Start a nonprofit · Kansas
How to Start a Nonprofit in Kansas
Kansas charges $20 to file the articles of a not-for-profit corporation, on paper or online. The annual report is $40. A charity that solicits in Kansas registers with the Secretary of State for $20 unless an exemption applies, and a 501(c)(3) is not automatically exempt from Kansas sales tax.
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 Kansas requirements in one table.
| Type of entity | A Kansas not-for-profit corporation, created by filing Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State and choosing the not-for-profit option. Sources: SOS articles form |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $20 for a not-for-profit corporation, on paper or online. Sources: SOS articles form |
| Resident agent | An individual, the corporation itself or a business registered with the Secretary of State, with a Kansas street address. A PO box is not accepted. Sources: SOS articles form |
| 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 | $40, online or on paper. Sources: SOS annual report form |
| Charity registration | $20 registration fee. Exemptions include $10,000 or less in contributions with only unpaid volunteers soliciting. Sources: K.S.A. 17-1763, K.S.A. 17-1762 |
| Sales tax | Exemption comes only from the entity types the statutes list, and an exempt entity applies online for an exemption certificate. Sources: Revenue Pub. KS-1520 |
The steps
Five steps, in the order they happen.
Name a Kansas resident agent.
The articles list a resident agent, who is the person or business that receives legal documents for the corporation. It can be an individual, the corporation itself or a business already registered with the Secretary of State. The agent needs a Kansas street address where it can regularly be present.
Sources: SOS articles form
File the Articles of Incorporation.
Section 1 of the form asks whether the corporation is for-profit or not-for-profit. The fee is $20 for a not-for-profit, paper or online. The sources reviewed for this page do not state the minimum number of directors, so confirm that requirement on the form and in the Kansas not-for-profit corporation code.
Sources: SOS articles form
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 as a charity before soliciting.
Under K.S.A. 17-1763, a charitable organization files a registration statement with the Secretary of State before soliciting in Kansas or hiring a professional fund raiser. The fee is $20 for each registration, and the Secretary of State issues a charitable solicitation license and identification number. Organizations that received more than $500,000 in contributions in their most recent fiscal year also file an audited financial statement.
K.S.A. 17-1762 lists organizations that do not register, including those that neither intend to nor actually receive more than $10,000 in contributions in their tax period when only unpaid volunteers fundraise. If contributions exceed $10,000, the organization registers within 30 days after the tax period ends. Both statutes are cited from the 2020 edition on the Kansas Legislature's site, so confirm current terms with the Secretary of State.
Sources: K.S.A. 17-1763, K.S.A. 17-1762
Check sales tax before the first large purchase.
The Department of Revenue states that a 501(c)(3) designation does not by itself exempt an organization from Kansas sales tax. The organization must be one of the entity types listed in Kansas law, such as nonprofit hospitals, nonprofit educational institutions, religious organizations, museums and youth development programs, and it applies online for a Tax-Exempt Entity Exemption Certificate. Alumni associations and charitable and benevolent organizations are not exempt unless a specific exemption applies.
Sources: Revenue Pub. KS-1520
Sales tax
Why IRS status does not settle Kansas sales tax.
Kansas looks at the type of entity, not the federal ruling.
Not automatic.
A 501(c)(3) designation determines federal income tax exemption. Kansas sales tax exemption comes only from the entity types the statutes list.
Sources: Revenue Pub. KS-1520
Certificate required.
Sellers must deny the exemption unless the buyer presents the Kansas-issued certificate or Form PR-78SSTA with the Kansas ID number. The certificate has an expiration date.
Sources: Revenue Pub. KS-1520
Construction projects.
A nonprofit buying materials for construction or repair may need a Project Exemption Certificate, which applies to one project and is not retroactive.
Sources: Revenue Pub. KS-1520
After you form
Staying in good standing.
Two things recur.
File the annual report.
The annual report fee is $40 online or on paper. It is filed after the entity's tax year ends, and for a December year end the instructions give a window of January 1 to June 15. The instructions do not state a general deadline for other year ends.
Sources: SOS annual report form
Keep the charity registration current.
A charity certificate expires on the last day of the sixth month after the fiscal year ends, according to K.S.A. 17-1763.
Sources: K.S.A. 17-1763
Common questions
Quick answers.
How much does it cost to start a nonprofit in Kansas?
The articles cost $20, plus the IRS user fee of $275 for Form 1023-EZ or $600 for Form 1023. That totals $295 or $620 as of the date this page was verified. Charity registration adds $20 unless an exemption applies.
How much is the Kansas annual report?
The annual report fee is $40, whether filed online or on paper.
Is a Kansas 501(c)(3) exempt from sales tax?
Not automatically. The Department of Revenue states the organization must be one of the entity types listed in Kansas law and must hold a Kansas exemption certificate.
After the filing
What comes next for a Kansas 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.
- Kansas Secretary of State, Articles of Incorporation, Domestic (Kansas) Corporation
- Kansas Secretary of State, Instructions for Filing an Annual Report (Form NP)
- Kansas Legislature, K.S.A. 17-1763 (2020 edition)
- Kansas Legislature, K.S.A. 17-1762 (2020 edition)
- Kansas Department of Revenue, Pub. KS-1520
- 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.