An IRS “990″ is an annual return to be filed by a charity or other organization that is exempt from Federal income taxes. There are four different IRS forms bearing a “990″ designation. Here’s a short guide to help you sort it out:
Form 990
In general, organizations exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501, 527, and 4947, other than private foundations, must file their annual information return on Form 990 or Form 990-EZ.
Form 990-N
Organizations that normally have annual gross receipts of less than $25,000 are not required to file Form 990 or 990-EZ. These small organizations may be required to file an annual electronic notice – e-Postcard (Form 990-N) for tax periods beginning after December 31, 2006.
Form 990-EZ
This is a shortened version of Form 990. It is designed for use by small exempt organizations and nonexempt charitable trusts. An organization may file Form 990-EZ, instead of Form 990, if it meets threshholds for both its gross receipts and total assets during the year. See Filing Phase-In for more information about these threshholds. If your organization does not meet either of these conditions, it cannot file Form 990-EZ. Instead the organization must file Form 990.
Form 990-PF
All private foundations exempt under section 501(c)(3) must file Form 990-PF.
Source: IRS website on August 11, 2009