The Internal Revenue Service unveiled an online tool Monday to provide easier access to public information about tax-exempt organizations.
The new Tax Exempt Organization Search is actually a replacement for EO Select Check, a tool that’s been available since 2012 but had more limited features. EO Select Check mainly offered information on whether an organization was tax-exempt or not, and whether its status had been revoked, but TEOS provides much more information.
The new tool provides images of newly filed 990 forms available for the first time. TEOS also includes two other significant improvements. Users can find more kinds of information than previously available through EO Select Check. On top of that, the search process has been simplified, enabling users to search across multiple data files for information with one query.
TEOS also works better than EO Select Check on mobile devices, so users can search for information via smartphone or tablet. They can also see images of an organization’s information returns and IRS determination letters. That includes:
• Forms 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF and 990-T (501(c)(3) organizations only) filed with the IRS. Initially, only the 990 series forms filed in January and February 2018 will be available through TEOS, but new filings will be added monthly.
• Favorable determination letters sent by the IRS when an organization applied for and met the requirements for tax-exempt status. At first, only a limited number of recent determination letters will be available via TEOS, but eventually, determination letters issued since January 2014 will also appear on the system.