Last updated 2026-07-25
TL;DR
A booster club treasurer's core paperwork is: an EIN (Form SS-4), the annual IRS Form 990-N, 990-EZ, or 990 (based on gross receipts), a state charitable registration if required, a raffle license if you run games, and internal forms like a cash count sheet, reimbursement request, and handoff checklist. Which forms apply depends on your gross receipts, your state, and whether the group is already tax-exempt.
What does a treasurer do?
A treasurer keeps the club's money honest and its paperwork current. That's the one-sentence version. In practice it breaks into three jobs: tracking every dollar in and out, filing the forms that keep the organization legal, and handing clean records to whoever comes next. For a booster club, PTO, or youth sports group, that usually means reconciling a bank account monthly, collecting receipts from coaches and parent volunteers, filing an annual IRS return even if the group made no profit, and sometimes registering with a state charity office before running a fundraiser. None of this requires an accounting degree. It requires consistency and a folder (physical or digital) where the important documents actually live. Most new treasurers inherit a shoebox, a login nobody wrote down, and a vague sense that "we're a 501(c)(3), I think." The forms below are how you turn that vague sense into something you can prove.
What is a treasurer, exactly, in a volunteer club?
In a volunteer booster club or PTO, the treasurer is the elected or appointed officer legally and practically responsible for the group's money and its financial filings. There's no license required to hold the title. There's also no safety net if you get it wrong; the IRS doesn't care that you're unpaid. Bylaws usually define the role's authority (who can sign checks, who approves spending over a certain amount) and its term. If your club's bylaws are silent or missing, that's the first form-adjacent problem to fix, because your bank and your state charity office may both want to see them. The treasurer is not automatically the club's registered agent, EIN holder of record, or the person whose name is on the 501(c)(3) determination letter, though in small clubs it's often the same person wearing all three hats. Worth confirming which hat you're actually wearing before you sign anything.
What do treasurers do day to day, month to month, and year to year?
Day to day: collect and log cash from concession stands, car washes, and spirit wear sales; keep receipts for reimbursements; make sure two people (never one) handle cash counts. Month to month: reconcile the bank statement against the ledger, report a simple income/expense summary at the board meeting, and file away receipts and invoices by category (this makes the annual return far less painful). Year to year: file the IRS annual return by the deadline (the 15th day of the 5th month after your fiscal year ends, per IRS guidance on annual exempt organization returns [1]), renew any state charitable solicitation registration, renew a raffle or gaming license if applicable, and prepare a handoff packet for the next treasurer even if you're staying in the role. Clubs that skip that last step are exactly the ones that end up rebuilding three years of records from a Venmo history.
What is Form 990, and does our booster club need to file it?
| 990-N (e-Postcard) | ≤ $50,000 | any | 990-N | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 990-EZ | < $200,000 | < $500,000 | 990-EZ (or 990) | |
| Full 990 | ≥ $200,000 | ≥ $500,000 | 990 | Thresholds per IRS Form 990-series filing guidance [2] [3]. Most parent booster clubs, PTOs, and small youth sports nonprofits land in the 990-N tier. If your group ran a big capital campaign or sold a lot of spirit wear and passed $50,000 in gross receipts for the year, you've likely stepped up a tier and the form changes. Read the form 990 and 990 tax form breakdowns for what actually goes on each version. |
Form 990 is the IRS's annual information return for tax-exempt organizations. It's how the IRS (and the public) sees a nonprofit's revenue, expenses, and activities for the year. "Every organization exempt from federal income tax under Internal Revenue Code section 501(a) must file an annual information return except" specific exclusions listed by the IRS [1], and most small booster clubs recognized as 501(c)(3) don't qualify for those exclusions. Which version you file depends on gross receipts and assets: | Filing | Gross receipts | Total assets | Form |
What is Form 990-N, and who has to file it?
Form 990-N, the "e-Postcard," is the short electronic filing for small tax-exempt organizations with gross receipts of $50,000 or less. It's filed entirely online through the IRS's filing system; there's no paper version [2]. The IRS's own description: organizations "whose gross receipts are normally $50,000 or less" may file the e-Postcard "instead of Form 990 or Form 990-EZ" [2]. It asks for basics: EIN, tax year, legal name and address, name and address of a principal officer, website if you have one, and confirmation that gross receipts are still under the threshold. It takes most treasurers under ten minutes once you know your EIN and gross receipts. The catch is that it's easy to forget, because there's no dollar amount due and no complicated schedule to trigger anxiety. See our 990n and form 990-n guides for the filing walkthrough and screenshots of the actual portal.
What happens if a booster club misses its 990 filing?
Miss three years in a row and the IRS automatically revokes your tax-exempt status. This isn't a warning letter you can argue with; it's automatic by law. Per the IRS: organizations that "fail to file required Form 990-series returns or notices for three consecutive years automatically lose their tax-exempt status" [4]. When that happens, your club shows up on the IRS's Tax Exempt Organization Search with a revocation date, and donations made after that date generally aren't tax-deductible to donors until you're reinstated. Reinstatement means filing Form 1023 or 1023-EZ again (yes, from scratch in most cases) and often requesting retroactive reinstatement with reasonable cause, per IRS Revenue Procedure 2014-11 [5]. The fix is boring and cheap compared to the alternative: file every year, even the e-Postcard, even if the club did almost nothing that year. There is no minimum activity level below which filing isn't required.
What is the 990 tax form used for by the public and by the IRS?
Beyond keeping the IRS happy, Form 990 is a public document. Donors, parent volunteers, school administrations, and watchdog sites like Candid/GuideStar and ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer pull directly from it. A district athletic director deciding whether to let your booster club use school facilities may ask to see your last filed 990 or 990-EZ. The form (in its EZ and full versions) reports revenue by source, program expenses versus administrative expenses, officer names, and, for the full 990, a governance section asking whether the board reviewed the return before filing. None of this is required for 990-N filers, which is part of why 990-N is easier but also why it offers less transparency to anyone checking your group out. If your club is growing (crossing into 990-EZ or full 990 territory), budget real time for it: the EZ and full 990 instructions run dozens of pages [3]. This is usually the point where clubs bring in a bookkeeper or accountant for at least the first year.
What state forms does a booster club treasurer need besides the IRS ones?
Federal exemption and state requirements are separate systems, and states don't automatically know or care what the IRS decided. Two state-level forms trip up new treasurers most often. Charitable solicitation registration: many states require any organization soliciting donations from residents (that includes selling raffle tickets or asking for cash donations at a game) to register with the state attorney general's office or secretary of state before fundraising, and to renew annually. Requirements, fees, and exemptions for small organizations vary widely by state, so confirm with your state charity office directly rather than assuming a small-club exemption applies. Raffle or gaming license: if your fundraiser involves a raffle, 50/50, or bingo, most states treat that as regulated gambling requiring a separate license from a gaming commission or the same attorney general's office, often with its own reporting form after the event showing tickets sold and prizes awarded. See our raffles-by-state hub for how this breaks down state by state, since "we're a nonprofit" is not, by itself, a raffle license in any state.
What internal forms should every booster club treasurer keep on hand?
IRS and state forms get the attention, but the internal paper trail is what actually prevents theft, disputes, and "where did that money go" arguments at a board meeting. A minimal set: - Cash count sheet: two signatures, every concession stand or gate count, no exceptions.
- Reimbursement request form: name, date, amount, purpose, receipt attached, approver signature.
- Check request / disbursement approval form: for anything paid by club check or card, tied to a budget line.
- W-9 collection: for any individual or vendor paid $600 or more in a calendar year, so you can issue a 1099-NEC where required; see IRS Form W-9 guidance [6].
- Bank reconciliation log: monthly, signed by treasurer and one other officer.
- Budget vs. actual report: presented at each board meeting. None of these are IRS forms, but they're what makes your eventual 990 (or 990-N gross receipts number) accurate instead of guessed.
What documents belong in a treasurer handoff packet?
A handoff packet is the single form-adjacent document that prevents the most damage when a treasurer role changes hands, which happens every year or two in most volunteer clubs. It should contain, at minimum: the EIN and IRS determination letter, the last three years of filed 990/990-N confirmations, current bank account details and signer list, the state charity registration confirmation and renewal date, any raffle/gaming license and its renewal date, the current budget, the chart of accounts if you use accounting software, and login credentials for the IRS e-Postcard portal, the bank, and any payment processor. Build this even if you're not leaving. A club president dying mid-season, a treasurer moving out of state, a bank freezing an account over a signer dispute: all real scenarios that a five-page packet in a shared drive fixes in advance. Our handoff-and-audits hub has a fuller checklist and a sample audit request letter for the outgoing treasurer to sign. This is also, honestly, the exact gap we built the $99 one-time State-Personalized Treasurer Kit to close: it bundles the state-specific raffle and registration forms, the 990 filing decision tree, and a printable handoff packet so a new volunteer isn't reconstructing all of this from memory in week one.
What's the difference between a club treasurer's forms and a school's business office forms?
Booster clubs and PTOs are (almost always) separate legal entities from the school or district, even when they exist to support one team or program. That separation matters for forms. The school district files its own tax and audit paperwork through the district's business office and generally has its own EIN, insurance, and procurement rules. The booster club, if it's a genuine 501(c)(3) or similar, has its own EIN, its own 990 obligation, and its own state registration, entirely separate from the school's. Problems show up when a club uses a coach's personal account, a school's tax ID, or an old EIN from a defunct predecessor group, because then nobody's filings match reality. If you're not sure whether your club has its own valid EIN and determination letter, the IRS's Tax Exempt Organization Search tool [7] is the fastest free way to check status before you file anything else.
Frequently asked questions
What does a treasurer do in a booster club or PTO?
A booster club treasurer tracks all income and expenses, reconciles the bank account, files the annual IRS return (990-N, 990-EZ, or 990 depending on gross receipts), maintains cash-handling controls with two-person counts, and keeps records ready for the next treasurer or an audit. It's a paperwork and stewardship role, not an accounting license.
What is Form 990 in simple terms?
Form 990 is the annual information return tax-exempt organizations file with the IRS reporting income, expenses, and governance. Per the IRS, nearly every 501(c)(3) organization must file some version of it annually except specific excluded groups; which version (990-N, 990-EZ, or full 990) depends on gross receipts and total assets.
What is the 990-N and who qualifies?
Form 990-N, the e-Postcard, is a short online filing for tax-exempt organizations with gross receipts normally $50,000 or less per year. It's filed electronically with no paper option and asks for basic identifying information, not financial detail. Most small booster clubs and PTOs file this version.
What happens if our booster club never filed a 990 before?
File as soon as you realize the gap. The IRS automatically revokes tax-exempt status after three consecutive years of missed filings, so if you're inside that window, file the missing years now. If status is already revoked, you'll likely need to reapply via Form 1023 or 1023-EZ and may request retroactive reinstatement for reasonable cause.
Do we need a state form in addition to the IRS forms?
Often yes. Many states require a separate charitable solicitation registration before you fundraise or accept public donations, and a separate license if you run a raffle or similar game. These are handled by your state attorney general's office or secretary of state, not the IRS, and rules and fees vary significantly by state.
What is a treasurer, technically, versus other club officers?
The treasurer is the officer responsible for the club's finances: bookkeeping, bank reconciliation, budget reporting, and tax/state filings. Bylaws typically define signing authority and spending approval limits. It's a volunteer or elected position with real legal responsibility but no formal licensing requirement.
What forms does a new treasurer need on day one?
Get the EIN and IRS determination letter, the last filed 990/990-N confirmation, current bank statements and signer list, the state charity registration status, any raffle license, and the prior treasurer's chart of accounts or ledger. If any of these are missing, that's the first thing to track down, not the last.
What's the difference between Form 990, 990-EZ, and 990-N?
990-N is for organizations with gross receipts of $50,000 or less and is a short online form. 990-EZ applies when gross receipts are under $200,000 and total assets under $500,000. The full Form 990 applies above those thresholds and requires much more detail on revenue, expenses, and governance.
Does a booster club treasurer need to file taxes even if the club made no profit?
Yes. The annual return (990-N at minimum) is an information return, not a profit-based tax bill, and it's required regardless of whether the club broke even, lost money, or has any activity at all in a given year. Skipping it for three straight years triggers automatic revocation.
What is a W-9 form and why does a treasurer need it?
A W-9 collects a vendor's or contractor's taxpayer ID information. A treasurer needs one from anyone (referee, DJ, photographer, coach paid as a contractor) paid $600 or more in a year, so the club can issue a 1099-NEC and stay compliant with IRS reporting rules.
How long should a treasurer keep financial records?
A common practical baseline is seven years for financial records tied to tax filings, matching general IRS recordkeeping guidance for supporting documentation, though permanent records like the EIN letter, bylaws, and determination letter should be kept indefinitely and passed to each new treasurer.
What does a club treasurer do differently than a nonprofit's paid bookkeeper?
A new treasurer, an outgoing treasurer, and a paid bookkeeper all touch the books differently. A volunteer club treasurer usually does everything: bookkeeping, filing, cash handling oversight, and board reporting, often part-time and unpaid. A paid bookkeeper typically just handles the recordkeeping and leaves filing decisions, approvals, and governance reporting to officers or a board, with clearer separation of duties.
Sources
- IRS, Annual Exempt Organization Return: Who Must File: Filing deadline is the 15th day of the 5th month after fiscal year end; who must file
- IRS, Annual Electronic Filing Requirement for Small Exempt Organizations, Form 990-N (e-Postcard): 990-N is for organizations with gross receipts normally $50,000 or less, filed electronically
- IRS, Form 990 Series Which Forms Do Exempt Organizations File: Gross receipts and asset thresholds distinguishing 990-N, 990-EZ, and full Form 990
- IRS, Automatic Revocation of Exemption: Organizations that fail to file for three consecutive years automatically lose tax-exempt status
- IRS, Revenue Procedure 2014-11: Procedures for retroactive reinstatement after automatic revocation for reasonable cause
- IRS, About Form W-9: W-9 collects taxpayer ID info for vendors/contractors paid $600 or more, used for 1099-NEC reporting
- IRS, Tax Exempt Organization Search: Public tool to check an organization's exempt status and revocation history