2019 Form 990 Return Of Organization Exempt From Income Tax

Use a Form 990 template to make your document workflow more streamlined.

What the 2019 Form 990 reports

The 2019 Form 990 is the IRS information return used by eligible tax-exempt organizations to disclose finances, governance, compensation, activities, and selected transactions for the 2019 tax year. It is not an income-tax payment form. The organization completes the core return and applicable schedules, reviews figures against its books, obtains authorized approval, and submits the return through the required IRS process. signNow can coordinate the organization’s internal review and signatures, preserve the executed document, and retain an Audit Trail showing how approval occurred.

Organizations that benefit from structured Form 990 workflows

The right workflow depends on the organization’s filing volume, approval structure, and need for a reproducible signature record.

A small nonprofit uses signNow to route one 2019 Form 990 package from its treasurer to an authorized officer, preserving the signed return and Audit Trail without paper circulation.
A regional charity’s finance department coordinates schedules, officer review, and controlled archival across locations, keeping one reproducible approval record for its 2019 Form 990.
A national nonprofit enterprise connects signNow with NetSuite or Microsoft 365 to coordinate financial records, approvals, and controlled access before retaining the executed return.

Nonprofit finance teams

Nonprofit finance teams use the 2019 Form 990 to report governance, revenue, expenses, compensation, and related schedules. They can route officer approvals, attach board records, and retain the executed package for IRS inquiries and organizational records.

Officers and tax advisers

Authorized officers and tax professionals review and sign the return after financial data is assembled. signNow helps coordinate signatures on the return package while preserving an electronic record of each signing event.

How the 2019 Form 990 workflow works

The workflow moves the return from preparation through authorized review, signature, evidence capture, and controlled archival.

Upload the return: Upload the completed 2019 Form 990 and schedules.
Prepare fields: Review detected fields and add signer roles.
Request signatures: Send signature requests to authorized officers.
Archive evidence: Store the executed return and Audit Trail.

Authenticate signer:

Records the signer’s authentication event before approval.

Capture timestamps:

Captures date and time for each action.

Hash document:

Associates the signed file with document history.

Seal record:

Seals completed evidence against later alteration.

Track activity:

Logs viewing, signing, and completion actions.

Export Audit Trail:

Allows authorized users to retrieve and export evidence.

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Use the signNow web app to upload the 2019 Form 990, inspect fields, assign the authorized officer, and manage the complete filing package from a desktop workflow.
Use the signNow mobile app when a nonprofit officer must review or sign the prepared return away from the office, while preserving the same document history.
Use kiosk mode for supervised, on-site completion when an organization controls the signing device and needs a signer to review the Form 990 directly.
Generate a shareable signing link when distributing the prepared return to a known authorized signer without creating a separate email invitation.

Form 990 setting	Recommended configuration
Authentication method	Two-factor authentication for authorized officers
Signature type	Electronic signature with signer intent
Audit trail	Export with the completed return
Document retention	Three years from filing under IRC §6501(a)
Encryption	TLS 1.2/1.3 and AES-256

Prepare the return

Complete the core return and applicable schedules from finalized accounting and governance records.

Deliver to signers

Route the assembled package to the authorized officer and other required reviewers.

Complete signer review

Review every figure, schedule, and disclosure before applying the electronic signature.

Archive the package

Retain the executed return, schedules, and Audit Trail with the organization’s tax records.

State rules and document exclusions

Electronic exclusion

Wills excluded

Filing limitation

Court orders excluded

State-law exception

Family-law decrees excluded

Recording consequence

Deed notarization

Privacy and disclosure pitfalls

Publishing donor names, home addresses, or bank details in attachments can expose personal information beyond the Form 990 disclosure required by the IRS.
A signer may complete the return without documented electronic consent, weakening evidence that the officer intended to approve the submitted Form 990.
Shared links or unrestricted folders can let unauthorized users view schedules containing compensation, governance, or personally identifiable information.
Uploading an outdated schedule or unsigned replacement can separate the Audit Trail from the exact 2019 Form 990 package retained internally.

Record-keeping practices for Form 990

Retain the filed return, supporting schedules, approvals, and audit evidence under a documented, access-controlled records policy.

Apply the IRS three-year retention baseline

Keep the completed 2019 Form 990, schedules, workpapers, board approvals, and signer correspondence together. Retain federal tax records for three years from filing under IRC §6501(a), extending to six years when 25% or more of income was understated.

Export the audit trail with the filed return

Export the signNow Audit Trail after every completed 2019 Form 990 workflow. Preserve signer identity, timestamps, IP information, authentication events, and document history alongside the filed return for evidentiary continuity.

Archive signed records in controlled storage

Use access-controlled archival storage for the return and supporting schedules. Encrypt files at rest, restrict editing, record downloads, and maintain a documented destruction hold when an IRS examination, dispute, or investigation is pending.

Review schedules before public disclosure

Separate public disclosure copies from internal workpapers containing donor, officer, employee, or bank information. Review schedules before release because Form 990 filings and attachments can expose sensitive personal data.

Signer authentication for Form 990

Confirms signer access:

Email or link authentication

Adds phone verification:

SMS OTP

Strengthens officer identity:

Two-factor authentication

Checks signer credentials:

ID verification

Supports certificate signatures:

PKI and X.509

Records signing events:

Audit evidence

Field detection

Upload the prepared 2019 Form 990 and let signNow identify fillable areas, reducing manual field placement before the nonprofit’s authorized officer reviews the document.

Signer roles

Assign the signature role to the officer authorized by the organization, keeping approval responsibility distinct from the preparer who assembled financial data and schedules.

Audit Trail

Capture timestamps, signer actions, and document history so the organization can connect the executed return with its internal approval record.

Reusable templates

Use templates for recurring nonprofit filing packages while updating year-specific figures, schedules, and disclosures before each authorized signature request.

Mobile review

Review and sign the prepared return from a desktop or mobile workflow, supporting officers who are not present in the finance office.

Secure archival

Store the completed return with its evidence record, maintaining a controlled package for organizational governance and possible IRS correspondence.

Form 990 troubleshooting questions

Resolve signer, schedule, authentication, and record-retention issues before treating the 2019 Form 990 package as complete.

If the 2019 Form 990 signature request reaches the wrong officer, cancel or correct the recipient before signing. signNow templates and role-based routing can identify the authorized signer, while the Audit Trail preserves the final recipient and completed actions.

If schedules change after sending, do not rely on an earlier signature. Replace the document, recheck the complete 2019 Form 990 package, and issue a new request so the Audit Trail corresponds to the exact executed file.

Business includes legally binding eSignatures, templates, and Audit Trails at $8/user/month with annual billing. Business Premium is $15/user/month and adds bulk send; Enterprise is $30/user/month and adds advanced signer authentication.

Electronic-signature validity depends on intent, consent, attribution, and record retention under ESIGN, 15 U.S.C. ch. 96, and applicable UETA law. Preserve the signed return and Audit Trail so the approval record remains reproducible.

For a consumer-facing electronic record, ESIGN requires disclosure of the right to paper, access capability, and consent-withdrawal procedures under 15 U.S.C. §7001(c). Organizations should assess whether those consumer-disclosure requirements apply to their workflow.

A 2019 Form 990 is a tax-exempt organization information return, not a HIPAA record by itself. HIPAA controls and a BAA become relevant only when the workflow handles protected health information; signNow identifies HIPAA compliance as requiring a BAA.

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