Start a nonprofit · North Dakota
How to Start a Nonprofit in North Dakota
North Dakota charges $40 to register a nonprofit corporation, and the nonprofit files a $10 annual report by February 1 each year. A nonprofit that solicits contributions also registers as a charitable organization for $25, and it cannot solicit until that registration is approved.
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 North Dakota requirements in one table.
| Type of entity | A North Dakota nonprofit corporation, registered with the Secretary of State. Sources: SOS register nonprofit |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $40 to register a nonprofit corporation or nonprofit LLC. Sources: SOS register nonprofit |
| Registered agent | Required, with a physical North Dakota address. The nonprofit cannot be its own agent, but a North Dakota resident from the organization can serve as a noncommercial agent. Sources: SOS register nonprofit |
| 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 | $10, due by February 1 each year. Sources: SOS maintain nonprofit |
| Charity registration | $25 registration statement, with a $10 annual report due by September 1. Sources: SOS charitable organizations |
The steps
Four steps, in the order they happen.
Choose a North Dakota registered agent.
A nonprofit corporation needs a North Dakota registered agent with a physical in-state address. The nonprofit itself cannot be the agent. A North Dakota resident from the organization can serve as a noncommercial agent with that person's approval.
Sources: SOS register nonprofit
Register the nonprofit corporation.
The fee is $40. An unincorporated nonprofit instead pays $25 to register a trade name. The page reviewed does not state the minimum number of incorporators or directors, so confirm those requirements in the registration form and in the North Dakota nonprofit corporation law.
Sources: SOS register nonprofit
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 charitable organization before soliciting.
Under NDCC chapter 50-22, a charitable organization first registers as a nonprofit with the Secretary of State, then files a Charitable Organization Registration Statement through the FirstStop Portal for $25, with a financial report for the prior 12 months. The organization cannot solicit contributions until its charitable registration is approved and on file.
The following are not charitable organizations under the chapter: organizations soliciting for a college or university, private or public elementary and secondary schools, certain religious organizations exempt from federal annual information returns, candidates and political committees, organizations soliciting for a specific person when all funds go to that person, and unpaid volunteers soliciting for a government entity or civic project.
Sources: SOS charitable organizations
Charity annual report
How the charitable registration renews.
The registration does not expire, but it can become inactive.
No expiration.
Registration does not expire, but it can be revoked or suspended.
Sources: SOS charitable organizations
Inactive if no report.
If the annual report is not filed, the registration becomes inactive. Reinstating it takes an annual report with a $10 fee and a Reregistration Statement with a $25 fee.
Sources: SOS charitable organizations
Extensions.
One-year extensions are available when requested before the deadline, and deadlines cannot extend past December 1.
Sources: SOS charitable organizations
After you form
Staying in good standing.
Two things recur.
File the nonprofit annual report by February 1.
The fee is $10. A past-due report not filed within one year leads to involuntary dissolution. The page does not list a late fee.
Sources: SOS maintain nonprofit
File the charitable organization annual report by September 1.
The report is $10 and includes a financial statement such as selected pages of Form 990. A charitable registrant also files the separate nonprofit annual report.
Sources: SOS charitable organizations, SOS maintain nonprofit
Common questions
Quick answers.
How much does it cost to start a nonprofit in North Dakota?
Registration is $40, plus the IRS user fee of $275 for Form 1023-EZ or $600 for Form 1023. That totals $315 or $640 as of the date this page was verified. Charitable registration adds $25.
Can a North Dakota nonprofit be its own registered agent?
No. A North Dakota resident from the organization can serve as a noncommercial agent, with that person's approval.
When is the North Dakota nonprofit annual report due?
By February 1 each year, at $10. The charitable organization annual report is separate and due by September 1.
After the filing
What comes next for a North Dakota 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.
- North Dakota Secretary of State, North Dakota Nonprofit
- North Dakota Secretary of State, Maintain a Nonprofit
- North Dakota Secretary of State, Charitable Organizations
- 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.