t give up.  A co-op can really liven up your weekly schedule, not to mention all the new avenues can open for your kids.

10.  The more you can help, the better the co-op will be.  If you have a few extra minutes, see if something needs to be set up, or cleaned up, or put away.  If you have an idea for a class/program/field trip, share it with the planning group. One of our co-op families held a “tie dye” day and invited everyone to their house for a day of messy, creative fun.  I will never forget the site of all those tie-dyed shirts, blowing in the breeze on the clothesline.

11.  If one idea doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to toss it or tweak it.  We had started a MathCounts program, but for some kids that just didn’t work.  So, another mom gathered some awesome math games and brought them to the co-op for the kids who were a little intimidated by MathCounts.  The result?  The math games were a HUGE hit; kids were helping to get their parents out the door on time, so they wouldn’t be late for math games!

12.  Let your kids have fun, and don’t force them to try everything.  Sometimes just being exposed to new things will pique their interest in something different, which may encourage them to give it a try.  A co-op should be educational, but it should also be enjoyable.

I completely agree with everything Faye learned, especially #10 on everyone helps and #11 on staying flexible. They are so important in a homeschool co-op and so easy to forget! Thanks for sharing your experiences Faye!

If any of you want to learn how to start a co-op or run the co-op you belong to in a better way, order my book, Homeschool Co-ops: How to Start Them, Run Them and Not Burn Out.

Carol Topp, CPA

IRS fees will increase January 3, 2010

This just released by the IRS. Fees for applying for 501c3 tax exempt status are set to increase January 3, 2010:

User fees will increase for all applications for exemption (Forms 1023, 1024, and 1028) postmarked January 3, 2010:

• $400 for organizations whose gross receipts are $10,000 or less annually over a 4-year period
• $850 for organizations whose gross receipts exceed $10,000 annually over a 4-year period
• $3,000 for group exemption letters.

A complete schedule of all user fees will be published in the annual procedure released in January 2010.

Cyber Assistant, a Web-based software program designed to help 501(c)(3) applicants prepare a complete and accurate Form 1023 appplication, will become available during 2010.  Once the IRS announces the availability of Cyber Assistant, the user fees will change again:

• $200 for organizations using Cyber Assistant (regardless of size) to prepare their Form 1023
• $850 for all other organizations not using Cyber Assistant (regardless of size) to prepare their Form 1023.

IRS will announce when Cyber Assistant is available and the effective date of the user fee change.  Subscribe to the EO Update to automatically received an alert that Cyber Assistant is available.

http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=212562,00.html

So get your 501c3 application (Form 1023) in before January 3rd to save $100. (The current fees are $300 or $750 depending on your gross revenues)

Cyber Assistant sounds like a good tool, but the IRS does not say when Cyber Assistant will be available in 2010, so we have no idea when the lower rate of $200 will be available.

Last time the IRS increased their fees they received a deluge of applications and had a huge backlog for months. Small, new nonprofits try to save a buck wherever they can and will try to take advantage of the lower rate.  While I am glad to see the fee will eventually be dropped to $200, I still expect to see an increase in applications before the due date.

Carol Topp, CPA