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How long will it take for the IRS to process my application?

Your Legal Questions Answered

How long will it take for the IRS to process my application?

I have started a nonprofit organization and would like to file an IRS 501(c)(3) application. I need to have this status within the shortest possible time. Please let me know how long it might take.

The current time period varies. The IRS is understaffed in this department. If your application raises no questions, it could be approved in as little as a month or two. If it raises significant questions, as many seem to, it may take several months to be assigned to an examiner and six months or more to get reviewed and approved. The IRS has a procedure for requesting expedited consideration, but the requirements are reasonably stringent and it doesn’t always speed up the process.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Comments

In our case it was 10 months before we heard anything other than a computer generated acknowledgement that our application had been received. The questioner didn't say why it is so urgent to get the approval fast, but there are a number of things he/she can do, depending on the issue, while waiting for the approval to come through.

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