Common questions about Form 990 Political Campaign and Lobbying in Lacerte

Use Screen 53.1, Pol. Acts & Lobbying (Sch. C), to indicate the organization is engaged in direct or indirect political campaigns to complete Parts I-A, I-B, I-C of Schedule C by checking the box, Engaged in direct or indirect political campaigns.

Why is the question on Line 4 is blank on Form 990, Page 3, Part IV? Neither Yes or No is marked.

This question will remain blank until the entity is identified as a Section 501(c)(3) organization. If this entity is a Section 501(c)(3), it must be indicated on Screen 1 Client Information. To do this:

1. Scroll down to the Return Info section and select 501(c) corp. as the 990-T Return Type.
2. Just below this section, enter a 3 for the 501 (c) Paragraph No. Once this has been entered, the question will show a No by default.
3. To change this to a yes, go to Screen 53, Political Campaign & Lobbying Acts (Sch C).
4. In the section Lobbying Expenditures enter either a 1 or a 2.  This will change line 4 to yes.