So glad you asked! Unlike the misleading information found all over the Internet, there's a little-known IRS policy that allows you to start fundraising much sooner than previously believed.

The IRS' official policy is to "back-date" your 501(c)3Tax-Exempt Status to the date when we file your Articles of Incorporation.

This means that your donors (both individual and corporate) can get a tax break by donating to you even BEFORE you receive your IRS Approval letter in the mail!

Every Nonprofit Launch Package comes with a document containing the exact IRS rule that makes this possible, so you can use it to raise money right away!

Not a problem! While most of our customers come to us for a fresh start so we can do everything from A to Z, some have already taken a step forward, starting an LLC or other entity, intending to obtain Tax-Exempt Status.

We commend those efforts - it's much better to try something than to try nothing!

In every case, we will inspect your paperwork for accuracy and to make sure all required language is included.  We find that in about 66% of cases, customers who self-incorporate fail to add the required addenda - known as the Purpose and Dissolution Clause).

Your state may not require these provisions, but if they are missing, we will need to amend your articles the IRS will reject your application. We do this at no extra charge; but government filing fees apply.

Also any EIN that is or was assigned to another entity at any time is NOT able to be applied to your new nonprofit - a new one must be obtained.

The BEST thing to before starting with us is. . . NOTHING! It's easiest to start fresh with InstantNonprofit - because we do it all FOR you!

GREAT QUESTION! So many founders put forth their OWN hard-earned money to start a nonprofit by paying for filing services, building a website, or myriad other products and services prior to starting - then wonder if there is any way to be credited for those expenses. 

The great news is that YES - you may choose to be reimbursed (your nonprofit can pay you back after it raises funds or receives a grant), or you can choose to write it off as a charitable donation on your personal or business income taxes.

Keep receipts for such expenditures, and it's wise to create a paper trail, such as an invoice or acknowledgement of the expense provided by the nonprofit to the source of funds.

The IRS has created two paths to 501(c)3 tax-exempt status based on expected donations: 

Organizations confident that they will raise more than $100,000 in the current tax year, or any of the following two tax years (these qualify for our Enterprise Plan)
One for organizations with expected donations below $100,000/year (or do not have a clear path to exceed that amount (these qualify for our Express Plan)

About 82% of our customers qualify for the Streamlined IRS Application for Tax Exempt Status, while the other 18% must use the Long-Form 1023 Process (see Enterprise and Evolved).

If you are a small, local or limited-funds founder with a modest projected budget and scope of activities, choose the Express Launch Package. If you exceed your wildest fundraising dreams under this Package, don't worry! There is no penalty, and you do not have to re-file a thing! You will simply report your donations to the IRS in the following year as normal.

However, if you have a projected budget larger than $100k in 2023, 2024 or 2025, you will choose between Enterprise and Evolved.

Enterprise certainly gets the job done and as you can see on this page, it includes far more than other offerings of providers who claim to be effective at creating 501(c)3 organizations.

But for those proven leaders who want to get out of the gate faster and more effectively to maximize their impact, by getting support not only for creating the organization and covering the required items - there is the premium Evolved Launch Package.

With Evolved, once we file your IRS application, we move on to coaching and training, and together we embark on the two other major pillars of your nonprofit's success:

1) We build your organization's Case For Support (by wrapping up Mission Vision, Values, Milestones and Strategy into a set of "North Star" guiding documents), and
2) We guide you through our Fundraising Masterclass, so you can have the Tools, the Strategy, and the Assets to go from zero to $1 Million or more in your first 12 months.

Learn more details, choose the right plan for you, and get started by clicking "Get Plans & Pricing" on this page.

Yes. You can build a strategic partnership with your for-profit and nonprofit, however, your nonprofit will be set up as its own entity and must operate as a distinct entity - with separate decision-making processes and finances - from your for-profit.

While we do not claim to control the IRS (if we did, we'd happily lower your taxes!), InstantNonprofit is known to slash between one-half and two-thirds off IRS approval times because of our "love letter to a bureaucrat" approach.

We don't just rely on the IRS online process - we also attach a back-up PDF file averaging 54 pages - containing concise, clear articulation of your organization's activities, so that the IRS agent who reviews your file feels relieved by the file's professional, organized layout, and hits the "APPROVED" button without issues or further questions.

There are two ways to look at how long it takes:

1. Your investment of time and work
2. Our submission time, as well as the state and federal government to process the paperwork once it is filed

In any case, we take a long and arduous process, involving complex government forms and confusing bureaucratic language, and translate it into the kind of English that you and I would share over a cup of coffee.

Depending on the version of the IRS 1023 Application for Tax Exempt Status we prepare for you, our investment of time and work to get all of the paperwork done is as follows:

Your time investment if using the streamlined IRS Application:
Less than 1/2 hour, on average
Long-Form: About 90 minutes on average

Our staff's turnaround times:
On average, once we have the information, we need from you, our staff double-checks for accuracy and any potential errors or conflicts and submits within 48-72 hours.

State Incorporation:


Since the COVID pandemic, the wait time to receive recorded Articles of Incorporation have changed; here's the average times we experience currently:
Florida: 6-12 Weeks (yes, that is ridiculous)


AL, AZ, CT, DC, GA, IL, IA, MI, NE, NY, ND, PA, SD: 2-4 weeks


All other states: 2-3 days to 2 weeks
IRS Processing times:


Meanwhile, IRS delays can vary widely, and with our proven Rapid Approval process, times are as follows:

Streamlined: 6-10 weeks on average


Long-Form: 8-20 weeks, on average