Charity & Paid Solicitors

The Attorney General administers and enforces Alaska's charitable solicitation laws.

• Find a Registered Charitable Organization or Paid Solicitor
• Before You Donate: Information for Consumers

• Registration Requirements
• Charitable Organizations
  • Pay and File Online
  • Exempt Organizations
  • Extensions
• Paid Solicitors
  • Pay and File Online
• State and Federal Agencies of Interest to Non-Profits
• Frequently Asked Questions

Registration Requirements:

Alaska law requires charitable organizations and paid solicitors to register with the Department of Law prior to soliciting contributions of money or property in Alaska.

The deadline to register as a charitable organization or paid solicitor is September 1 of each year. To renew a registration, a charitable organization or paid solicitor must file a registration form with the required attachments and pay the appropriate filing fee.

Alaska does not charge late fees for charitable organization or paid solicitor registrations received after September 1; however, a charitable organization or paid solicitor will not be registered in Alaska until its registration forms have been received and approved. Charitable organizations and paid solicitors that are required to register under Alaska law cannot solicit contributions in Alaska until they are registered with the Department of Law.

Charitable organizations and paid solicitors that solicit money or property in Alaska must comply with the Alaska Charitable Solicitations Act and Alaska Charitable Solicitation Regulations. Organizations or solicitors that register or intend to register with the Department of Law should thoroughly review Alaska statutes and regulations pertaining to charitable organization registration and solicitation.

Failure to register with the Alaska Department of Law prior to soliciting charitable contributions violates the Alaska Charitable Solicitations Act and subjects the person to civil penalties under the Alaska Consumer Protection Act (AS 45.50.471 - AS 45.50.561).

• Alaska Charitable Solicitation Statutes
• Alaska Charitable Solicitations Regulations

Charitable Organizations

For the purposes of the registration requirement, a charitable organization is defined as a nonprofit organization that:

• Is operated for the relief of poverty, distress, or other condition of public concern in the state; or
• The Internal Revenue Service determines to be a tax exempt organization under 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) (Internal Revenue Code)

Pay and File Online

Charitable Organizations must pay registration fees and file registration forms online, unless the Department of Law waives this requirement because the filer does not have reasonable access to the Internet, or to electronic equipment or software required to make the filing. The annual registration form is due by September 1, every year.

Additional documents are not required unless requested by the Department of Law.

Exempt Organizations:

Certain types of charitable organizations are not required to register with the Department of Law. The following types of charitable organizations are exempt from the registration requirement:

• Churches or religious organizations that are not required to file federal annual information returns with the Internal Revenue Service.
• Candidates for national, state, or local office, and political parties, committees or groups that are required to file financial information with the Alaska Public Offices Commission under AS 15.13 or with the Federal Election Commission under the Federal Election Campaign Act.
• Charitable organizations with no paid employees or board members that do not intend to raise or receive contributions, excluding government grants, in excess of $5,000 annually, or that do not intend to receive contributions from more than 10 persons annually.
• An organization that has a current gaming permit issued by the Alaska Department of Revenue pursuant to AS 05.15.100. To find out if an organization has a charitable gaming permit, please visit the Alaska Department of Revenue's Gaming Program website.

A charitable organization that meets one of the exemption types above can notify the Department of Law by completing a Notice of Exemption form online. The form asks for the organization's name, FEIN, address and exemption type, and the name, phone number, and email address of the individual to contact about the notice.

• Submit a Notice of Exemption

Extensions:

Alaska does not grant extensions for charitable organization registration. Organizations that have received extensions to file Form 990s with the IRS can state that on the Alaska Charitable Organization Annual Registration form. Organizations are not required to submit copies of their form 990s or audited financial statements at the time of registration.

Paid Solicitors

For the purposes of the registration requirement, a paid solicitor is a person who solicits contributions of money or other property for a charitable organization for compensation. The definition of paid solicitor does not include a bona fide salaried officer, employee, or volunteer of a charitable organization.

Pay and File Online

Paid Solicitors must pay registration fees and file registration forms online, unless the Department of Law waives this requirement because the filer does not have reasonable access to the Internet, or to electronic equipment or software required to make the filing.

The following must be submitted to register as a paid solicitor or renew a registration:

• Paid Solicitor Surety Bond - PDF(592KB)
• Paid Solicitor Solicitation Campaign Financial Report - PDF(371KB)
• A copy of a written contract for each charitable organization the paid solicitor contracts with to solicit contributions. The contract must state the respective obligations of the paid solicitor and the charitable organization, including the amount to be paid to the paid solicitor.
• A copy of all scripts used by the paid solicitor for fundraising in Alaska.
• A ten thousand dollar surety bond (if renewing a registration, evidence of the continued bond must be submitted) on the Paid Solicitor Surety Bond form established by the department. The surety bond form sets forth the time period that a paid solicitor is required to maintain the bond and provides criteria for cancellation of the bond.
• After a solicitation campaign is complete, a paid solicitor must submit a campaign financial report. The campaign financial report must be submitted on the Paid Solicitor Solicitation Campaign Financial Report form established by the department.

Failure to register with the Alaska Department of Law prior to soliciting charitable contributions for compensation is a class A misdemeanor, and subjects the person to civil penalties under the Alaska Consumer Protection Act (AS 45.50.471 - AS 45.50.561) of up to $25,000 per violation.

State and Federal Agencies of Interest to Non-Profits

Internal Revenue Service
(877) 829-5500 for technical assistance
(800) 829-1040 for forms

State of Alaska,
Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development
Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing
PO Box 110806
Juneau, AK 99811-0806
Phone: (907) 465-2550
Fax: (907) 465-2974

State of Alaska,
Department of Revenue
Tax Division - Gaming Program
PO Box 110420
Juneau, AK 99811-0420
Phone: (907) 465-2320 - Juneau
Fax: (907) 465-2375

U.S. State Charity Offices
National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO)

Frequently Asked Questions

My organization doesn't have a credit card.  Is there another way to pay?

Please send an email to lawcharities@alaska.gov and we will be happy to help you submit a check or money order for payment.

Will I have to enter the same information again when I renew the registration next year?

No, as long as you file your registration online this year. For online filers:

• Filing Online Year One – the first year you file online, you will enter all of your registration information into the online form. You will receive a confirmation number when you submit your registration information.
• Filing Online Year Two – when you renew your registration the following year, you will log in using your FEIN and confirmation number from the prior year. Once you log in, the registration form will be auto-filled with the information you submitted the previous year, and you will only need to update the information as needed.

What is the registration deadline? Do I have to file every year?

All Alaska registrations expire on September 1 each year regardless of what date the registration form is filed. To keep your registration from lapsing, you will need to renew your registration by filing an annual registration form by September 1.

Organizations that file a registration form after September 1 will be registered effective the date their registration is complete.

When can I register for next year?

Registration opens July 1 every year for the next solicitation period.

What documents to I attach to the registration form?

You will not need to attach any documents to your application.

You can enter all of the registration information required into the online registration form. You will not be asked to attach or upload any documents.

You are not required to submit an IRS Form 990, audited financial statement, or copies contracts with paid solicitors when you register– you will only need to provide these documents if the Department of Law requests them.

Do not submit copies of the organization’s IRS determination letter, articles of incorporation, bylaws, or other similar organizational documents when you register. These documents are not required for registration with the Department of Law.

How do I fill out the registration form?

See the charitable organizations filing instructions (PDF 185KB) or the paid solicitor filing instructions (PDF 198KB) for completing the online registration form.

Does the Department of Law grant extensions of the registration deadline?

No, the Department of Law cannot grant extensions of the registration deadline.

You can submit a registration form to the Department even if the organization has not completed or filed a Form 990 with the IRS.

My organizations financial information will not be ready until after September 1st, what do I do?

Please submit your registration information with the most current and complete financial information.

Does the Department of Law charge late fees?

No, the Department does not charge late fees for registration forms submitted after September 1.

How do I make a change or update to a registration that has already been submitted?

Send a written request to update a registration to the Alaska Department of Law by one of the following:

By mail: 1031 W. 4th Ave, Suite 200, Anchorage, AK 99501
Or, by email: lawcharities@alaska.gov

Include the organization's name and federal tax ID number (EIN/FEIN).

How do I withdraw a registration?

Send a written request to withdraw a registration to the Alaska Department of Law by one of the following:

By mail: 1031 W. 4th Ave, Suite 200, Anchorage, AK 99501
Or, by email: lawcharities@alaska.gov

Include the organization's name and federal tax ID number (EIN/FEIN).

I closed out of my registration without saving or my registration submission timed out. What can I do?

Unfortunately, you will need to start over.  The system does not store submissions that have not been formally saved or finalized.

I have been locked out of my registration.  How do I get it unlocked?

The lock out period lasts about 30 minutes. If after 30 minutes you are still locked out, please send an email to lawcharities@alaska.gov.

I need a confirmation code to register.  Where do I get that?

If you filed online last year, then the confirmation code is associated with that filing.  You should have gotten an email when you registered giving you the number.

If you cannot locate that, please email lawcharities@alaska.gov and we will assist you.

Can I register for a previous year other than the current one?

We no longer accept registrations for previous years.

I paid twice, didn't mean to pay or used the wrong payment card. Can I get a refund?

Send an email to lawcharities@alaska.gov. This information will be passed to our fiscal office to be processed.  Refunds are generally issued as checks no matter how it was paid for. Refunds generally take about 60 days depending on the time of year of request.

I just need help.  What is the best way to contact your office?

Email is the best way to contact our office - lawcharities@alaska.gov.  We have at least four employees monitoring the email account at all times. You will receive a response within in a business day from October to June.  From June to September, we experience an extremely high call and email volume so the response time is two business days.

---

Some documents on this page require Adobe Reader (available as a free download) to view.