Form 1024 Prep, User Guide | Build Your Club

What this tool does

Form 1024 (and Form 1024-A) is the IRS application a non-charity nonprofit files to be recognized as tax-exempt. This tool walks you through it part by part, in plain English, gathers your answers, and produces a preparation packet you can copy into the official filing at pay.gov or hand to your attorney. It is built for:

501(c)(4) social welfare organizations and civic leagues (these file Form 1024-A, plus a separate Form 8976 notice)
501(c)(5) labor, agricultural, and horticultural organizations
501(c)(6) business leagues, trade and professional associations, and chambers of commerce
501(c)(7) social and recreational clubs

If you are a 501(c)(3) charity, use the Form 1023 tool instead. Not sure which type you are? Compare the types.

Before you start

You will move faster if you already have your EIN, your filed Articles of Incorporation, your Bylaws, and a rough budget. If you have not formed yet, use the Nonprofit Formation tool first; when you choose your type there, it drafts your Articles and Bylaws with the right language for a 501(c)(6) or other type, not charity boilerplate.

Pick your type on the Overview screen first. It drives your form, your required provisions, your schedule, and the filing fee throughout the tool.

Working through the parts

Use the sidebar to move through the application. Each part mirrors a part of the real Form 1024 and tells you exactly what the IRS is asking for. Your answers save automatically on your device as you type, and the Overview shows how many parts you have started so you can pick up where you left off.

Part I, Identification: who the organization is, your EIN, address, and contact.
Part II, Structure: what kind of legal entity you are and your founding documents.
Part III, Required provisions: your purpose and dissolution language. A non-charity type is not required to use charitable-purpose or 501(c)(3)-dissolution language.
Part IV, Activities narrative: the heart of the application, see below.
Part V, People and money: who you pay and any dealings with insiders.
Part VI, Financial data: a simple revenue and expense picture, use your budget if you are new.
Your schedule: the questions specific to your subsection (c4, c5, c6, or c7).

The AI narrative drafter

Part IV asks for a clear description of your activities, which is the part most people find hardest. Fill in the short prompts (what you do, who, when, funding, purpose), then click "AI: draft my narrative from the answers above." The tool writes a structured, IRS-style narrative for your exact type.

Two things to know: it uses only the facts you typed and inserts a clearly [bracketed placeholder] where a detail is missing rather than inventing one, and the draft lands in an editable box that you should review and correct. The AI feature uses your Build Your Club account, so sign in first; if you are signed out, the tool shows a sign-in link.

Automations. This tool includes an AI narrative drafter for Part IV (the narrative description of your activities). For how it works, its guardrails, and how to use it well, see the AI Automations Guide.

Review, export, and file

The Review & export screen gathers everything into one packet. You can Copy all, download a formatted Word (.docx) or plain text file, or print it. Hand it to your attorney, or use it to fill in the official application.

You file Form 1024 (or Form 1024-A for a c4) electronically at pay.gov with the user fee, currently $600. Processing commonly takes a few months. The Filing checklist screen has the links and the step list, including the c4 Form 8976 notice.

General guidance, not legal or tax advice. Form 1024 is a legal filing. This tool is a preparation aid; have a qualified attorney or accountant review your application before you submit it.