Last updated 2026-08-14
TL;DR
A booster club treasurer tracks every dollar in and out, makes deposits, pays approved bills, reconciles the bank account monthly, builds the budget with the board, and files the group's IRS return (Form 990-N, 990-EZ, or 990) every year. It's a record-keeping and reporting job, not a fundraising job, and it works best with two signers on every check.
What does a treasurer do in a booster club?
A booster club treasurer is the person who tracks the money and reports on it, on a schedule, to the board and to the IRS. That's the whole job in one sentence, but it breaks into daily, monthly, and annual pieces that a lot of new volunteers underestimate. Daily-ish: recording deposits and expenses as they happen, keeping receipts attached to transactions, and not letting cash sit around uncounted. Monthly: reconciling the bank statement against your books, giving the board a written report (income, expenses, balance), and flagging anything that looks off. Annually: building next year's budget with the board, closing out the books for the fiscal year, and filing the group's federal return with the IRS. The treasurer is not usually the person who decides how much to spend on new uniforms. That's a board vote. The treasurer's job is to make sure the money exists, the transaction gets recorded correctly, and two people signed off on it before it left the account. If you're new to the role, start by asking for the last 12 months of bank statements and the prior treasurer's ledger, even if it's a shoebox of receipts. You cannot report on money you can't trace.
What is a treasurer?
A treasurer is the officer of an organization responsible for its money: receiving it, recording it, safeguarding it, and reporting on it. In a booster club, PTO, or youth sports organization, this is almost always a volunteer position, elected or appointed under the group's bylaws, and it usually rotates every one to two years. The treasurer is one of a small set of required officers (often president, treasurer, and secretary) named in the bylaws or articles of incorporation. Unlike a corporate CFO, a booster club treasurer typically has no staff, no accounting software budget, and no professional training requirement. That's exactly why the job needs simple, repeatable habits instead of complicated systems: a single shared spreadsheet or a low-cost tool like QuickBooks Online or Wave, a locked cash box, and a two-signature rule on the checking account. One thing a treasurer is not: a bookkeeper hired by the organization. The treasurer is a fiduciary, meaning they have a legal duty of care to manage the group's assets honestly and prudently, even though they're unpaid.
What do treasurers do month to month?
Month to month, a booster treasurer does five things on repeat: deposit, record, pay, reconcile, report. Miss one of these for two months in a row and the books get hard to untangle fast. 1. Deposit money promptly. Don't let cash sit in someone's car or a coach's bag over a weekend. Deposit within a few days, and never let one person both collect and deposit without a second person counting first. 2. Record every transaction with a category (concessions, uniforms, tournament fees, dues) so the year-end report actually means something. 3. Pay approved bills, ideally requiring two signatures for anything over a threshold the board sets, commonly $250 to $500 for small booster groups, though your bylaws should state your own number. 4. Reconcile the checkbook against the bank statement every single month, more than before the annual meeting. Unreconciled accounts are the single most common thing that blows up during a treasurer handoff. 5. Report to the board in writing: starting balance, income, expenses, ending balance, and any red flags. A verbal "we're fine" is not a report. Months that involve big fundraisers (a raffle, a car wash, a concession stand at a tournament) need extra cash-handling discipline: two counters, a signed count sheet, and same-day or next-day deposit.
What does a club treasurer do that's different from other officers?
The treasurer is the only officer with a legal reporting duty to the IRS and, in many states, to a state charity regulator. The president runs meetings and represents the group publicly. The secretary keeps minutes. The treasurer keeps the money story straight, and that story has to match what gets filed on the group's tax return. This matters because officers can be personally exposed if the organization files fraudulent returns or the treasurer signs off on something they know is wrong, though ordinary honest mistakes by an unpaid volunteer are treated very differently under the law than intentional fraud. Confirm officer liability specifics with your own attorney; this isn't legal advice. Practically, the treasurer also tends to be the point person for:
- Opening and maintaining the bank account (with board-approved signers)
- Applying for or renewing the group's EIN if it changes hands
- Filing the annual [990](/articles/treasurer-basics/990), 990-EZ, or 990-N with the IRS
- Registering with the state charity office if required for fundraising or raffles
- Keeping a paper trail for the yearly handoff to the next treasurer A good rule: if a task involves a number and a date attached to a government form, it's the treasurer's job to own it, even if someone else fills out the paperwork.
What is Form 990?
| 990-N (e-Postcard) | Small orgs | Gross receipts normally ≤ $50,000 [1] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 990-EZ | Mid-size orgs | Gross receipts < $200,000 and total assets < $500,000 [2] | |
| 990 (full) | Larger orgs | Gross receipts ≥ $200,000 or total assets ≥ $500,000 [2] | Most small booster clubs and PTOs file the 990-N, sometimes called the form 990-N or e-Postcard, because their annual receipts are under $50,000. This is a short online-only form through the IRS's e-Postcard filing system. See our form 990 overview and irs form 990 guide for the full breakdown of each version. |
Form 990 is the annual information return that most tax-exempt organizations, including 501(c)(3) booster clubs and PTOs, file with the IRS to report income, expenses, and activities for the year. The IRS states that "most tax-exempt organizations are required to file an annual return" and describes the 990 family as the mechanism for that reporting. Which version you file depends on gross receipts and assets: | Form | Who files it | Threshold (approx.) |
What is a 990 tax form and why does the treasurer have to file it?
The 990 tax form is not an income tax return; it's a public information return. Most 501(c)(3) organizations don't pay federal income tax on mission-related revenue, but the IRS still requires them to report their finances every year so the public, donors, and regulators can see how the money moves. The treasurer files it because they're the one with the actual numbers. Miss three years in a row and the consequence is automatic revocation of tax-exempt status. The IRS is explicit about this: "Organizations that fail to file required Form 990-series returns for three consecutive years will automatically lose their tax-exempt status." [3] This isn't a warning-then-fine system for small filers, it's automatic, and reinstatement means reapplying (often via Form 1023 or 1023-EZ) and possibly paying back taxes on income earned while unrecognized. So when someone asks what is the 990, the honest answer is: it's the form that keeps your booster club's tax-exempt status alive, and the treasurer is the one who has to remember it exists every single year, even in years when nothing exciting happened. Set a recurring calendar reminder for the 15th day of the 5th month after your fiscal year ends, which is the standard due date [4].
What does a treasurer do if the club isn't a registered 501(c)(3) yet?
Plenty of booster clubs operate for years as informal parent groups without ever applying for tax-exempt status, and the treasurer's job doesn't disappear just because there's no IRS determination letter. If there's no separate EIN and no 501(c)(3) status, the group may be operating under the school's tax ID, which creates its own risks (the school district's finance office should weigh in on that setup, not the volunteer treasurer alone). If the club has its own EIN but hasn't filed for exempt status, it may still owe some form of federal filing, and its donors can't claim tax deductions for contributions. This is a common gap: a booster club raises money for years, someone finally checks, and discovers there's never been a 990-tax-form filing or a 501(c)(3) application on record. The fix path generally runs through Form 1023 or the shorter Form 1023-EZ for smaller organizations, filed with the IRS. Confirm eligibility and current fees with the IRS directly, since 1023-EZ eligibility depends on projected gross receipts and asset thresholds that can change. This is a genuinely good moment to get an accountant or a nonprofit attorney involved rather than doing it solo; it's a one-time decision that affects the group for its whole life.
What does a treasurer do to prevent fraud or mistakes?
The single biggest control is separation of duties: the person who collects money should not be the only person who deposits it, and the person who deposits it should not be the only person who reconciles the statement. In a five-person board, this is achievable. In a two-person board (president and treasurer only), it's genuinely hard, and that's worth raising as a bylaws problem, not something to just accept. Other concrete controls that actual booster treasurers use:
- Require two signatures on checks above a set dollar threshold
- Require a receipt or invoice attached to every expense reimbursement
- Use a count sheet with two signatures for any cash fundraiser (concessions, raffles, car washes)
- Give the board a monthly written report, not a verbal update
- Never let one person hold both the checkbook and the debit card PIN unsupervised
- Do an internal review or outside audit at every treasurer handoff, even an informal one None of this is about distrust of any one volunteer. It's about protecting the volunteer, too. A treasurer with no second signer on the account is the first person blamed if money goes missing, even if they did nothing wrong. See our guide on financial controls for a fuller checklist.
What does a treasurer do at the end of the school year (the handoff)?
The end-of-year handoff is where most booster club money problems either get caught or get buried for another year. A good outgoing treasurer hands the incoming one: the current bank statement and reconciliation, a full ledger for the fiscal year, copies of the last 990-N confirmation (or 990-EZ/990 filing), the EIN letter, the bylaws, and any state charity registration paperwork. A bad handoff looks like a login and a shrug. If you're the incoming treasurer and that's what you got, ask for bank statements directly from the bank (most banks will let a newly authorized signer request statement history), and reconcile the last three to six months yourself before you sign anything or file anything under your own name. Many state attorney general charity offices and local nonprofit resource centers publish handoff or annual-review checklists worth adapting for a booster club; check your state charity office for local guidance. See our handoff and audits hub for a full transition checklist you can adapt.
What does a treasurer do for the annual budget?
The treasurer usually drafts the first version of next year's budget based on actual numbers from the current and prior year, then brings it to the board for discussion and a vote. This isn't the treasurer unilaterally deciding spending; it's the treasurer being the person with the historical data to make the draft realistic. A workable budget draft includes: expected income by source (dues, concessions, one big fundraiser, sponsorships), expected expenses by category (uniforms, equipment, tournament fees, insurance if applicable), and a reserve line if the group wants one. Comparing this year's actuals to last year's budget is the fastest way to catch a category that's chronically wrong (concessions always beats budget, insurance always creeps up, etc.). Once a raffle or major fundraiser is part of the plan, check your state charity office or state attorney general's charitable gaming division early, since many states require a license or registration before you sell a single ticket. See our raffles by state hub for state-specific starting points.
What tools does a treasurer actually need?
You don't need enterprise accounting software to run a booster club's books well. Most small booster and PTO treasurers get by with one of three setups: a well-built spreadsheet with separate tabs for income, expenses, and reconciliation; a low-cost tool like QuickBooks Online (Simple Start tier) or Wave (free); or a purpose-built nonprofit ledger template. What actually matters more than the tool is the habit: record transactions weekly, reconcile monthly, and never let receipts pile up unattached to a transaction for more than a month. A treasurer with a spreadsheet and a monthly reconciliation habit will out-perform a treasurer with expensive software and no discipline, every time. We built a $99 one-time State-Personalized Treasurer Kit specifically because most new booster treasurers inherit either nothing or a system built for a state and a nonprofit type that doesn't match their club. It bundles the ledger templates, your state's raffle and charity-registration starting points, and a 990 filing calendar tailored to your fiscal year, so you're not reverse-engineering all of this from scratch in your first month.
Frequently asked questions
What does a treasurer do?
A treasurer tracks all money coming into and out of an organization: deposits, expenses, bank reconciliation, and financial reporting to the board. In a nonprofit or booster club, the treasurer also handles annual IRS filing (Form 990-N, 990-EZ, or 990) and works with the board to build the yearly budget.
What is a treasurer?
A treasurer is an elected or appointed officer responsible for an organization's money: receiving, recording, safeguarding, and reporting on it. In booster clubs and PTOs, it's usually a volunteer role defined in the bylaws, with a fiduciary duty to manage funds honestly and keep accurate records.
What do treasurers do on a daily or weekly basis?
Weekly, a treasurer records new transactions, deposits any cash or checks collected, and matches receipts to expenses. There's no daily requirement in most small booster clubs, but cash from events (concessions, raffles) should be deposited within a few days, never left sitting uncounted.
What does a club treasurer do differently from the president?
The president runs meetings and represents the group publicly; the treasurer owns the financial record and the legal reporting duty, including the annual IRS return. The treasurer is the person a bank, auditor, or IRS notice will contact first, because they're the named financial officer.
What is Form 990?
Form 990 is the annual information return the IRS requires most tax-exempt organizations to file, reporting income, expenses, and activities. It's not an income tax bill; it's public disclosure. Small booster clubs under roughly $50,000 in gross receipts usually file the short 990-N instead of the full form.
What is a 990 tax form?
A 990 tax form is the IRS's umbrella term for the 990-N, 990-EZ, and full Form 990, the annual reports tax-exempt nonprofits file to disclose finances. Which version applies depends on gross receipts and total assets; check the current thresholds directly on IRS.gov since they can be updated.
What is the 990 filing deadline?
The 990-series return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after the organization's fiscal year ends. For a calendar-year fiscal year (ending December 31), that's May 15. Confirm your exact fiscal year end and deadline with the IRS or your organization's founding documents.
What happens if a booster club never files a 990?
The IRS automatically revokes tax-exempt status after three consecutive years of missed 990-series filings, with no warning notice required first. Reinstatement typically requires reapplying for exempt status and can involve back taxes on income earned during the revoked period. Confirm current reinstatement rules with the IRS.
Does the treasurer or the president sign the 990?
Bylaws vary, but the treasurer, as the officer with the financial data, typically prepares or reviews the 990-series filing, and either the treasurer or the president (as an authorized officer) signs it. Many small clubs have both review it before submission, since the signer is attesting the information is accurate.
Do booster club treasurers need to be accountants?
No. Most booster club and PTO treasurers are volunteer parents with no formal accounting background. The job is manageable with basic bookkeeping habits (recording transactions, monthly reconciliation, written reports) and a simple tool like a spreadsheet or low-cost software, not a CPA license.
What records should a booster club treasurer keep and for how long?
Keep bank statements, reconciliations, the ledger, receipts for expenses, deposit slips, board financial reports, and copies of every 990-series filing. A common practical minimum is 3 to 7 years, but check IRS recordkeeping guidance and any state charity office requirements for your specific state.
Can a booster club treasurer be personally liable for mistakes?
Ordinary honest mistakes by an unpaid volunteer treasurer are generally treated very differently from intentional fraud or gross negligence, but personal exposure can exist in some situations (like knowingly signing a false return). This varies by state and by the specifics; confirm with a nonprofit attorney rather than relying on general guidance.
Sources
- IRS, Annual Electronic Filing Requirement for Small Exempt Organizations (Form 990-N): Organizations with gross receipts normally $50,000 or less can file the 990-N e-Postcard
- IRS, Form 990 Series Which Forms Do Exempt Organizations File: Thresholds distinguishing 990-N, 990-EZ, and full Form 990 by gross receipts and total assets
- IRS, Automatic Revocation of Exemption: Organizations that fail to file required Form 990-series returns for three consecutive years automatically lose tax-exempt status
- IRS, Exempt Organizations Annual Reporting Requirements - Due Date: 990-series returns are due the 15th day of the 5th month after the organization's fiscal year ends
- IRS, Annual Exempt Organization Return: Who Must File: Most tax-exempt organizations are required to file an annual return with the IRS
- IRS, e-Postcard filing system for Form 990-N: Form 990-N is filed electronically only, through the IRS e-Postcard system
- IRS, State Links for Exempt Organizations: Directory of state charity office and attorney general links for nonprofit registration requirements