Tool helps donors research tax-exempt organizations

Before donating to a charity, taxpayers often want to research the organization. The IRS has a tool that lets people access information about charities and other tax-exempt organizations fast and easily. The Tax Exempt Organization Search is available anytime on IRS.gov.

Here are some things taxpayers will find when they use the TEOS tool:

Forms

• Images of an organization’s forms 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF and 990-T filed with the IRS. New filings are added monthly.

A simplified search process

• TEOS is mobile friendly, which provides access to the search tool using smartphones or tablets.

Favorable determination letters

• These are issued by the IRS when an organization applied for and met the requirements for tax-exempt status. The IRS continues adding determination letters to the site. Eventually, all determination letters issued since January 2014 will be available.

Other information

This includes whether an organization:

• Is eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
• Has had its tax-exempt status revoked because it failed to file required forms or notices for three consecutive years.
• Filed a Form 990-N annual electronic notice with the IRS. This applies to small organizations only.

Publicly available data from electronically-filed 990 forms is still available through Amazon Web Services.