Start a nonprofit · Hawaii
How to Start a Nonprofit in Hawaii
Hawaii charges $25 to file the articles of a domestic nonprofit corporation, and the annual report fee is $5. Charity registration with the Attorney General has no registration fee, but organizations with gross revenue of $25,000 or more pay an annual fee that scales with revenue.
Every fee and rule on this page was checked against the agency's own publication on November 8, 2026. Sources are linked under each item.
At a glance
The Hawaii requirements in one table.
| Type of entity | A Hawaii domestic nonprofit corporation, formed under Hawaii Revised Statutes chapter 414D by filing Articles of Incorporation (Form DNP-1) with the Business Registration Division. Sources: DCCA fee page, Form DNP-INFO |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $25 for the Articles of Incorporation. The fee page also lists an expedited review at $25. Sources: DCCA fee page |
| Name reservation | $10. Sources: DCCA fee page |
| Registered agent | Required: a Hawaii-resident individual or an entity authorized to do business in Hawaii, with an in-state business address. Sources: Form DNP-INFO |
| Federal exemption | Form 1023 ($600) or Form 1023-EZ ($275), filed electronically on Pay.gov. Sources: IRS fee page, IRS e-filing notice |
| Annual report | $5 on the fee page. Form DNP-INFO states $2.50 if filed online. Sources: DCCA fee page, Form DNP-INFO |
| Charity registration | No registration fee. An annual fee applies from $25,000 in gross revenue, based on the 2017 Attorney General FAQ. Sources: AG charity FAQ (2017) |
The steps
Five steps, in the order they happen.
Choose a name and reserve it if needed.
A name reservation is $10 and is optional.
Sources: DCCA fee page
Name a registered agent.
A domestic nonprofit keeps a registered agent in Hawaii with an in-state business address, under HRS 414D-71. The agent is either a Hawaii-resident individual or a domestic or foreign entity authorized to do business in Hawaii.
Sources: Form DNP-INFO
File the Articles of Incorporation.
The filing fee is $25, and an expedited review is listed at $25. The sources reviewed for this page do not state the minimum number of directors or incorporators, so confirm those requirements in the instructions to Form DNP-1 before filing.
Sources: DCCA fee page, Form DNP-INFO
Apply to the IRS for 501(c)(3) status.
Forming a corporation does not make it tax-exempt. The federal application is Form 1023, with a $600 user fee, or the shorter Form 1023-EZ, with a $275 user fee, for smaller organizations that pass the eligibility worksheet in the form instructions. Both are filed electronically on Pay.gov, and the IRS returns paper applications. The IRS notes that the amounts can change.
The IRS answers with a determination letter, the written ruling that recognizes the exemption.
Sources: IRS fee page, IRS e-filing notice
Register with the Attorney General before soliciting.
The Attorney General's FAQ states that organizations soliciting contributions in Hawaii, or having contributions solicited for them there, register unless exempt, and that a charitable organization includes any 501(c)(3) that solicits funds in Hawaii. Registration is online and has no registration fee. Exemptions require an online application and include certain religious organizations, parent-teacher associations, accredited schools, licensed nonprofit hospitals and charities that normally receive under $25,000 a year in contributions on a three-year average and use no professional solicitors.
This FAQ was last updated in August 2017, so confirm the current rules with the Attorney General's Tax and Charities Division before relying on the fee table.
Sources: AG charity FAQ (2017)
Charity fees
Annual charity fees by revenue.
Under the 2017 FAQ, the annual fee scales with gross revenue.
$25,000 to under $100,000.
$25 for $25,000 to under $50,000, and $50 for $50,000 to under $100,000.
Sources: AG charity FAQ (2017)
$100,000 to under $500,000.
$100 for $100,000 to under $250,000, and $150 for $250,000 to under $500,000.
Sources: AG charity FAQ (2017)
$500,000 and over.
$200 up to $1 million, $250 up to $2 million, $350 up to $5 million and $600 above that. An audit report is required when contributions exceed $500,000.
Sources: AG charity FAQ (2017)
After you form
Staying in good standing.
Two things recur.
File the annual report.
The fee is $5 on the DCCA fee page, or $2.50 if filed online according to Form DNP-INFO. Due dates follow the incorporation quarter: March 31, June 30, September 30 or December 31. No report is due for the year of incorporation. A late online filing adds a $10 fee per delinquent year, and two missed years can lead to involuntary dissolution.
Sources: DCCA fee page, Form DNP-INFO
File the charity annual financial report.
Organizations filing IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ file within 10 business days after filing with the IRS. Those filing Form 990-N file by the 15th day of the fifth month after the fiscal year ends.
Sources: AG charity FAQ (2017)
Common questions
Quick answers.
How much does it cost to start a nonprofit in Hawaii?
The articles cost $25, plus the IRS user fee of $275 for Form 1023-EZ or $600 for Form 1023. That totals $300 or $625 as of the date this page was verified.
How much is the Hawaii nonprofit annual report?
The DCCA fee page lists $5. Form DNP-INFO states $2.50 if filed online.
Do I have to register as a charity in Hawaii?
Generally yes if soliciting contributions there, unless an exemption applies. The Attorney General's 2017 FAQ states there is no registration fee, with annual fees starting at $25,000 in gross revenue.
After the filing
What comes next for a Hawaii nonprofit.
The state filing is the short part. These are the next four jobs, and the book that handles each.
- Book I
Get the federal application and first-year budget right
The name, bylaws, the IRS application, a founding board and a first-year budget that balances.
- Book X
Start from finished documents
Forty annotated documents, including bylaws, budgets, policies, job descriptions and board papers, as editable Word files.
- Book VII
Build the board on purpose
What a board is for, recruiting for the skills you lack, working with the chair and running meetings that reach decisions.
- Book VIII
Stay in good standing
Charitable solicitation registration, operating in a second state, insurance and annual filings.
The complete set
All ten books and forty documents, $149.
All ten books in PDF and EPUB, plus the forty documents from Book X as editable Word files. The books are not sold separately.
Free when you join the list
Every Document a New Nonprofit Needs
Articles, bylaws, minutes, the exemption application, the policies and the filings: the whole sequence a new organization has to produce, in the order it arrives.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
- Hawaii DCCA, Fees, Domestic Nonprofit Corporation
- Hawaii DCCA, Form DNP-INFO, Domestic Nonprofit Corporation information
- Hawaii Department of the Attorney General, Charities Registration FAQs (updated August 2017)
- IRS, Form 1023 and 1023-EZ: amount of user fee
- IRS, Changes to the exempt organization determinations process
Last verified November 8, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the agency before you file. This page is general information and not legal or tax advice.