Comprehensive book on 990 returns?

[PATAX]

Does anyone know of any entity that publishes a book/publication just on 990 returns. It seems like this is very hard to find. There are sections in various Publications but I'd like to have a complete book. I have an older one that I found online but I'd like to have a more recent one. Thank you.

[qbteachmt]

I don't know that any book is better than web resources, now, as long as you can spot and avoid the AI that is infesting the web. And don't overlook real life.

I don't know what sort of resources you might have locally. In MT we have an amazing NFP network. Locally, they hold brown bag lunch sessions. One of the things I tell my QB students is to go volunteer somewhere, because they will not get a better experience than to see NFP finances from the ground, up. Example:

https://www.mtnonprofit.org/tax-season-for-nonprofits-3-things-you-need-to-know/

Your advantage is that you get to reference their prior year filings, too. Working with local agencies allows you to see the differences in fund accounting, learn how to handle group exemptions, how reporting to a parent organization is done.

Lastly, if you have a United Way, I recommend offering your time to them. OMG, I cannot even begin to tell you how much I learned from their review process, because they have a fine edge and developed great methodology that you get to see applied to a larger number of NFP entities in one cycle than you might run into in 5 years of preparing 990 forms.

And I'm just a huge advocate for volunteering.

[PATAX]

@qbteachmt 👍Thanks a million QB. I appreciate it. That link is great.

[qbteachmt]

Have you worked with the UCOA? There is a spreadsheet version which includes multiple workbook pages, and it cross-references 990 lines, OMB, United Way, etc, by function. Here's one:

https://www.compasspoint.org/sites/default/files/documents/SampleChartOfAccounts.xls

I think it's old. You should be able to find one that matches the recent 990 line #s.

[PATAX]

@qbteachmt thanks QB I appreciate it. I do the 990 return and 990t return if applicable for several clients. The returns have grown considerably over the years.

[sjrcpa · Accepted solution]

PPC has a 990 Deskbook. The Deskbooks usually have practical, as opposed to theoretical, applications.

[PATAX]

@sjrcpa 👍Thanks Sue. That looks like a  great book.