Start a nonprofit · Minnesota
How to Start a Nonprofit in Minnesota
Minnesota charges $70 to file nonprofit articles by mail or $90 online or in person, and the annual renewal is free. Its Secretary of State says a 501(c)(3) applicant should not use the standard form, because the IRS requires additional language that must be combined with it. Charity registration with the Attorney General applies to a charity that receives or plans to receive more than $25,000, is not run wholly by volunteers, or uses a professional fundraiser.
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 Minnesota requirements in one table.
| Type of entity | A Minnesota nonprofit corporation under Chapter 317A, created by filing Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State. Sources: Articles form, SOS fee schedule |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $70 by mail, or $90 online or in person by appointment. Sources: SOS fee schedule, Articles form |
| Registered office | A Minnesota street address or rural route address. A PO box alone is not accepted. Naming a registered agent is optional. Sources: Articles form |
| Incorporators | One is enough. Each must be an individual aged 18 or older. Sources: 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 renewal | $0. Sources: SOS fee schedule |
| Charity registration | A $25 fee and an initial registration form, for charities that receive or plan to receive more than $25,000, are not run wholly by volunteers, or use a professional fundraiser. Sources: AG charity registration |
The steps
Four steps, in the order they happen.
Prepare articles that include the IRS language.
The Secretary of State's form states that 501(c)(3) tax-exempt applicants should not use it as it stands, because the IRS requires additional language in the articles. Combine that IRS language with the form's requirements, for example by using sample articles from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, which the form suggests. The form also suggests consulting an accountant or attorney about any additional IRS filings.
The articles name the corporation, give a registered office, and list at least one incorporator. The registered office is a Minnesota street address or rural route address, and a PO box alone is not accepted. A registered agent is optional, but if you name one, list the agent's full name. Each incorporator is an individual aged 18 or older with a complete address, and each signs, or an authorized agent signs and states that they act for the incorporator. The form's content does not address directors.
Sources: Articles form
File the articles and pay.
The fee is $70 for mailed filings and $90 for online or in-person filings. The page says eligible filings submitted online are expedited, typically taking 2 to 5 business days, and mail filings are processed on a non-expedited basis. Submit the signed original and a legible photocopy together, and make payment to the MN Secretary of State. File online at the Secretary of State's website, or in person or by mail at Business Services, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite N201, Saint Paul.
Sources: SOS fee schedule, 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 with the Attorney General, if it applies.
A charity must register as a soliciting charity if it receives or plans to receive more than $25,000 in total contributions during its accounting year, if its functions and activities including fundraising are not performed wholly by volunteers, or if it uses a professional fundraiser. Registering charities pay a $25 fee, file an initial registration form, and file any contract with a professional fundraiser. Contracts signed after registration must be filed within seven days.
A separate rule covers charitable trusts: an organization must register as a charitable trust if it has more than $25,000 in assets at any point during the year and is not required to register as a soliciting charity. An organization registered as a soliciting charity does not also register as a trust.
Sources: AG charity registration
Other Secretary of State fees
What else the Secretary of State charges a nonprofit.
These are the Chapter 317A fees from the Secretary of State's fee schedule, by filing method.
Reinstatement.
$40 by mail, or $60 online or in person. An entity inactive for more than six years cannot be reinstated online.
Sources: SOS fee schedule
After you form
Staying in good standing.
Two things recur: the free annual renewal and the Attorney General annual report.
Renew the corporation every year.
The annual renewal fee is $0. If a corporation lapses, the reinstatement fees in the section above apply.
Sources: SOS fee schedule
File the annual report with the Attorney General.
A soliciting charity files an annual report with the Attorney General's Charities Division. Attach IRS Form 990 with all schedules except Schedule B, which should not be submitted. Financial statements must be complete, accurate and GAAP compliant, and the report requires a board resolution and two officer signatures. The fee is $25, and a $50 late fee applies if the complete report misses the deadline. The deadline is July 15 for calendar-year books, or the 15th day of the seventh month after fiscal year end. A charitable trust files with Form 990 or a financial statement, pays $25, and files by the 15th day of the fifth month after the taxable year closes.
Sources: AG charity registration
Common questions
Quick answers.
How much does it cost to start a nonprofit in Minnesota?
The government fees are $70 by mail or $90 online to the Secretary of State, plus the IRS user fee, which is $275 for Form 1023-EZ or $600 for Form 1023. That totals between $345 and $690 as of the date this page was verified. Charity registration adds $25 if it applies.
Is there an annual fee for a Minnesota nonprofit?
The Secretary of State's annual renewal fee is $0. A registered soliciting charity also pays a $25 annual report fee to the Attorney General.
Should a 501(c)(3) use the Secretary of State's standard articles form?
The form says not as written. The IRS requires additional language, which you combine with the form's requirements.
When must a Minnesota charity register with the Attorney General?
If it receives or plans to receive more than $25,000 in total contributions during its accounting year, if its functions are not performed wholly by volunteers, or if it uses a professional fundraiser.
After the filing
What comes next for a Minnesota 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.
- Minnesota Secretary of State, Business Filing and Certification Fee Schedule
- Minnesota Secretary of State, Nonprofit Articles of Incorporation (Chapter 317A)
- Minnesota Attorney General, Registration and Reporting for Charities and Charitable Trusts
- 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.