Exempt Organizations Select Check: Timing of Database Updates for Organizations Whose Exempt Status Is Reinstated
My organization’s tax-exempt status was reinstated, but I can’t find my organization on Exempt Organizations Select Check (Pub. 78 Data) or the Exempt Organizations Business Master File extract (EO BMF). Why not?
Select Check (Pub. 78 Data) has been a major improvement in our search function, including monthly updates instead of the old Pub. 78 quarterly version. There still will be a delay between the time your organization is reinstated (or receives its initial exemption determination) and the time it shows up on Select Check (Pub.78 Data) and EO BMF.
Here’s why. Select Check (Pub.78 Data) and EO BMF information is drawn from the IRS Master File. Once a month an automatic computer program pulls updated data from the Master File and transfers it to Select Check (Pub.78 Data) and EO BMF. So, if your organization’s record was updated in the Master File prior to the date the program is run, that information will appear in that month’s update of Select Check (Pub. 78 Data) and EO BMF. If, on the other hand, your organization’s information is updated in the Master File after the date the program is run, that information won’t be included in Select Check (Pub.78 Data) and EO BMF until the following month’s update.
Between updates to Select Check (Pub. 78 Data) and EO BMF, donors can rely on your organization’s determination letter from the IRS as proof of your exempt status. Even if your organization remains on the list of automatically revoked organizations, donors can rely on an IRS determination letter dated on or after the effective revocation date. Donors also can confirm an organization's status by calling the IRS (toll-free) at 1-877-829-5500.
