Start a nonprofit · Nevada
How to Start a Nonprofit in Nevada
Nevada charges $50 to file articles of incorporation for a nonprofit corporation under NRS Chapter 82, plus a $50 Initial List of Officers and Directors filed with them. A domestic nonprofit under NRS 82 pays no state business license fee. The annual list costs $50, and a registered agent is required.
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 Nevada requirements in one table.
| Type of entity | A Nevada domestic nonprofit corporation, formed under NRS Chapter 82 by filing Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State. Sources: SOS nonprofit formation packet, NRS Chapter 82 |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $50 for the articles, plus a $50 Initial List of Officers and Directors filed with them. Sources: SOS nonprofit formation packet |
| Name reservation | $25. Sources: SOS nonprofit formation packet |
| Minimum directors | At least one director or trustee, under NRS 82.196. Sources: NRS Chapter 82 |
| Registered agent | Required. It may be an individual or a commercial registered agent authorized to do business in Nevada. Sources: SOS nonprofit formation packet, NRS Chapter 82 |
| State business license | None for a domestic nonprofit corporation under NRS Chapter 82. Sources: SOS annual list instructions |
| Federal exemption | Form 1023 ($600) or Form 1023-EZ ($275), filed electronically on Pay.gov. Sources: IRS fee page, IRS e-filing notice |
| Annual list | $50, with a $50 late fee. Sources: SOS nonprofit formation packet, NRS Chapter 82 |
The steps
Four steps, in the order they happen.
Choose a registered agent and seat at least one director.
NRS 82.196 states that every corporation must have at least one director or trustee. The articles list the name and address of each initial director or trustee and of each incorporator, who also signs. The registered agent can be an individual or a commercial registered agent authorized to do business in Nevada. The agent must be available during normal business hours, and an agent who does not sign the articles signs a separate Registered Agent Acceptance form.
Sources: SOS nonprofit formation packet, NRS Chapter 82
File the articles with the Initial List and pay $100 in total.
The Secretary of State's fee schedule for nonprofit corporations lists $50 for Articles of Incorporation under NRS 82.006 and $50 for the Initial List of Officers and Directors. The Initial List and State Business License form must be included with the articles, and the instructions describe it as required. A name can be reserved first for $25. Online filing is available at nvsos.gov, and a mailed check is payable to Nevada Secretary of State. Standard processing has no extra fee, and a 24-hour expedite for most filings costs an additional $125.
Sources: SOS nonprofit formation packet
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
Complete the charitable solicitation section if the nonprofit will ask for donations.
The Secretary of State's supplemental form for nonprofit corporations asks a tax-exempt organization whether it plans to ask for charitable or tax-deductible donations. An organization that will solicit fills out the Charitable Solicitation Registration Statement and attaches it to the filing. An organization claiming an exemption fills out the Exemption from Charitable Solicitation Registration Statement instead, and NRS 82A.210 sets who qualifies. A filing that omits the required forms is rejected and may incur late fees.
Sources: SOS annual list instructions
State business license
What a Nevada nonprofit does not pay.
The Secretary of State's instructions draw this line.
No state business license.
There is no license fee for domestic nonprofit corporations under NRS Chapter 82. Nonprofits formed under NRS Chapter 81 may qualify for an exemption or pay a $200 or $500 license fee depending on the chapter and entity type, so confirm which chapter an entity falls under.
Sources: SOS annual list instructions, SOS nonprofit formation packet
No extra fee for regular service.
Regular processing has no added fee. Expedited service is available for an additional charge.
Sources: SOS nonprofit formation packet
After you form
Staying in good standing.
One state filing recurs, the annual list.
File the annual list.
The fee is $50 under the fee schedule and NRS 82.193(3). The late fee for a list of officers is $50, and reinstatement costs $100. A nonprofit filing the list also completes the supplemental nonprofit form, including the charitable solicitation section. This page does not verify the due date or Nevada sales tax treatment of nonprofit purchases, so confirm those with the Secretary of State and the Department of Taxation.
Sources: SOS nonprofit formation packet, NRS Chapter 82, SOS annual list instructions
Common questions
Quick answers.
How much does it cost to start a nonprofit in Nevada?
The articles cost $50 and the required Initial List costs another $50, for $100 in state fees. The IRS user fee is $275 for Form 1023-EZ or $600 for Form 1023. That totals $375 or $700 as of the date this page was verified.
Does a Nevada nonprofit pay for a state business license?
Not a domestic nonprofit corporation under NRS Chapter 82. The Secretary of State states there is no license fee for them.
How many directors does a Nevada nonprofit need?
At least one, under NRS 82.196.
After the filing
What comes next for a Nevada 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.
- Nevada Secretary of State, Nonprofit Formation instructions and Nonprofit Corporation Fee Schedule (revised 7/1/2026)
- Nevada Secretary of State, Instructions for Annual or Amended List and State Business License
- Nevada Revised Statutes, Chapter 82, Nonprofit Corporations
- 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.