Because of the length of time it takes to get the 501c3 Determination Letter from the IRS, many of our clients would like to know if there is a way to expedite the IRS process. Our documentation is ready for you in 5 working days, and you must be incorporated in your state before you can apply. Click here to read about how long the IRS takes). The IRS is doing its best, but as one person at the IRS told me, “The mailman used to bring in these applications. Now they come in by the truckload.” The IRS tells us they receive 2,000 application per week! An exaggeration, perhaps, but the IRS is under a backlog. So how do you go about getting expedited service from the IRS? First of all, you should know that the IRS turns down 82% of requests for expedited service. Everyone wants to get to the front of the line at the drinking fountain, but it is not easy. Here’s what the IRS says about its expedited service in its instructions for Form 1023, the application for tax-exempt status:

Expedite Requests: We will only approve expedited processing of an application where a request is made in writing and contains a compelling reason for processing the application ahead of others. Circumstances generally warranting expedited processing include:

• A grant to the applicant is pending and the failure to secure the grant may have an adverse impact on the organization’s ability to continue operations.
• The purpose of the newly created organization is to provide disaster relief to victims of emergencies such as flood and hurricane.
• There have been undue delays in issuing a letter caused by problems within the IRS.

If you feel you have a chance to obtain this expedited service from the IRS, we do have a special IRS – Expedited Handling Service when you sign up (or you can add it later), and of course, there is no guarantee that you will be successful in your request. The worst that can happen is the IRS will deny you their expedited service and will include you in the 82% of requests that are denied.

More, from a denial of a request for expedited handling (not one of our clients) for feeding starving children in Haiti: “Your request does not meet the criteria established for expedited treatment; therefore, it was denied for the following reason:

“You did not demonstrate that you were promised a grant that would be forfeited if exemption was not received by a specific date and that the loss of the grant would adversely impact your ability to operate.

“Expedited handling is granted only in rare and unusual situations out of fairness to all applicants. We ordinarily process applications for exemption in the order in which they are received.”