990 e-pstcard FAQ Fr frequently asked questins abut filing the e-pstcard that are nt listed belw, brwse the FAQ at http://epstcard.frm990.rg/frmtsfaq.asp# (cpy and paste this link t yur brwser). General Questins Wh shuld I cntact if I have a questin? Answers t mst questins abut the e-pstcard filing requirement can be fund at www.irs.gv/e. If yu cannt find the answer t yur questin there, call IRS Custmer Accunt Services at 877-829-5500. Is there a charge t file frm 990-N (e-pstcard)? N, the e-pstcard system is cmpletely free. Which Brwsers des this site supprt? The website supprts the fllwing Windws based brwsers: Micrsft Internet Explrer (v5.5 r newer) Firefx (v1.0 r newer) Netscape (v6.2 r newer) This site des nt supprt any versin f Safari, Netscape r Internet Explrer fr MAC. Hw can I get the Firefx Brwser? Yu can dwnlad the firefx brwser frm http://www.mzilla.rg/dwnlad.html. Is it safe t use a web-based e-filing system? IRS believes that the e-pstcard web-based filing system is safe t use. As an IRS certified sftware develper and e-file transmitter, Urban Institute makes every effrt t ensure that ur server meets all the latest security requirements. Is there a guide n hw t use the system? Yes, this is the link: http://epstcard.frm990.rg/files/epstcardquickstartguide.pdf Lgin ID Questins When I requested my lgin ID I mistyped the EIN. Hw can I fix it? If yu entered the wrng EIN when yu requested yur lgin ID, send an email t epstcard@urban.rg. Be sure t include bth the crrect and incrrect EIN in yur email. We will email yu a new lgin ID and if yu started the e-pstcard we will change the EIN. Nte: If an e-pstcard already exists fr the crrect EIN, we cannt change the EIN (r lgin ID). The system says my Lgin ID has nt been activated yet. Hw d I activate it? When yu requested yur lgin ID, the system sent an email t the email address yu prvided. T activate yur lgin ID, yu must click the link in the email and fllw the instructins. If yu did nt receive the activatin email, check yur spam flder. If yu find the email in yur spam flder, use it t activate yur lgin ID. Once yu have activated yur lgin ID, mdify yur
spam filter(s) t receive emails frm epstcard@urban.rg. If the email is nt in yur spam flder, select Lg In frm the tp f the e-pstcard hme page. Enter yur lgin ID and Passwrd and click Lg In. Yu will see a screen that says yur lgin ID has nt been activated. Yur email address is lcated n the tp left. If the email address is incrrect, cntact tech supprt. If the email address is crrect, click the Resend Activatin Email buttn at the bttm f the page. I am having prblems activating my lgin ID. Can yu help? When yu created yur lgin ID, the system sent an Activatin email t the email address yu entered int yur Lgin ID recrd. Yu must activate the lgin ID using the activatin link in this email befre yu can use it. The fllwing trubleshting tips may help reslve yur activatin prblem Trubleshting Tips: 1. I did nt get the activatin email: Did yu enter a valid email address when yu requested yur Lgin ID? If the address is nt crrect r valid, cntact Tech Supprt. Is the activatin email in yur spam flder? Please check yur spam flder fr the activatin email. The activatin email has a subject f e-pstcard Lgin Activatin Ntice and was sent with a return address f epstcard@urban.rg. If yu find the email in yur spam flder, use it t activate yur lgin ID. Once yu have activated yur lgin ID, mdify yur spam filter(s) t receive emails frm epstcard@urban.rg. Request a new activatin email. Yu can request a new activatin email by ging t the Lgin page and entering yur Lgin ID and Passwrd. Once yu d that, the system will display a page telling yu that yu need t activate yur Lgin ID. The page has a buttn t allw yu t request anther Activatin email. Yu can als cntact technical supprt t request a new cpy f yur activatin email. 2. I have the Lgin ID Activatin email, but I cannt click n the link. Sme email prgrams d nt always display links prperly (AOL fr example). If yu cannt click n the link t activate yur Lgin ID, then yu need t cpy the entire link frm the email message int yur brwser. The fllwing is an example f an activatin link: https://epstcard.frm990.rg//frmadminlginactivate.asp?a=c019446a990179uxa When yu cpy the link, please make sure yu cpy the whle thing starting with the https:// in the beginning and ending with the A=C019446a990179uXa n the end. (Nte: yur Activatin link will have different letter and numbers n the end. Make sure yu cpy the activatin link frm yur activatin email) 3. I have the activatin email, but I get an INVALID LOGIN ID ACTIVATION errr when I click n the link: That errr means the system did nt find the Lgin ID that needed t be activated based n the cde in the activatin link. This is generally caused by ne f tw reasns. When yu clicked the link (r cpied the link int yur brwser), the system did nt get the entire link. Please make sure that the entire activatin cde shws up in the link the activatin cde is everything after the A= at the end f the link. The cde shuld be 17 characters lng. Here is an example f a valid
activatin cde: A=C019446a990179uXa The Lgin ID has already been activated. Yu can nly use the activatin email ne time. If yu try t use it after yu have successfully activated the Lgin ID, yu will get this errr. If yu are trying t use the Activatin email t access the website after yu have already activated yur Lgin ID, yu will get this errr. Rather than use the email, please just pen yur brwser t http://epstcard.frm990.rg What shuld I d if I frgt my Lgin ID r Passwrd? Lgin ID: An exempt rganizatin s lgin ID is its EIN (withut the dash) plus a sequential number starting with 01. Fr example, the first lgin ID fr EIN 00-1234567 wuld be 00123456701, and the secnd lgin ID wuld be 00123456702, and s n. If yu are a preparer, yur lgin ID is what yu requested it t be when yu registered as a new user. If yu d nt remember it, cntact tech supprt and prvide yur name, email address and the name f yur business. Passwrd: If yu knw yur lgin ID, but yu d nt remember yur passwrd, take the fllwing steps: 1. On the e-pstcard hme page, select Lg In frm the tp menu. 2. Enter yur lgin ID. 3. Click the Email Passwrd buttn. The system will send yur passwrd t the email address yu prvided when yu requested yur lgin ID. Hw d I change the email address (r ther infrmatin) I prvided when I registered as a new user? T update yur email address r ther infrmatin yu prvided when yu registered, take the fllwing steps: 1. On the e-pstcard hme page, select Update User Recrd frm the right-hand menu 2. Enter yur lgin ID and passwrd and click Lg In. 3. Frm the Manage Users page, click Change Passwrd t change yur passwrd r Edit t update ther infrmatin. Name, EIN and Tax Year Questins I tried t create a lgin ID but the system tld me it culd nt find the EIN. What shuld I d? When yu enter yur rganizatin's EIN, ur system verifies that the EIN is n the IRS list f rganizatins eligible t file the e-pstcard. If yu are certain yu entered yur EIN crrectly, the IRS may nt have yur rganizatin listed as a tax-exempt rganizatin. This des nt mean that yur EIN is nt valid. Yu will need t call IRS Custmer Accunt Services at 877-829-5500 fr assistance. If yur rganizatin is a subrdinate rganizatin that is nt included n the parent's grup return, yur parent rganizatin may have failed t list yur rganizatin n the list f subrdinates prvided t the IRS annually. The best way t reslve this is t have the parent rganizatin ask the IRS t update its recrds by writing t the fllwing address:
Internal Revenue Service 1973 Nrth Ruln White Blvd Ogden, UT 84404-5402 ATTN: M/S 6273 If the IRS must update its recrds, it will be apprximately six weeks befre yu can file yur e- Pstcard. There are n late filing r delinquency penalties assciated with the e-pstcard; hwever, as fr all 990-series filers, failure t file fr three cnsecutive years will result in lss f tax-exempt status. What shuld I d if anther rganizatin filed an e-pstcard using my rganizatin s EIN? If yu cannt file yur e-pstcard because anther rganizatin used yur EIN, yu must cntact IRS Custmer Accunt Services at 877-829-5500 and explain the situatin. In mst instances, yu will be able t file yur e-pstcard using yur EIN, and IRS will ntify the ther rganizatin f their errr. This situatin smetimes ccurs when a subrdinate rganizatin inadvertently uses the EIN f a related rganizatin r the parent rganizatin. The system says my tax year has nt ended and will nt let me prceed. What shuld I d? Yu must wait until the end f yur tax year t file. If the errr message yu received when yu tried t file the e-pstcard cntains the crrect tax year end-date, yu must wait until after that date t file the e-pstcard. Hw can I file an e-pstcard fr a prir tax year? I tried t file my rganizatin s 2007 e- Pstcard, but the system generated an e-pstcard fr the 2008 tax year. The system will nt allw the filing f a prir year e-pstcard. The system autmatically generates the e-pstcard fr yur rganizatin s mst recently ended tax perid. There is n penalty fr failing t file the e-pstcard. Hwever, failure t file fr three cnsecutive years (fr example, 2007, 2008 and 2009) will result in the lss f yur tax-exempt status as f the filing due date f the third year. Even if yur prir year e-pstcard is in edit mde (started but nt submitted t the IRS), when yu g back int the system t cmplete it, the system will generate an e-pstcard fr yur mst recently ended tax perid. Fr example: In 2008, yu started but did nt submit yur 2007 e-pstcard. In 2009, yu return t the system t submit the 2007 e-pstcard; hwever, because yur 2008 tax year has ended, the system autmatically generates the e-pstcard fr yur 2008 tax year. e-pstcard Submissin Hw will I knw if the IRS accepted my e-pstcard? Once the IRS receives and prcesses yur e-pstcard (usually within 30 minutes), yu will receive an email indicating whether yur e- Pstcard was accepted r rejected. If accepted, yu are dne fr the year. If rejected, the email will tell yu why it was rejected and hw t crrect the prblem. The system rejected my e-pstcard. What shuld I d? When yur e-pstcard was rejected, yu shuld have received an email frm ur system describing the errr(s) and telling yu wh t cntact t reslve the issue. In mst cases, the email directs yu t cntact IRS Custmer Accunt Services at 877-829-5500. When yu cntact Custmer Accunt Services, yu shuld have the reject email handy s yu can prvide the infrmatin they will need t reslve the
issue. In mst cases, the IRS will be able t reslve the prblem, but the reslutin may take several weeks t take effect. Yu may be tld that yur e-pstcard can be re-submitted in fur t six weeks. After that perid f time, please send an email t Tech Supprt requesting that we retransmit yur e-pstcard. Be sure t include yur rganizatin s EIN. I have submitted my e-pstcard. Hw d I print a cpy fr my recrds? T view and print an image f yur e-pstcard, take the fllwing steps: 1. Frm the Quick Menu n the Hme page, click the "Edit/View Existing e-pstcard" ptin. 2. If yu are nt already lgged int the system, yu will be prmpted t enter yu lgin ID and passwrd. 3. The system will take yu t the page titled Cntrl Panel. 4. Click "View" n the right-hand side f the Cntrl Panel. The system will take yu t the Filing Status page. 5. Click "View Frm 990-N (e-pstcard)" in the upper right-hand crner. 6. The system will display yur e-pstcard. My e-pstcard des nt shw up at the IRS Frm 990-N Search Site. Why? Once a Frm 990- N (e-pstcard) has been accepted by the IRS, it can take up t 3 weeks it t appear at the IRS Frm 990-N Search Page.