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About the nonprofit lookup data

This page explains where the lookup’s records come from, how current they are, what they leave out, and how search works.

Public IRS data only

We build the lookup only from files the IRS publishes on irs.gov for anyone to download. It doesn’t use, show or link to anything from Fast File Exempt accounts or from returns filed through Fast File Exempt, and filing with us doesn’t add or change anything in it. Organizations are listed because they are in the IRS master file. A listing doesn’t mean an organization has any connection with us.

The files

The Exempt Organizations Business Master File extract lists every organization the IRS currently recognizes as tax-exempt, with the codes the IRS records for each one. The IRS updates it every month. The Form 990-series e-file indexes list the e-filed Forms 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF and 990-T the IRS has published, one file per year of publication. The e-Postcard data download gives each organization’s latest Form 990-N: its tax year and period, and whether the organization said it has terminated. We don’t load the officer’s name or the addresses it also carries.

IRS files the lookup currently uses
FileIRS file dateDownloadedRows loaded
IRS master file, Northeast regionOctober 13, 2026October 18, 2026280,164
IRS master file, Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes regionOctober 13, 2026October 18, 2026725,622
IRS master file, Gulf Coast and Pacific Coast regionOctober 13, 2026October 18, 2026965,185
IRS master file, all other areas (including outside the U.S.)October 13, 2026October 18, 20265,004
IRS e-file index, 2021March 6, 2025October 18, 2026589,904
IRS e-file index, 2022March 6, 2025October 18, 2026656,503
IRS e-file index, 2023March 6, 2025October 18, 2026705,156
IRS e-file index, 2024March 6, 2025October 18, 2026728,719
IRS e-file index, 2025January 21, 2026October 18, 2026748,906
IRS e-file index, 2026October 21, 2026October 26, 2026472,357
IRS Form 990-N (e-Postcard) dataOctober 19, 2026October 26, 20261,549,385

The lookup currently holds 1,975,975 organizations, 3,671,728 e-filed returns from e-file index years 2021–2026 and 983,552 organizations’ latest Form 990-N, loaded on October 26, 2026. The IRS file date is the date irs.gov reported for the file when we downloaded it. Returns and 990-Ns are listed only for organizations in the master file.

How current it is

Every Monday we check whether the IRS has published a new master file, e-file index or e-Postcard file. When they have, we rebuild the lookup from the current files, check the result, and then publish it. Until then, and whenever a rebuild fails those checks, the previous version stays up, so a return the IRS has just published can take up to a week to appear here, and the IRS publishes a return some weeks after it is filed. For the IRS’s current records, use IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.

What the data leaves out

  • Churches and other organizations that don’t have to apply to the IRS for recognition and haven’t, and some organizations covered by a group exemption.
  • Organizations whose exemption was revoked, because the IRS removes them from the master file. The IRS keeps a separate list of automatic revocations, which this lookup doesn’t include.
  • Paper returns, an organization’s Form 990-N filings before its latest one, and e-file index years before 2021.
  • Whether a gift to an organization is deductible. To check, search the IRS’s Publication 78 list in Tax Exempt Organization Search.
  • Financial figures, officers, donors and anything else inside the returns.

What the fields mean

We show each code with its description from the IRS field guide to the master file. If the guide doesn’t describe a code, we show the code alone.

  • The ruling date is the month on the IRS letter recognizing the exemption, not the date the organization was founded.
  • The city and state come from the IRS mailing address. For an organization outside the U.S., the IRS file puts the country in place of the city.
  • The accounting year is the month the organization’s tax year ends. The latest return on record is the tax period of the newest return the IRS lists for the organization.
  • The filing requirement code is the IRS’s note of which return the organization files. It doesn’t tell you which form the organization should file this year.
  • An e-file index year is the year the IRS published a return, not the year it was filed. The indexes don’t include a filing date.

How search works

  • An EIN, typed as nine digits or with a dash after the first two, finds only that organization.
  • A name search lists exact matches first, then names that start with what you typed, then names that contain all of its words in any order. It also searches the IRS’s secondary name and the city.
  • Search ignores capitals, punctuation and apostrophes, and the words “the”, “and”, “of” and “inc”. A misspelled word won’t match.
  • You’ll see at most 20 organizations. To narrow the list, type more of the name or choose a state.

Corrections

We show IRS records as the IRS publishes them, without editing them. If the IRS record for your organization is wrong, contact IRS Tax Exempt and Government Entities Customer Account Services at 877-829-5500. Once the IRS publishes the correction in a later master file, it will appear here.

If a page here doesn’t match the IRS file it cites, email us at support@fast-file-exempt.com.

Preparing your organization’s own return?

Fast File Exempt e-files Forms 990-PF, 990 and 990-EZ that an organization prepared itself, and Form 8868 extensions. Form 990-N is free. Which form your organization files depends on its situation this year, not on the forms it filed before.

See forms and pricing

Guides

All resources