I filed our 2007 Form 990 immediately after my transition as the new treasurer, and although it was a bit complicated, I worked through it eventually.  Unfortunately the IRS decided to completely redesign the form for the 2008 tax year, adding several additional requirements, making the entire process much more difficult for a non-CPA to complete.

So what’s the impact?  For me, a little more frustration trying to abide by federal laws and submit our Form 990 on time (and accurate, I might add).  But for the rest of the non-profit world out there that can’t afford to hire a professional accountant to do their taxes every year, I think it’s a step in the wrong direction.  Instead of making their forms more user friendly and understandable to the common American, they are creating long, ambiguous, and complicated forms that will cause more organizations to: incorrectly file, file late, not file at all, or be forced to dissolve their organization.

Thanks, IRS.