Online Renewal System Checklist

• Charity Registration Status must be Current or Current – Awaiting Reporting. Use the Registry Search Tool to verify status, look up previous and in-progress filings.
• IRS filing for the most recent full accounting period must have been submitted to the IRS. The Registry requires a copy of IRS Forms 990, 990-EZ or 990-PF including most schedules and attachments in PDF format. Note:
  • Schedule B is not requested or required by the Registry.
    • Please exclude all pages of Schedule B from your IRS Form 990, Form 990-EZ or Form 990-PF filing that you submit to the Registry, including the first page.
    • Please do not submit redacted, blank or Public View versions of Schedule B – exclude all pages entirely from your filing with the Registry.
  • If your organization is not required to file and does not file IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ because it does not meet the revenue requirements, your organization must submit Form CT-TR-1 with the Registry (more details below).
  • The Registry does not require a copy of IRS Form 990-N.

After the above are verified and completed, make ready these items to enter or upload before starting your online session:

• All data as required on Form RRF-1 & Instructions. You will not need to upload the PDF itself.
• Written explanations to all "Yes" answers to Questions 1 through 7 and 9 in Part B of Form RRF-1 & Instructions are required in a separate PDF file. Question 8 is exempted unless the Registry specifically requests an explanation later. See Tip: Creating a PDF File below.
• If your organization is not required to file and does not file IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ with the IRS because it does not meet the revenue requirements, your organization must submit Form CT-TR-1 & Instructions in PDF format. The Registry does not require Form CT-TR-1 from organizations that file Form 990, 990-EZ or 990-PF. Suggested steps to make Form CT-TR-1 ready for upload:
  • Complete the form fields per instructions, typing directly into the fields.
  • The TOTALs fields are not editable - they are calculated based on what is entered in the fields above them. You may need the latest version of Acrobat for this feature.
  • The Signature of Authorized Agent field may be left blank when the form is submitted using the Online Renewal System. Your electronic signature that will be captured during your online session will constitute a signature on all attachments you upload to the system. Only an agent authorized to sign on behalf of the organization may sign during your online session.
  • For all PDFs you intend to submit, please be sure that they look as expected when opening with the latest version of Acrobat. Some third party PDF creators are not fully compatible with Acrobat.
• Do not include public and confidential documentation in the same PDF. Have ready a separate PDF file for all confidential portions. Note:
  • Schedule B is not requested or required by the Registry.
    • Please exclude all pages of Schedule B from your IRS Form 990, Form 990-EZ or Form 990-PF filing that you submit to the Registry, including the first page.
    • Please do not submit redacted, blank or Public View versions of Schedule B – exclude all pages entirely from your filing with the Registry.
• All individual PDF files to be submitted must:
  • Be 100% public or 100% confidential documentation. See previous bullet item.
  • Be in PDF format. See Tip: Creating a PDF File below.
  • Be fully viewable with the latest version of Acrobat. Some third-party PDF creators are not fully compatible. Please check by opening each PDF with Acrobat before attaching them.
  • Be no more than 6 MB each. See Tip: Reducing PDF File Size below.
  • Not be password protected. They will be deleted.
• As of January 1, 2022, all registrants must pay a non-refundable Renewal Fee regardless of total revenue. The Fee Schedule is on the first page of Form RRF-1 & Instructions. It must be paid online using either a checking account (ACH) or credit card at the time of online submission. For ACH, there is no additional fee and you will need your banking information including account and routing (ABA) numbers. Payments by credit cards will include an additional 2.3% fee (also non-refundable) charged and collected by the payment processor.
• Note about ACH payments: For those with ACH/debit blocks on their checking account, before submitting you must notify your bank to allow an ACH debit. The Registry/DOJ Company ID is 1082037180.
• All required documents and Renewal Fee payments must be submitted together at the same time. An incomplete renewal submission will result in a Registry Status of Current - Reporting Incomplete until all remaining, required documents and/or fee payments are received and processed by the Registry. You may not amend or update a submission using this system – amended filings must be submitted by U.S. Mail or email.

Before going to the login page, see below for online User ID & Password information if you have not already created them.

If you do not have a User ID and Password established or they are forgotten, you may use the Account Code or Registration Code provided by the Registry to set up or change User ID or Password. The Account Code and/or Registration Code are sent by postcard via U.S. Mail to the organizations eligible to file online who have not. The postcards are sent within 45 days after the expected end of the latest accounting period (about three months before the Renewal Due Date). The address used for the postcards is the latest registration address on file with the Registry.

Once established, User IDs and Passwords are not changed except by the organization. This can be done using their Account or Registration Code or the organization may ask the Registry to reset credentials by special request.

Remember or save your credentials in a safe place.

If you wish to pass online filing responsibility to another authorized agent, it is recommended that you reset the User ID and Password using your Account or Registration Code to something safe to share. (i.e. you do not use the User ID and Password on some other online site). Your replacement may then reset User ID and Password to something of their choosing using the Account or Registration Code.

Before contacting the Registry regarding your Account Code or Registration Code to establish or change your User ID and Password, make sure:

• It has been at least 45 days after your latest accounting period ended, and
• You have not received a postcard from the Registry with your Account Code or Registration Code, and
• Your organization is eligible to file online.

The mailing address used by the Registry is the latest registration address on file with the Registry. This may be updated as part of filing an annual renewal or it may be updated separately, mid-year, using the Online Renewal System provided that the organization has already established a User ID & Password.

The Online Renewal System should be compatible with the latest version of popular browsers for personal computers including:

• Mozilla Firefox
• Google Chrome
• Apple Safari
• Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer

Use of old versions of those browsers, different browsers, or cell phone apps may cause the system to appear to behave improperly. If it is not behaving as expected, be sure you are:

• Using the latest version of one of those browsers on a desktop or laptop personal computer, and
• Not using a cell phone browser app, and
• Your operating system (e.g. Windows) is up-to-date with recommended updates installed.

If all else fails, try:

• A different browser from the list above.
• Restarting your computer.
• Contacting us to see if there is a system problem affecting others as well.

For problems with PDFs, be sure you are using the latest version of Acrobat.

Many applications allow you to create a PDF file from a file that you already created with them. Examples are Microsoft Word and Google Docs. There are also some applications available online that allow you to create a PDF from an existing file of various formats. Under a File or Options menu, typical options are:

• Save As
• Download
• Print

For each of those, there may be a file type or print-to option of Adobe PDF or just PDF. Select that option, name your file and save the PDF to your computer.

Before submitting any PDF as part of your filing, check that it is completely viewable with the latest version of Acrobat. Some third-party PDF creators are not fully compatible. Please check by opening each PDF with Acrobat before submitting them.

Sometimes a PDF file is too large for various reasons. PDFs created by scanning software, for example, can be much larger than they need to be based on the settings used (e.g. DPI, dots per inch). Online applications, like the Registry’s Online Renewal System, have certain maximum file sizes that they allow (e.g. the Registry’s is 6 MB per PDF).

There are applications, some online, that allow you to reduce the PDF file size while maintaining readability. As an example, with a version of Adobe Acrobat with this feature, the steps are typically something like this with the PDF open, under the File menu, select:

• Save As Other,
• Reduced Size PDF,
• For Acrobat Version Compatibility, set Make compatible with option to the latest version (e.g. Acrobat 10.0 or later),
• Select OK,
• Name your file, keep Save as type set to Adobe PDF, and select Save.

The above are typical steps for Acrobat, but the steps to reduce file size using other applications may be very different. If you do use a third-party PDF creator, before submitting any PDF as part of your filing, check that it is completely viewable with the latest version of Acrobat by opening each PDF with Acrobat before submitting them.