Understanding the "Most Common" Form 990 Schedules: A, B & O

26WM-0010 Materials

Pdf Summary

This slide deck is a training webinar on completing the most common substantive Form 990 schedules: A, B, and O. It explains how these schedules affect nonprofit tax classification, donor reporting, and governance transparency.<br /><br />Schedule A is used by 501(c)(3) organizations to show whether they qualify as public charities rather than private foundations. The presentation reviews the main public charity categories and the two public support tests. Test 1, reported in Part II, is the simpler “33 1/3% support test,” with a fallback facts-and-circumstances option if the organization reaches at least 10% support. Test 2, reported in Part III, is more complex and includes both public support and investment income limits. The deck explains what counts as support, how to treat grants, fees, government payments, and unrelated business income, and how the five-year testing period works. It also covers the special rules and additional disclosures required for supporting organizations under section 509(a)(3), including Type I, Type II, and Type III organizations.<br /><br />Schedule B covers reporting of contributors. The presentation explains the filing thresholds, special rules for certain 501(c)(3) organizations, rules for 501(c)(7), (8), and (10) organizations with restricted gifts, and the post-2018 rules on donor name disclosure and public redaction. It emphasizes that some organizations must still keep donor identities in records even if names are not shown on the public filing.<br /><br />Schedule O is presented as the narrative overflow for Form 990 Part VI governance disclosures. Topics include board independence, related-party relationships, management companies, how the return was reviewed, conflict of interest policies, compensation-setting procedures, joint ventures, and public access to records. The deck closes with guidance on presenting the Form 990 to the board and highlighting sensitive disclosures.

Keywords

Form 990

Schedule A

Schedule B

Schedule O

public charity

private foundation

donor disclosure

governance transparency

support test

nonprofit tax classification