Making Sense of Federal Forms

Here is a helpful post from CharityNet USA on federal forms for nonprofits:

Running a nonprofit means you have to deal with all types of report forms. You will have forms coming from both your state’s government and the Federal government. Each government department will expect you to know what their forms are for. I’m going to go over some common federal forms you will encounter and what each is used for.
• Form 1023- filed to apply for 501(c) (3) status with the IRS
• Form 8718- payment coupon filed with Form 1023 to report the amount being paid
• Forms 990N, 990 EZ, and 990- annual filing forms submitted by 501(c) (3) organizations to report income, expenses, and activities
• Form 940- filed annually to report and pay employer’s federal unemployment tax
• Form 941- filed quarterly to report employment taxes (income tax, Medicare, Social Security, etc.) withheld from employees and the employer’s portion of employment of those taxes
• Form W-4- completed by employees so the correct tax amounts are withheld from their paychecks
• Form W-2- distributed to employees each year to report their income and taxes withheld
• Form W-3- filed annually to report income paid to employees and their employment taxes
• Form 1099MISC- distributed to individuals who are independent contractors to report their income
• Form 8829- reports the expenses for using portions of your home for business use
• Form 4562- filed to report depreciation and amortization on property and equipment
• Form 4797- filed to report the sale of business property during the year
• Form 4868- filed to receive an automatic extension of time to file tax documents but not to pay taxes
• Form 2848- filed to give an attorney, CPA, or EA power of attorney or to act as your representative
• Form 4506- filed to request a copy of your tax returns
• Form 8822- filed with the IRS to change the address on file with them

Throughout the course of running a business you will encounter many different types of forms, both federal and state.

IRS FORMS Here