How to Fill Out Schedule B for Form 990-EZ: Rules and Thresholds

To fill out Schedule B for Form 990-EZ, first decide whether any contributor met the reporting threshold, then list each qualifying donor in Part I, describe any noncash gifts in Part II, complete Part III only if you’re a 501(c)(7), (8), or (10) social or fraternal organization, and attach the whole schedule to your electronically filed Form 990-EZ.¹

Start by Checking Whether You Have to File It

Every Form 990-EZ filer either attaches a completed Schedule B or certifies on the return that no contributor met the threshold. Which threshold applies depends on your tax-exempt classification.

The General Rule

Report every contributor who gave $5,000 or more in money or property during the tax year. Multiple gifts from the same donor are added together, so ten $600 checks from one person total $6,000 and trigger the requirement. Contributions can be direct or indirect and include cash, securities, and other property.¹

The Special Rule for Certain 501(c)(3) Organizations

A 501(c)(3) that passes the 33 1/3% support test under sections 509(a)(1) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) uses a narrower threshold. It reports a contributor only when a gift of $5,000 or more also exceeds 2% of total contributions on Form 990-EZ, line 1. A public charity with $1 million in total contributions would list only donors who gave more than $20,000, provided the amount is also at least $5,000.¹

If No One Meets the Threshold

Skip the schedule and check the box on line H of Form 990-EZ to certify that Schedule B’s filing requirements don’t apply to your organization.²

What Counts Toward the Threshold

Reportable contributions include gifts, grants, bequests, and donations of money or property, whether or not they serve a charitable purpose. Government grants count too: organizations described in sections 509(a)(2), 170(b)(1)(A)(iv), and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) report governmental units as contributors when the funding crosses the threshold.¹

Fees for services aren’t contributions. If a donor pays program fees and also gives a donation, only the donation counts toward the $5,000 threshold.

Multi-year pledges depend on your accounting method. Cash-basis organizations report only what was actually received during the tax year. Accrual-basis organizations may discount the full pledge to present value and report that amount in the first year, then report incremental accruals of the present-value adjustment in later years.³

Filling Out Part I: Contributor Information

Part I identifies each qualifying donor and their total giving for the year. For each contributor, complete four columns:

Column (a): a sequential number for each contributor (1, 2, 3, and so on).
Column (b): the contributor’s full legal name and mailing address, including ZIP+4. Section 501(c)(3) organizations and section 527 political organizations fill in names and addresses. Other organization types, including 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations and 501(c)(6) business leagues, report contribution amounts but aren’t required to list donor names or addresses.¹
Column (c): the total dollar amount of all contributions from that donor during the tax year.
Column (d): check whether the contribution type is Person, Payroll, or Noncash. If the donor gave both cash and property, use separate rows for each type or combine them in one row and check both boxes.²

Anywhere you checked Noncash in Part I, complete Part II for that contribution.

Filling Out Part II: Noncash Property

Part II captures the details of every noncash gift flagged in Part I. Each entry ties back to a Part I contributor number and describes the property received:

Column (a): the contributor number from Part I.
Column (b): a description of the property, such as “100 shares of XYZ Corp. common stock” or “residential lot at 123 Main St.”
Column (c): the fair market value. For publicly traded securities, use the average of the highest and lowest quoted selling prices on the contribution date. If the organization immediately sold the securities, report net proceeds plus any broker fees. When FMV can’t be readily determined (real estate, art, closely held business interests), use an appraised or estimated value.⁴
Column (d): the date the organization received the property, but only if the donor fully gave up use and enjoyment of it on that date.

If the property carries outstanding debt, like a mortgage on donated real estate, subtract the debt from FMV and report the net figure.⁴

Filling Out Part III (Only Some Organizations)

Part III applies only to social clubs, fraternal beneficiary societies, and domestic fraternal societies described in sections 501(c)(7), 501(c)(8), or 501(c)(10). These organizations use Part III to report contributors who gave more than $1,000 during the year specifically for religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes. If your organization doesn’t fall into one of those three categories, skip Part III entirely.²

How and When to Submit It

Schedule B isn’t a standalone filing. It travels with your completed Form 990-EZ as part of a single electronic return. Form 990-EZ must be filed electronically through an IRS-authorized e-file provider for tax years ending July 31, 2021 and later.⁵ Your e-file software will prompt you through Schedule B as part of the return.

The deadline for Form 990-EZ and its attached Schedule B is the 15th day of the 5th month after your tax year ends. Calendar-year organizations file by May 15; a June 30 fiscal year end pushes the deadline to November 15. If you need more time, file Form 8868 before the original due date for an automatic six-month extension. The IRS grants these without requiring a reason.⁶

What Happens If You File Late or Incomplete

Filing late, filing with missing information, or omitting Schedule B when it’s required can trigger penalties under 26 U.S.C. § 6652(c). The base statutory structure:

Organizations with gross receipts of $1 million or less: $20 per day the return is late, up to the lesser of $10,000 or 5% of the organization’s gross receipts for the year.
Organizations with gross receipts over $1 million: $100 per day, up to a $50,000 maximum.

These base amounts are adjusted annually for inflation, so the actual figures for your filing year will be somewhat higher than the statutory floor. Check the IRS’s current penalty page for the amount that applies.⁷

Missing the return three years in a row is worse than a fine. An organization that fails to file Form 990-EZ for three consecutive years automatically loses its tax-exempt status. Revocation takes effect on the original due date of that third missed return, and getting reinstated requires a new application.⁸

Public Disclosure and Donor Names

Tax-exempt organizations must make their annual returns available for public inspection under 26 U.S.C. § 6104, but Schedule B’s donor information is treated more protectively than the rest of the return. What gets disclosed depends on your organization type.

A 501(c)(3) submits the full Schedule B to the IRS with donor names, but must redact contributor names and addresses before making any copy available to the public. Contribution amounts stay visible.⁹

A 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), or 501(c)(6) doesn’t report donor names and addresses to the IRS on Schedule B in the first place, under Treasury regulations finalized in 2020. Contribution amounts are still reported; identifying donor information is not.¹

Private foundations and 527 political organizations get no redaction. Donor names and addresses remain part of the public record.⁹

Failing to provide required public copies carries its own penalty: $20 per day (subject to inflation adjustment) for each day the failure continues, capped at $10,000 per return.⁷ Keep a process in place for responding to inspection requests promptly.

1
Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Schedule B (Form 990)
2
Internal Revenue Service. Schedule B (Form 990) – Schedule of Contributors
3
Internal Revenue Service. Exempt Organizations Annual Reporting Requirements – Form 990, Schedules A and B: Reporting Pledges Receivable
4
Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Schedule B (Form 990) (12/2024)
5
Internal Revenue Service. E-File for Charities and Nonprofits
6
Internal Revenue Service. Extension of Time to File Exempt Organization Returns
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6652 – Failure to File Certain Information Returns, Registration Statements, Etc.
8
Internal Revenue Service. Automatic Revocation of Exemption
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 6104 – Publicity of Information Required From Certain Exempt Organizations and Certain Trusts