Are you starting a 501c3 Church, Ministry, Mission

or any other type of religious organization?  We are here to help.  Our firm has worked with many religious 501c3 nonprofits some who have dual charitable/religious purposes and others who are strictly religious.  Our clients are Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish and Islamic, and other spiritual organizations.  We don’t discriminate and have an interfaith office that can help meet all of your needs.

When an organization is defined as a Church it holds regular, consistent religious services.  These organizations are automatically exempt from paying taxes on the state and federal levels.  Be careful though!  Municipalities and county law may not exempt you from paying property taxes on any land and property owned by the Church applying for exemption.

Despite the fact that Churches don’t have to pay taxes, many of them choose to apply for 501c3 status anyway because of the great benefits that 501c3 organization receive.  501c3 status qualifies religious organizations for grants and your donors can then make tax deductible donations.  Being able to have a tax write off would make your congregants more likely to donate and more likely to donate larger sums of money.  It would also make it so you could easily offer tax deductible donations at fundraisers for your Church.

Any other religious organization that doesn’t have regular services would be required to apply for 501c3 status in order to be tax exempt.  With all the benefits to the 501c status, it’s well worth the effort and we’re here to help you!

We cover all areas of 501c nonprofit legal needs

  • Incorporation, bylaws, budgets, minutes for initial directors’ meeting, and other startup documentation (routinely within 2-3 weeks of retainer)
  • Establishing Tax Exempt Status at the federal and state level (IRS response within 60-120 days of filing)
  • Guidance and instructions in maintaining corporate formalities and keeping your nonprofit status over the long term
  • Continuing representation and consultation including employment, real estate, leasing, and contract issues (Ask us about our on-call attorney retainer program as a way to address your legal concerns in a cost effective and timely manner)
  • Compliance review – entailing review of bylaws, state and federal filings and representation when organizations are out of compliance
  • Accounting; IRS and state filings (990, 8734, etc.) If you have questions about our services, or you would like to schedule an appointment to discuss how we can serve you, please contact us anytime.

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