Charities Registration Section

Charitable organizations and professional fund raisers based, operating or soliciting within the State of New Jersey must register with the Division of Consumer Affairs Charities Registration Section unless specifically exempted under the provisions of the Charitable Registration & Investigation Act  (N.J.S.A. 45:17A-18 et seq.) also known as the CRI Act.

The CRI Act requires that each charity registration statement be submitted with the required registration fee and late fee (if due), be signed by two (2) officers of the charity, and that it be submitted with all applicable attachments and additional information pertinent to the registration.  Every charity registered in New Jersey must renew its registration on an annual basis within six (6) months following their fiscal year-end.  Extensions of time to file may be requested by charities if gross contributions are greater than $10,000 (see further details below).

Registration Requirements in New Jersey – Threshold for Filing

The CRI Act now permits charitable organizations receiving annual gross contributions of $10,000 or less to choose whether or not they wish to maintain a registration with the Charities Registration Section as long as they do not use a professional fundraiser. Charities at this level of gross contribution income who are exempt from the registration requirements of the CRI Act, but choose to maintain a registration file, are now required to pay a $30 registration fee (N.J.A.C. 13:48-2.1(a)1), file a renewal registration on an annual basis and may no longer be granted extensions of time to file (N.J.A.C. 13: 48-3.4(h)).

Charitable organizations who claim the above registration exemption and remain unregistered must register within thirty (30) days of exceeding $10,000 in gross contributions within any given fiscal year.  The charity may not wait to register until their fiscal year ends;  the registration must be submitted within the time required in the statute.

In 2011, changes to the regulations raised the threshold for when a charity must provide a certified audit from total gross income of $250,000 to $500,000. The certified audit requirement applies to Long Form Registration filers only and, if required, cannot be waived.

Initial Registration

To register your organization for the first time, you must complete either the CRI-200 Short Form or the CRI-150I Long Form:

• If your organization raised more than $25,000 in gross contributions in its last fiscal year, or if it contracted with a professional fund raiser, Form CRI-150I and CRI-150IC (with addendum) must be submitted.

• If your organization raised less than $25,000 in gross contributions in its last fiscal year, or if the organization is a bona fide veterans' organization, Form CRI-200 (with addendum) may be used to initially register the organization.

Initial registrations must include copies of the organization's by-laws, articles of incorporation, IRS determination letter and the most recently filed IRS Form 990. If your organization is unable to produce any of the initial registration materials, please state the reason in a cover letter and submit it with your initial registration package.

Annual Renewal Registration

Registered charities must renew their registration on an annual basis. A charity's renewal registration is due within six (6) months after its fiscal year-end.

• If your organization raised $25,000.00 or less in gross contributionsor if your organization is a bona fide veterans' organization, complete Form CRI-200 Short Form Registration/Verification Statement(can be used for both Initial and Renewal registrations) have it signed by two officers of the organization and submit it with the fee(s) due and a copy of the IRS Form 990 or 990EZ for the fiscal year-end being reported (if filing was required by the IRS).

• If your organization raised $25.001 or more in gross contributions or if it had contracts with a professional fund raiser during the fiscal year end being reported, complete FormCRI-300R Long Form Renewal Registration, have it signed by two officers of the organization and submit it with the fee(s) due and a copy of the IRS Form 990 or 990EZ for the fiscal year-end being reported (if filing was required by the IRS).

Certified Audit Requirement

If your organization is required to file a Long Form Registration and received over $500,000 in total gross revenue during the fiscal year being reported,   a certified audit must be prepared and submitted with the initial and/or annual renewal registrations. For more details about the preparation of the certified audit, please refer to N.J.S.A 45:17A-24d(2).    If registration facts indicate a certified audit is required,   the requirement cannot be waived.   The certified audit requirement does not apply to Short Form filers.

Registration Fees

All filers must pay a registration fee. Charitable organizations that are no Longer required to register (N.J.S.A. 45:17A-26c) but choose to do so anyway, must pay a $30 registration fee (N.J.A.C. 13:48-2.1(a) 1). Registration fees are as follows:

Please Note: Registration fees are based on gross contributions, not total gross revenue.

Late Fees

Registration renewals filed after the due date must include a late fee of $25. The late fee amount is the same for all filers, regardless of the form being used or the gross contributions being reported.  Please include this additional fee with your registration fee at the time of filing.

Payment Methods

• Filing via Hard Copy
  ​When filing via hard copy, fee payments are accepted by check or money order only, payable to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. All fees are due and payable at the time of filing.

• Filing Online
  ​​When filing online, registration and other fees must be paid via major credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express). There is no service fee assessed. The statute requires that registration renewals filed after the annual due date of June 30, must be accompanied by a $25.00 late fee. All fees are due and payable at the time of filing.

Please write the charity's registration number on all checks, forms and other documents being submitted with the registration.

Registration Due Date

Annual renewal registrations are due six (6) months after the charity's fiscal year-end closing. For example: if your organization's annual fiscal year end is 12/31, then your NJ registration renewal would always be due on June 30 of the following year.

Extension of Time to File the Registration Renewal

Extension requests can only be filed through the NJ Charities Portal.

Although registration renewals are due within 180 days after the charity's fiscal year-ending, compliant charities whose gross contributions exceed $10,000 may request an extension of time to file. Extension requests must be submitted by the registration renewal due date. Charities whose gross contributions are less than $10,000 cannot be granted an extension and should file by the original due date. If a charity of this type is late in filing, a $25 late fee should be included with the registration fee of $30.

Only eligible charities will be able to access the extensions link. If your charity takes in less than the $10,000 threshold or is not compliant, you will not be eligible and therefore will not see an extensions link.

PLEASE NOTE:
​IRS extensions (of time to file the IRS990) alone are not recognized by the CRI Act in relation to filing the annual Charities Registration Renewal. A separate extension request, as described above, must be submitted.

Fund-Raiser Contracts

If your charity decides to use the services of a paid professional fund raiser or fund-raising counsel, be aware that the NJ statute requires both the charity and the paid professional fund raiser or fund raising counsel to be registered with this office and compliant with all filings and to submit a written contract describing the relationship between both parties. 

It is the responsibility of the fund-raiser or fund-raising counsel to file a copy of the signed contract with this office at least ten (10) business days prior to the performance by the fund raiser or fund raising counsel of any service within the State of New Jersey.

For further information, please refer to the NJ Charities Registration & Investigation Act (N.J.S.A. 45: 17A-27).

Commercial Co-Ventures

• Contract Filing:
  Every charitable organization which permits a charitable sales promotion to be conducted on its behalf, shall obtain a written contract from the commercial co-venturer and shall file a copy of the agreement with the Division of Consumer Affairs Charities Registration Section at least ten (10) days prior to the initiation of that charitable sales promotion, accompanied by a contract filing fee of $30. There is no form required. Please refer to the CRI Act N.J.S.A 45:17A-29 and the regulations at N.J.A.C. 13:48-9.2 for complete information regarding commercial co-venture contract filing.

• Charitable Sales Promotion Report:
  ​At the conclusion of the commercial co-venture charitable sales promotion, the charitable organization must file information with the Division of Consumer Affairs Charities Registration using Form CCO-500. A filing fee of $10.00 must accompany the report. Please refer to the CRI Act N.J.S.A. 45:17A-29b and the regulations at N.J.A.C. 13:48-9.2 for complete information regarding the Commercial Co-Venture Charitable Sales Promotion Report.

Notice of Intent to Solicit Funds

In addition to all other requirements imposed by the CRI Act, a charitable organization which limits its membership to persons who are or formerly were employed as officers statutorily authorized to enforce the criminal laws of the State of New Jersey  or a parent organization which includes local units that so limit membership , must file notice using form CRI-500LE.  

Form CRI-500 LE, Notice of Intent to Solicit Funds, must be filed at least ten days prior to initiating any solicitation campaign involving multiple solicitations and must be accompanied by a filing fee of $10.00.    For complete information regarding this requirement for Criminal Law Enforcement Organizations, please refer to N.J.S.A. 45: 17a-30d and N.J.A.C. 13:48-15.1.

Registration Forms

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