Today filed a 199-N for a California NPO with income under $25,000. With that income level, an electronic filing is needed. This is my first time with that form.
A few thoughts on the filing.
First, make sure you have the needed info. The filing went quickly with all the data handy.
Second, the process was quicker than for the federal 990-N. Two reasons for that. You don’t need to register before you can file. Just put in the corporate number issued by the secretary of state and you are on your way.
Also, the connection is directly with the FTB, so as soon as you click submit, the info is received by the FTB and they immediately issue a confirmation. This is different from the 990-N where you have to wait for the service provider to transmit the data to the IRS and receive a reply from the IRS to the provider to you.
Overall, a very quick process. A small NPO could file the form without assistance. If you need help contact me or any CPA that serves the nonprofit community.
Previously discussed the filing requirements and impact of different federal/California cutoff for the postcard filing.