Publication 557: Tax-Exempt Status for Your Organization; Chapter 1 - Application, Approval, and Appeal Procedures

This is archived information that pertains only to the 2004 Tax Year. If you
are looking for information for the current tax year, go to the Tax Prep Help Area.

Table of Contents

Introduction

If your organization is one of the organizations described in this publication and is seeking recognition of tax-exempt status from the IRS, you should follow the procedures described in this chapter and the instructions that accompany the appropriate application forms.

For information on section 501(c)(3) organizations, see chapter 3. If your organization is seeking exemption under one of the other paragraphs of section 501(c), see chapter 4.

Topics - This chapter discusses:

Application procedures that generally apply to all organizations discussed in this publication, including the application forms,
Rulings and determination letters (approvals/disapprovals),
Appeal procedures available if an adverse determination letter is proposed, and
Group exemption letters.

Application Procedures

Oral requests for recognition of exemption will not be considered by the IRS. Your application for tax-exempt status must be in writing using the appropriate forms as discussed below.

Forms Required

Most organizations seeking recognition of exemption from federal income tax must use specific application forms prescribed by the IRS. Two forms currently required by the IRS are Form 1023, Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and Form 1024, Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(a). For information about how to obtain the latest revision, see chapter 5.

Forms 1023 and 1024 contain instructions and checklists to help you provide the information required to process your application. Incomplete applications will not be processed.

Some organizations do not have to use specific application forms. The application your organization must use is specified in the chapter in this publication dealing with your kind of organization. It is also shown in the Organization Reference Chart.

When no specific application form is prescribed for your organization, application for exemption is by letter to the IRS. Send the application to the appropriate address shown on Form 8718, User Fee for Exempt Organization Determination Letter Request. The letter must be signed by an authorized individual such as an officer of the organization or a person authorized by a power of attorney. (See Power of attorney under Miscellaneous Procedures, later.) Send the power of attorney with the application letter when you file it. The letter should also contain the name and telephone number of the person to contact. The information described below under Required Inclusions must be sent with the letter.

User fee. The law requires the payment of a user fee for determination letter requests such as your application for recognition of tax-exempt status. You should use Form 8718 to figure the amount of your fee and to pay it. Your payment must accompany your request. The IRS will not process a request unless the fee has been paid.

To find the correct amounts for user fees and the length of time to process a request, call 1-877-829-5500 for assistance.

Required Inclusions

Every exempt organization must have an employer identification number (EIN), whether or not it has any employees.

If your organization does not have an EIN, your application for recognition of exemption should include a completed Form SS–4, Application for Employer Identification Number.

Organizing documents. Each application for exemption must be accompanied by a conformed copy of your organization's Articles of Incorporation (and the Certificate of Incorporation, if available), Articles of Association, Trust Indenture, Constitution, or other enabling document. If the organization does not have an organizing document, it will not qualify for exempt status.

Bylaws. Bylaws alone are not organizing documents. However, if your organization has adopted bylaws, include a current copy. The bylaws need not be signed if submitted as an attachment.

If your organization's name has been officially changed by an amendment to your organizing instruments, you should also attach a conformed copy of that amendment to your application.

Conformed copy. A conformed copy is a copy that agrees with the original and all amendments to it. If the original document required a signature, the copy should either be signed by a principal officer or, if not signed, be accompanied by a written declaration signed by an authorized officer of the organization. With either option, the officer must certify that the document is a complete and accurate copy of the original. A certificate of incorporation should be approved and dated by an appropriate state official.

Every attachment should show your organization's name, address, and EIN. It should also state that it is an attachment to your application form and identify the part and line item number to which it applies.

Do not submit original documents because they become part of the IRS file and cannot be returned.

Description of activities. Your application must include a full description of the purposes and the activities of your organization. When describing the activities in which your organization expects to engage, you must include the standards, criteria, procedures, or other means that your organization adopted or planned for carrying out those activities.

To determine the information you need to provide, you should study the part of this publication that applies to your organization. The appropriate chapter will describe the purposes and activities that your organization must pursue, engage in, and include in your application in order to achieve exempt status.

Often your organization's articles of organization (or other organizing instruments) contain descriptions of your organization's purposes and activities.

Financial data. You must include in your application financial statements showing your receipts and expenditures for the current year and the 3 preceding years (or for the number of years your organization was in existence, if less than 4 years). For each accounting period, you must describe the sources of your receipts and the nature of your expenditures. You must also include a balance sheet for the current year.

If you have not yet begun operations, or have operated for less than 1 year, a proposed budget for 2 full accounting periods and a current statement of assets and liabilities will be acceptable.

Other information. The IRS may require you to provide additional information necessary to clarify the nature of your organization. Some examples are:

Representative copies of advertising placed,
Copies of publications, such as magazines,
Distributed written material used for expressing views on proposed legislation, and
Copies of leases, contracts, or agreements into which your organization has entered.

Miscellaneous Procedures

For prompt action on your application, be sure to attach all schedules, statements, and other documents required by the application form. If you do not attach them, you may have to resubmit your application or you may otherwise encounter a delay in obtaining recognition of exemption.

Incomplete application. If the application does not contain the required information, it may be returned with a letter of explanation without being considered on its merits. If the completed application is resubmitted within the time period indicated in the letter from the IRS, it will be considered received on the original submission date. In that case, if the original submission was timely, the application will be considered timely filed as discussed in chapter 3, under Application for Recognition of Exemption.

Application made under wrong paragraph of section 501(c). Occasionally, an organization may appear to qualify for exemption under a paragraph of section 501(c) that is different from the one for which the organization applied. If the application was made on Form 1024, which applies to more than one paragraph of section 501(c), the organization may be recognized as exempt under any paragraph to which the form applies if the organization has agreed to have its application considered under that paragraph. It must also supply any additional information required for the application under the new paragraph.

Different application form needed. If a different application form is required for your organization, the IRS will so advise your organization and will provide the appropriate application form for your convenience in reapplying under that paragraph, if you wish to do so. Although supporting information previously furnished need not be duplicated, you must provide any necessary additional information required for the application. If your reply is not received within a limited time, your application will be processed only for the paragraph under which you originally applied.

When a specific application form is needed for the paragraph under which your organization qualifies, that form is required before a letter recognizing exemption can be issued. This includes cases in which an exemption letter is modified to recognize an organization's exempt status under a paragraph other than the paragraph under which it originally established exemption.

IRS responses. Organizations that submit a complete application will receive an acknowledgment from the IRS. Others will receive a letter requesting more information or returning an incomplete application. Applicants also will be notified if the application is forwarded to the Headquarters of the IRS for consideration. These letters will be sent out as soon as possible after receipt of the organization's application.

Withdrawal of application. An application may be withdrawn at any time before the issuance of a ruling or determination letter upon the written request of a principal officer or authorized representative of your organization. However, the withdrawal will not prevent the information contained in the application from being used by the IRS in any subsequent examination of your organization's returns. The information forwarded with an application will not be returned to your organization and, generally, when an application is withdrawn, the user fee paid will not be refunded.

Requests for withholding of information from the public. The law requires many exempt organizations and private foundations to make their application forms and annual information returns available for public inspection. The law also requires the IRS to make available for public inspection, in accordance with section 6104 of the Code and the related regulations, your approved application for recognition of exemption (including any papers submitted in support of the application) and the ruling or determination letter (discussed later, under Rulings and Determination Letters).

Any information submitted in the application or in support of it that relates to any trade secret, patent, process, style of work, or apparatus, upon request, may be withheld from public inspection if the Commissioner determines that the disclosure of such information would adversely affect the organization. Your request must:

Identify the material to be withheld (the document, page, paragraph, and line) by clearly marking it, “Not Subject To Public Inspection.”
Include the reasons for your organization's position that the information is of the type that may be withheld from public inspection.
Be filed with the documents in which the material to be withheld is contained.

Where to file. Your application for recognition of tax-exempt status must be filed with the IRS at the address shown on Form 8718.

Your application will be considered by the Manager, EO Determinations, who will either issue a favorable determination letter to your organization, issue an adverse determination letter denying the exempt status claimed in the application, or refer the case to the Exempt Organizations Technical Office (EO Technical) in the Headquarters of the IRS for a ruling.

Requests other than applications. Requests other than applications for recognition of exemption (for example, requests for rulings involving feeder organizations, application of excise taxes to activities of private foundations, taxation of unrelated business income, etc.) should be sent to:

Internal Revenue Service
Attention: EO Letter Rulings
P.O. Box 27720, McPherson Station
Washington, DC 20038

These requests, like applications for recognition of exemption, must be accompanied by the appropriate user fee.

Referral to Headquarters. EO Examinations Area Manager, EO Determinations Area Manager, or Appeals Area Director, SB/SE - TE/GE, will refer to Headquarters any exempt organization issue concerning qualification for exemption or foundation status for which there is no published precedent or for which there is reason to believe that nonuniformity exists. An EO Examinations, an EO Determinations, or an Appeals Office may request technical advice on any technical or procedural question that cannot be resolved on the basis of law, regulations, or a clearly applicable revenue ruling or other published precedent. An organization may request that an issue be referred to EO Technical, Headquarters, for technical advice if it feels that a lack of uniformity exists as to the disposition of the issue or if an issue is so unusual or complex as to warrant consideration by Headquarters. If a determination letter is issued based on technical advice from Headquarters regarding qualification for exemption or foundation status, no further administrative appeal is available on the issue that was the subject of technical advice.

Power of attorney. If your organization expects to be represented by an agent or attorney, whether in person or by correspondence, you must file a power of attorney with your exemption application specifically authorizing the agent or attorney to represent your organization. Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative, may be used for this purpose.

Reminder.

The law requires payment of a user fee for determination letter requests. Use Form 8718 to figure the amount and pay the fee. Payment must accompany each request.

Rulings and Determination Letters

A ruling or determination letter will be issued to your organization if its application and supporting documents establish that it meets the particular requirements of the section under which it is claiming exemption. However, the IRS will not ordinarily issue rulings or determination letters recognizing exemption if an issue involving the organization's exempt status is pending in litigation or is under consideration within the IRS.

Advance ruling. A ruling or determination letter may be issued in advance of operations if your organization can describe its proposed operations in enough detail to permit a conclusion that it will clearly meet the particular requirements of the section under which it is claiming exemption. A restatement of the organization's purpose or a statement that it will be operated in furtherance of that purpose will not satisfy this requirement. The organization must describe fully the activities in which it expects to engage. This includes standards, procedures, or other means adopted or planned by the organization for carrying out its activities, expected sources of funds, and the nature of its contemplated expenses.

When an organization does not supply the information previously mentioned under Application Procedures, or fails to furnish a sufficiently detailed description of its proposed activities to permit a conclusion that it will clearly be exempt, a record of actual operations may be required before a ruling or determination letter is issued.

Adverse determination. If an organization is unable to describe fully its purposes and activities, resulting in a refusal by the IRS to issue a ruling or determination letter, that refusal is considered an adverse determination, which the organization can appeal. See Appeal Procedures, later.

Effective Date of Exemption

A ruling or determination letter recognizing exemption is usually effective as of the date of formation of an organization if, during the period before the date of the ruling or determination letter, its purposes and activities were those required by the law. (See Application for Recognition of Exemption in chapter 3 for the special rule for organizations applying for recognition of exemption under section 501(c)(3).) Upon obtaining recognition of exemption, the organization may file a claim for a refund of income taxes paid for the period for which its exempt status is recognized.

If an organization is required to alter its activities or substantially amend its charter to qualify, the ruling or determination letter recognizing exemption will be effective as of the date specified in the letter. If a nonsubstantive amendment is made, such as correction of a clerical error in the enabling instrument or the addition of a dissolution clause, exemption will ordinarily be recognized as of the date of formation if the activities of the organization before the ruling or determination are consistent with the exemption requirements.

A ruling or determination letter recognizing exemption may not be relied upon if there is a material change, inconsistent with exemption, in the character, the purpose, or the method of operation of the organization.

Revocation or Modification of Exemption

A ruling or determination letter recognizing exemption may be revoked or modified by:

A notice to the organization to which the ruling or determination letter originally was issued,
Enactment of legislation or ratification of a tax treaty,
A decision of the United States Supreme Court,
Issuance of temporary or final regulations, or
Issuance of a revenue ruling, a revenue procedure, or other statement published in the Internal Revenue Bulletin or Cumulative Bulletin.

When revocation takes effect. If the organization omitted or misstated a material fact, operated in a manner materially different from that originally represented, or, with regard to organizations to which section 503 applies, engaged in a prohibited transaction (such as diverting corpus or income from its exempt purpose), the revocation or modification may be retroactive.

Material change in organization. If there is a material change, inconsistent with exemption, in the character, purpose, or method of operation of the organization, revocation or modification will ordinarily take effect as of the date of that material change.

Relief from retroactivity. If a ruling or determination letter was issued in error or is no longer in accord with the holding of the IRS, and if section 7805(b) relief is granted, retroactivity of the revocation or modification ordinarily will be limited to a date not earlier than that on which the original ruling or determination letter was modified or revoked. For more information on requesting section 7805(b) relief, see Revenue Procedure 2003-4 (or later update).

Foundations. The determination of the effective date is the same for the revocation or modification of foundation status or operating foundation status unless the effective date is expressly covered by statute or regulations.

Written notice. If an EO area manager concludes, as a result of examining an information return or considering information from any other source, that a ruling or determination letter should be revoked or modified, the organization will be advised in writing of the proposed action and the reasons for it.

The organization will also be advised of its right to protest the proposed action by requesting Appeals Office consideration. The appeal procedures are discussed next.

Appeal Procedures

If an organization applies for tax-exempt status and receives an adverse determination letter, the organization will be advised of its right to protest the determination by requesting Appeals Office consideration. The organization must send its protest to the EO area manager of the office issuing the adverse letter. The letter must be sent within 30 days from the date of the adverse determination letter and must state whether it wishes an Appeals Office conference.

Representation. A principal officer or trustee may represent an organization at any level of appeal within the IRS. Or, the organization may be represented by an attorney, certified public accountant, or individual enrolled to practice before the IRS.

If the organization's representative attends a conference without a principal officer or trustee, the representative must file a proper power of attorney or a tax information authorization before receiving or inspecting confidential information. Form 2848, or Form 8821, Tax Information Authorization, as appropriate (or any other properly written power of attorney or authorization), may be used for this purpose. These forms may be obtained from the IRS. For more information, get Publication 947, Practice Before the IRS and Power of Attorney.

Appeals Office Consideration

The protest to the Appeals Office should be filed with the local Appeals Office considering the application and contain all of the following information.

The organization's name, address, and employer identification number.
A statement that the organization wants to protest the determination.
The date and symbols on the determination letter.
A statement of facts supporting the organization's position in any contested factual issue.
A statement outlining the law or other authority the organization is relying on.
A statement as to whether a conference at the Appeals Office is desired.

The statement of facts (item 4) must be declared true under penalties of perjury. This may be done by adding to the protest the following signed declaration:

	“Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined the statement of facts presented in this protest and in any accompanying schedules and statements and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it is true, correct, and complete.”

	Signature.

If the organization's representative submits the protest, a substitute declaration must be included, stating:

That the representative prepared the protest and accompanying documents, and
Whether the representative knows personally that the statements of fact contained in the protest and accompanying documents are true and correct.

Be sure the protest contains all of the information requested. Incomplete protests will be returned for completion.

If a conference is requested, it will be held at the Appeals Office, unless the organization requests that the meeting be held at a field office convenient to both parties.

The Appeals Office, after considering the organization's protest as well as information presented in any conference held, will notify the organization of its decision and issue an appropriate determination letter. An adverse decision may be appealed to the courts (discussed later).

Appeals offices must request technical advice from EO Technical, IRS Headquarters, on any exempt organization issue concerning qualification for exemption or foundation status for which there is no published precedent or for which there is reason to believe that nonuniformity exists. If an organization believes that its case involves such an issue, it should ask the Appeals Office to request technical advice.

Any determination letter issued on the basis of technical advice from Headquarters may not be appealed to the Appeals Office for those issues that were the subject of the technical advice.

Headquarters Consideration

If an application is referred to IRS Headquarters for issuance of a ruling and an adverse ruling is issued, the organization will be informed of the basis for the conclusion, its right to file a protest within 30 days, and its right to have a conference at Headquarters.

Administrative Remedies

In the case of an application under section 501(c)(3) of the Code, all of the following actions, called administrative remedies, must be completed by your organization before an unfavorable ruling or determination letter from the IRS can be appealed to the courts.

The filing of a substantially completed application Form 1023 (described earlier in this chapter) or the filing of a request for a determination of foundation status (see Private Foundations and Public Charities in chapter 3).
In the case of a late-filed application, requesting relief under section 301.9100 of the Income Tax Regulations regarding applications for extensions of time for making an election or application for relief from tax (see Application for Recognition of Exemption in chapter 3).
The timely submission of all additional information requested to perfect an exemption application or request for determination of private foundation status.
Exhaustion of all administrative appeals available within the IRS, including protest of an adverse ruling in the Headquarters original jurisdiction exemption application cases.

The actions just described will not be considered completed until the IRS has had a reasonable time to act upon the appeal or protest, as the case may be.

An organization will not be considered to have exhausted its administrative remedies before the earlier of:

The completion of the steps just listed and the sending by certified or registered mail of a notice of final determination, or
The expiration of the 270-day period in which the IRS has not issued a notice of final determination and the organization has taken, in a timely manner, all reasonable steps to secure a ruling or determination.

270-day period. The 270-day period will be considered by the IRS to begin on the date a substantially completed Form 1023 is sent to the IRS. See Application Procedures, earlier, for information needed to complete Form 1023.

If the application does not contain all of the required items, it will not be further processed and may be returned to the applicant for completion. The 270-day period, in this event, will not be considered as starting until the date the application is remailed to the IRS with the requested information, or, if a postmark is not evident, on the date the IRS receives a substantially completed application.

Appeal to Courts

If the IRS issues an unfavorable determination letter or ruling to your organization and you have exhausted all the administrative remedies just discussed, your organization can seek judicial remedies.

For example, if your organization has paid the tax resulting from the unfavorable determination and met all other statutory prerequisites, it can file suit for a refund in a United States District Court or the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Or, if your organization elected not to pay the tax deficiency resulting from the unfavorable determination and met all other statutory prerequisites, it can file suit for a redetermination of the tax deficiencies in the United States Tax Court. For more information on these types of suits, get Publication 556, Examination of Returns, Appeal Rights, and Claims for Refund.

In certain situations, your organization can file suit for a declaratory judgment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, or the U.S. Tax Court. This remedy is available if your organization received an adverse notice of final determination, or if the IRS failed to make a timely determination on your initial or continuing qualification or classification as an exempt organization. However, your exempt status claim must be as:

An organization qualifying under section 501(c)(3),
An organization to which a deduction for a contribution is allowed under section 170(c)(2),
An organization that is a private foundation under section 509, or
A private operating foundation under section 4942(j)(3).

Adverse notice of final determination. The adverse notice of final determination referred to above is a ruling or determination letter sent by certified or registered mail, holding that your organization:

Is not described in section 501(c)(3) or section 170(c)(2) of the Code,
Is a private foundation as defined in section 4942(j)(3), or
Is a public charity described in a part of section 509 or section 170(b)(1)(A) other than the part under which your organization requested classification.

Favorable court rulings - IRS procedure. If a suit results in a final determination that your organization is exempt from tax, the IRS will issue a favorable ruling or determination letter, provided your organization has filed an application for exemption and submitted a statement that the underlying facts and applicable law are the same as in the period considered by the court.

Group Exemption Letter

A group exemption letter is a ruling or determination letter issued to a central organization recognizing on a group basis the exemption under section 501(c) of subordinate organizations on whose behalf the central organization has applied for recognition of exemption.

A central organization is an organization that has one or more subordinates under its general supervision or control.

A subordinate organization is a chapter, local, post, or unit of a central organization. A central organization may be a subordinate itself, such as a state organization that has subordinate units and is itself affiliated with a national (central) organization.

A subordinate organization may or may not be incorporated, but it must have an organizing document. A subordinate that is organized and operated in a foreign country may not be included in a group exemption letter. A subordinate described in section 501(c)(3) may not be included in a group exemption letter if it is a private foundation described in section 509(a).

If your organization is a subordinate one controlled by a central organization (for example, a church, the Boy Scouts, or a fraternal organization), you should check with the central organization to see if it has been issued a group exemption letter that covers your organization. If it has, you do not have to file a separate application unless your organization no longer wants to be included in the group exemption letter.

If the group exemption letter does not cover your organization, ask your central organization about being included in the next annual group ruling update that it submits to the IRS.

Central Organization Application Procedure

If your organization is a central organization with affiliated subordinates under its control, it may apply for a group exemption letter for its subordinates, provided it has obtained recognition of its own exemption. You should make the application for such subordinates by letter instead of submitting either Form 1023 or 1024. This procedure relieves each of the subordinates covered by a group exemption letter from filing its own application. A central organization obtains its own recognition of exemption by sending its application to the IRS address shown on Form 8718 for the area in which the central organization's principal place of business or principal office is located.

If the central organization has previously obtained recognition of its own exemption, it must indicate its employer identification number, the date of the letter recognizing its exemption, and the IRS office that issued it. It need not forward documents already submitted. However, if it has not already done so, the central organization must submit a copy of any amendment to its governing instruments or internal regulations as well as any information about changes in its character, purposes, or method of operation.

Employer identification number. If the central organization does not have an employer identification number (EIN), it must send a completed Form SS–4 with its exemption application. Each subordinate must have its own EIN even if it has no employees. The central organization must send with the group exemption application a completed Form SS–4 on behalf of each subordinate not having an EIN.

Information required for subordinate organizations. In addition to the information required to obtain recognition of its own exemption, the central organization must submit information for those subordinates to be included in the group exemption letter. The information should be forwarded in a letter signed by a principal officer of the central organization setting forth or including as attachments the following.

Information verifying that the subordinates:
1. Are affiliated with the central organization,
2. Are subject to its general supervision or control,
3. Are all eligible to qualify for exemption under the same paragraph of section 501(c), though not necessarily the paragraph under which the central organization is exempt,
4. Are not private foundations if the application for a group exemption letter involves section 501(c)(3),
5. Are all on the same accounting period as the central organization if they are to be included in group returns, and
6. Are organizations that have been formed within the 15-month period preceding the date of submission of the group exemption application if they are claiming section 501(c)(3) status and are subject to the requirements of section 508(a) and wish to be recognized as exempt from their dates of creation (a group exemption letter may be issued covering subordinates, one or more of which have not been organized within the 15-month period preceding the date of submission, if all subordinates are willing to be recognized as exempt only from the date of application).
A detailed description of the purposes and activities of the subordinates, including the sources of receipts and the nature of expenditures.
A sample copy of a uniform governing instrument (such as a charter or articles of association) adopted by the subordinates, or, in its absence, copies of representative instruments.
An affirmation to the effect that, to the best of the officer's knowledge, the purposes and activities of the subordinates are as stated in (2) and (3), above.
A statement that each subordinate to be included in the group exemption letter has given written authorization to that effect, signed by an authorized officer of the subordinate, to the central organization (see also New 501(c)(3) organizations that want to be included, later in this section).
A list of subordinates to be included in the group exemption letter to which the IRS has issued an outstanding ruling or determination letter relating to exemption.
If the application for a group exemption letter involves section 501(c)(3) and is subject to the provisions of the Code requiring that it give timely notice that it is not a private foundation (see Private Foundations in chapter 3), an affirmation to the effect that, to the best of the officer's knowledge and belief, no subordinate to be included in the group exemption letter is a private foundation as defined in section 509(a).
For each subordinate that is a school claiming exemption under section 501(c)(3), the information required by Revenue Ruling 71–447 and Revenue Procedure 75–50 (these requirements are fully described in chapter 3, under Private Schools; see also Schedule B, Form 1023).
For any school affiliated with a church, the information to show that the provisions of Revenue Ruling 75–231 have been met.
A list of the names, mailing addresses, actual addresses if different, and EINs of subordinates to be included in the group exemption letter. A current directory of subordinates may be furnished instead of the list if it includes the required information and if the subordinates not to be included in the group exemption letter are identified.

New 501(c)(3) organizations that want to be included. A new organization, described in section 501(c)(3), that wants to be included in a group exemption letter, must submit its authorization (as explained in item number 5 above, under Information required for subordinate organizations) to the central organization before the end of the 15th month after it was formed in order to satisfy the requirement of section 508(a). The central organization must also include this subordinate in its next annual submission of information as discussed below under Information Required Annually.

Keeping the Group Exemption Letter in Force

Continued effectiveness of a group exemption letter is based on the following conditions.

The continued existence of the central organization.
The continued qualification of the central organization for exemption under section 501(c).
The submission by the central organization of the information required annually (described below under Information Required Annually).
The annual filing of an information return (Form 990, for example) by the central organization if required.

The continued effectiveness of a group exemption letter as to a particular subordinate is based on these four conditions, as well as on the continued conformity by the subordinate to the requirements for inclusion in a group exemption letter, the authorization for inclusion, and the annual filing of any required information return for the subordinate.

Information Required Annually

To maintain a group exemption letter, the central organization must submit annually, at least 90 days before the close of its annual accounting period, all of the following information.

Information about all changes in the purposes, character, or method of operation of the subordinates included in the group exemption letter.
A separate list (that includes the names, mailing addresses, actual addresses if different, and EINs of the affected subordinates) for each of the three following categories.
1. Subordinates that have changed their names or addresses during the year.
2. Subordinates no longer to be included in the group exemption letter because they no longer exist or have disaffiliated or withdrawn their authorization to the central organization.
3. Subordinates to be added to the group exemption letter because they are newly organized or affiliated or because they have recently authorized the central organization to include them.
An annotated directory of subordinates will not be accepted for this purpose. If there were none of the above changes, the central organization must submit a statement to that effect.
The information required to be submitted by a central organization on behalf of subordinates to be included in the group exemption letter is required for subordinates to be added to the letter. (This information is listed in items 1 through 9, under Information required for subordinate organizations, earlier. However, if the information upon which the group exemption letter was based applies in all material respects to these subordinates, a statement to this effect may be submitted instead of the information required by items 1 through 4 of that list.)

The organization should send this information to:

Ogden Service Center
Mail Stop 6271
1000 South 1200 West
Ogden, UT 84404–4749

Submitting the required information annually does not relieve the central organization or any of its subordinates of the duty to submit any other information that may be required by an EO area manager to determine whether the conditions for continued exemption are being met.

Events Causing Loss of Group Exemption

A group exemption letter no longer has effect, for either a particular subordinate or the group as a whole, when:

The central organization notifies the IRS that it is going out of existence,
The central organization notifies the IRS, by its annual submission or otherwise, that any of its subordinates will no longer fulfill the conditions for continued effectiveness, explained earlier, or
The IRS notifies the central organization or the affected subordinate that the group exemption letter will no longer have effect for some or all of the group because the conditions for continued effectiveness of a group exemption letter have not been fulfilled.

When notice is given under any of these three conditions, the IRS will no longer recognize the exempt status of the affected subordinates until they file separate applications on their own behalf or the central organization files complete supporting information for their reinclusion in the group exemption at the time of its annual submission. However, when the notice is given by the IRS and the withdrawal of recognition is based on the failure of the organization to comply with the requirements for recognition of tax-exempt status under the particular subsection of section 501(c), the revocation will ordinarily take effect as of the date of that failure. The notice, however, will be given only after the appeal procedures described earlier in this chapter are completed.