On March 15, 2021, the IRS announced in an Exempt Organizations Update that mandatory electronic filing of 2020 Forms 990-T, Exempt Organization Business Income Tax Return, begins March 16, 2021.
The Taxpayer First Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 116-25) mandated electronic filing of the Form 990-T (among other things) for tax years beginning after July 1, 2019. However, pending conversion of Form 990-T to electronic format, the IRS continued to accept paper returns through the 2019 version.
Beginning March 16, 2021, all 2020 Forms 990-T must be e-filed. The 2020 Form 990-T and instructions have been updated to reflect the mandatory e-filing requirement for 2020 returns with due dates on or after April 15, 2021. The IRS will accept completed 2020 Forms 990-T in paper format that were postmarked on or before March 15, 2021. Although the instructions suggest that limited exceptions apply to the e-file mandate, they do not detail what those exceptions might be.
Information about software providers supporting electronic filing of Form 990-T can be found on the Exempt Organizations Modernized e-File (MeF) Providers page.
