The Pennsylvania Charitable Organization Registration Statement, Form BCO-10, is an annual filing that must be completed by organizations soliciting charitable contributions from Pennsylvania residents unless the organization is exempt or excluded from the filing requirement.
A list of types of excluded and exempt organizations can be found here.
The BCO-10 must be signed by two different officers of the organization, one of whom is the chief fiscal officer or the equivalent. The form also requires several different attachments to be submitted with the charitable organization registration.
- A completed and signed copy of the Form 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, or 990-N and all applicable schedules for the immediately preceding fiscal year. Please note that if an organization files Form 990-N, 990-EZ, or 990-PF instead of Form 990, a Pennsylvania public disclosure Form BCO-23 must also be filed.
- The applicable required financial statements for the immediately preceding fiscal year.
- Initial registrants are required to include a copy of the organization’s IRS exemption letter and organizing documents.
- Registration fee and any late filing fees
All of this, along with the completed Form BCO-10, must be mailed to the Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations.
The applicable required registration fee is dependent on the gross annual contributions of an organization:
- $25,000 or less, requires a $15 registration fee
- $25,001 to less than $100,000, requires a $100 registration fee
- $100,000 to less than $500,000, requires a $150 registration fee
- $500,000 or more, requires a $250 registration fee
The Form BCO-10 financial statement requirement is also dependent on the gross annual contributions of an organization:
- Less than $100,000: The organization must submit internally prepared, compiled, reviewed, or audited financial statements.
- $100,000 to less than $250,000: The organization must submit compiled, reviewed, or audited financial statements.
- $250,000 to less than $750,000: The organization must submit reviewed or audited financial statements.
- $750,000 or more: The organization must submit audited financial statements.
As mentioned above, Form BCO-23 is required to be filed when an organization does not file a full Form 990 return, but instead files a Form 990-N, 990-EZ, or 990-PF. The Pennsylvania public disclosure form, Form BCO-23, reports an organization’s income, expenses, and net assets. There is also a salary and expense statement for the organization’s officers and five highest-paid employees.
For any questions on the Pennsylvania Form BCO-10 or Form BCO-23, please contact Schneider Downs.
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