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CTSO State Association Calendar Year-End Checklist

Many state associations run a July 1 to June 30 fiscal year. December 31 is not their year-end close. It is still a real deadline. Judges and speakers are paid on a calendar year for information returns. Donors close their own books on December 31. Conference season, for a lot of associations, is still ahead in the winter and spring. And a June 30 fiscal year puts the Form 990 due date in November, which means October is when you confirm that filing is actually underway.

This checklist is for CTSO state associations such as HOSA, FCCLA, TSA, SkillsUSA, DECA, and FBLA. Naming those organizations describes the kind of association. It does not mean we speak for them. Blackpoint CPA is a HOSA, Inc. Board-approved vendor. We are Central Florida-based, serving clients statewide and remotely, and can serve any state. The same four tasks apply to a state association in Clermont and to one in another state.

Collect W-9s and plan the 1099s

Competitive events and conferences are staffed by people who are often not employees: judges, workshop speakers, and other contractors paid for services. Before you pay them, collect Form W-9. The form gives you the legal name, the taxpayer identification number, and the federal tax classification. You want that before the check goes out, not in January when the address on the invoice bounces.

For payments made in 2026, the Form 1099-NEC threshold is $2,000. The IRS states that on "Am I required to file a Form 1099 or other information return?" Payments before 2026 used $600. Add every payment to the same person for services, including parts and materials. Nonprofit organizations are subject to these rules, as the 1099-NEC instructions say. Payments to a corporation are generally not reported on Form 1099-NEC. Medical and health care payments to a corporation are reported on Form 1099-MISC. Attorney fees are reportable even when paid to a corporation. Fees for legal services go on Form 1099-NEC, and gross proceeds paid to an attorney go on Form 1099-MISC, box 10. A judge or speaker who is an individual, or an LLC taxed as a sole proprietorship or partnership, can still cross $2,000. The W-9 shows the classification. Also file Form 1099-NEC if you withheld any backup withholding, whatever the amount. When a payee does not give you a TIN, backup withholding on a reportable payment is 24 percent. That rate is in Topic No. 307 and the Form W-9 requester instructions.

Form 1099-NEC is due to the recipient and the IRS by January 31. If that date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the instructions move it to the next business day. January 31, 2027 is a Sunday, so the forms for 2026 payments are due Monday, February 1, 2027. Ten or more information returns, including W-2s, must be filed electronically. A Transmitter Control Code can take up to 45 days, so the W-9 file should be clean before the holidays.

Send donor and sponsor acknowledgments

Sponsors and donors often close their books on the calendar year even when the association does not. A written acknowledgment is what lets a donor substantiate a gift. The association does not file that acknowledgment with the IRS for the donor. The donor has to have it.

For a gift of $250 or more, the donor needs a contemporaneous written acknowledgment. The IRS page on written acknowledgments says it must name the organization, state the cash amount, describe any non-cash property without valuing it, and say whether goods or services were provided. If they were, include a good-faith estimate of value. The donor must have it by the earlier of the filing date of the original return or the due date, including extensions. Publication 1771 notes that charities often send these letters by January 31. One letter can cover the year.

If a donor pays more than $75 and receives goods or services — a banquet, advertising in a sponsorship, a conference seat bundled with a gift — the charity must give a written disclosure. It says the deductible amount is limited to the excess over the value of what was received, and it gives a good-faith estimate of that value. The IRS explains this on its substantiating charitable contributions page. A penalty can apply if the disclosure is skipped. We do not promise that a penalty will be waived. In December, list each sponsor payment, note what the sponsor received, and send the letter.

Cash gifts of any amount also need a record. A bank record or a written communication from the charity has to show the date, the name of the organization, and the amount. A note the donor writes in a check register is not enough. Build the acknowledgment from the deposit records, not from memory.

Look at the budget before conference season

For a July 1 to June 30 fiscal year, December 31 is the midpoint. Six months of actual results are in the books. The expensive part of the year, for many associations, is still ahead: regional events, the state conference, and travel that follows. A budget-to-actual at the midpoint shows what registration, dues, and sponsorships have brought in, what has already been spent, and what is left against the budget the board approved.

Run it by program. Registration, dues, a restricted sponsorship, and a grant are not the same money. Restricted amounts should still be restricted at the midpoint. Use the same chart of accounts you will use at June 30. If the books are behind, catch them up through November before the board relies on the report. The report does not change which Form 990 you file.

Confirm the Form 990 filing status

Form 990, Form 990-EZ, and Form 990-N are due the 15th day of the fifth month after the year ends. For a June 30 year-end, that date is November 15. November 15, 2026 is a Sunday, so a June 30, 2026 return is due the next business day, Monday, November 16, 2026. The IRS instructions move a due date that falls on a weekend or legal holiday to the next business day. Which form you file depends on gross receipts and total assets. The thresholds are in Form 990 vs 990-EZ vs 990-N.

In October, confirm three things. Which form the June 30, 2026 year requires. Whether the return is in preparation or already filed. And whether Form 8868 has been filed if you need the automatic six-month extension. Form 8868 is available for Form 990 and Form 990-EZ when it is filed by the original due date. It does not extend Form 990-N. An extension extends the time to file. It does not, by itself, tell you that the books are ready.

Gross receipts are everything that came in, before expenses. Registration, dues, and sponsorships count. Cash left after the conference does not decide the form. Three consecutive years without a required return can revoke exemption. Confirm the form, whether it is being prepared, and whether Form 8868 is needed, while November is still ahead.

The Blackpoint CPA Team — Winter Garden, FL.