How To Start A Nonprofit In Georgia – To start a sole proprietorship in Georgia, you must file articles of incorporation with the Georgia Secretary of State. You can submit your volunteer articles online or by mail. The links cost $100 to ship. Once filed with the state, your articles of incorporation officially create a Georgia nonprofit corporation, but actually organizing a nonprofit organization to accomplish its mission involves several additional steps.
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How To Start A Nonprofit In Georgia
To incorporate a Georgia nonprofit, you must complete and file Articles of Incorporation with the Georgia Secretary of State, and you should include a Disclosure Statement Form with your articles (see below). Look at the document below and click on any number to see the required information in the appropriate section.
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The name of a nonprofit organization must contain the word “corporation,” “incorporated,” “company,” “limited,” or the abbreviation “Corp.,” “Inc.,” “Co.,” or “Ltd.” The name may not be obscene or use words that suggest a corporate purpose other than the purpose permitted by the Articles of Incorporation and Georgia law. It cannot exceed 80 characters, and must be distinguished from other organizations operating in Georgia.
Articles of Incorporation for Georgia nonprofit organizations must include the following statement (word for word): “The organization is organized in accordance with the Georgia Nonprofit Organization Code.”
Include the name, street address, and county of your Georgia registered agent. This is the “registry office” where the state will deliver formal service (legal notices) and other official letters. When you hire Northwest to be your registered agent, our information goes here.
Indicate if the Georgia nonprofit organization will have members by entering one of the following simple options: “The organization will have members” or “The organization will not have members.”
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Include the nonprofit’s principal address—the address of its principal place of business—if this is different from its registered office. You can put a PO Box address here if you want, or you can use a Northwest Georgia address instead.
Georgia does not require nonprofits to disclose their purpose, but if the nonprofit intends to seek 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS, include an additional section that uses specific language that the IRS requires to limit activities. your volunteer. special actions to claim one or more exemptions approved by the IRS. The IRS will expect to see this language on your nonprofit’s Articles of Incorporation when you submit your Application for Identification.
At least one incorporator or attorney must sign and date your articles of incorporation, and state his or her status as either an incorporator or attorney.
Georgia charges $100 to file Articles of Incorporation and an additional $100 for expedited processing within 3 business days
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In addition, you will pay a fee of $40 to publish your notice of intent to incorporate in a Georgia newspaper, $35 to register as a Charity with the Securities and Charities Division of the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, and $30 for your first Year of Incorporation you. Registration report ($40 if filed using paper form).
Once the Articles of Incorporation are filed, it takes the state approximately 12 business days to process your incorporation documents. Expedited processing is available within 3 business days for $100. You can get one day service for $250 and 1 hour service for $1,000.
The Disclosure Form asks for basic information about the nonprofit—your company name and type, information about your affiliate and registered agent, and approval that your organization has or will send a Notice of Intent. to link to your local newspaper—and you can find it online at the Georgia Secretary of State’s website. Submit Disclosure Forms with Articles of Incorporation for non-profit organizations. There is no separate entry fee.
Yes, you are required to have a Georgia registered agent to receive legal notice (service of process) for your nonprofit organization. You can do the work yourself, but there is a problem in doing so. A registered agent must list a Georgia street address on the nonprofit’s Articles of Incorporation, which is a public document, so any address you list becomes part of the public record. You must also be at this address during normal business hours, which means you cannot have long meetings, travel for any length of time, or do anything that would make you unavailable. not if the process service ever shows up. heaven at your door.
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The best option? Hire a Northwest proxy service, and your News can list our Georgia office address on your behalf. This will reduce junk mail, prevent unwanted solicitors from showing up at your door, and give you the freedom to manage and grow your nonprofit on your own terms. If you have ever received any legal notices from the state, we will check and send you the documents on the day we receive them.
Any new Georgia nonprofit must publish a notice of intent to incorporate in the local newspaper (that is, in the county of your nonprofit’s office). You will pay a fee of 40 US dollars for publication, and the book must be in a newspaper acceptable to county employees (in the so-called “official legal section”). Check with your County Clerk to find out which newspapers are accepted, and send your notice of intent no later than the day you file your Articles of Incorporation with the GA Secretary of State. Learn more about Northwest’s guide to How to Post a Notice of Incorporation in Georgia.
Your nonprofit will need a federal employee identification number (FEIN or EIN) if it intends to apply for federal and state tax permits, open bank accounts (at least most banks), and conduct financial affairs. and general business dealings. After the state approves your articles of incorporation, you can apply for an EIN on the IRS website. Or you can have us handle the IRS for you and add EIN services for an additional fee when you hire Northwest.
Georgia requires your nonprofit partners or board of directors to adopt the bylaws at their organization’s meetings. This is the first official meeting where you finish organizing your new team. Why? Because the laws describe how the nonprofit works. They say, for example, who is on the board of directors, how long they will be there, how they can be replaced, and what their powers and duties are (among other details about officers, members, meeting details, etc.). you). Basically, the bylaws define and limit the authority of everyone involved in your nonprofit.
Nonprofit Articles Of Incorporation Template
Bylaws are difficult to write, which is why Northwest offers a customizable template for writing nonprofit bylaws, as well as many other nonprofit forms, when you hire us to provide your organization with -you or sign up for our registered agent service. Check out a free attorney-drafted nonprofit statute sample and learn more about Georgia’s nonprofit laws.
Georgia nonprofits pay federal and state taxes unless they apply for (and receive) an existing tax exemption. At the federal level, nonprofit organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code do not have to pay federal taxes, as long as they submit an Application for Recognition to the IRS and pay required fee ($275 for small nonprofits submitting Form 1023-EZ and $600 for everyone). Obtaining 501(c)(3) status for public charities and non-profit foundations, the most exempt organization, requires the nonprofit to include specific tax exemption language that the IRS provides only for its activities. to claim one or more tax deductions. reasons. The IRS will send a non-profit organization a detailed information letter if and when it recognizes your status as a tax-exempt entity.
If your nonprofit is eligible for 501(c)(3) status, it will be exempt from Georgia state income tax, as long as you include a copy of your IRS determination letter when you file your tax return. of a non-profit organization, but pretty much. Nonprofit organizations (including most charities and religious organizations) pay Georgia sales and use taxes. The GA Department of Revenue website contains a list of these small organizations, such as private food banks and blood banks, that are also exempt from state sales tax. Learn more on our Georgia tax exemptions page.
Georgia does not issue a general business license, but most counties and cities have business licensing requirements, and the requirements vary significantly for nonprofits (with some counties and cities exempting 501(c)(3) organizations altogether) ). It is best to call the business license office at your local city hall to find out the exact requirements for a nonprofit organization.
How To Start A Nonprofit
If your nonprofit organization will solicit charitable donations from the public, you must register as a Georgia charity with the Office of Nonprofit Organizations of the Secretary of State’s Office. This should happen before applying for a donation in Georgia. You will pay an initial application fee of $35, submit a Nonprofit Registration form (Form C-100), and any additional documents required by the Securities and Charities Division. You will renew your subscription for $20 each year.
To open a bank account for a Georgia nonprofit, you need to bring the following items with you
