How to read a Form 990
The IRS Form 990 is a nonprofit's annual public report. Here's where the numbers that matter live, section by section.
Published July 7, 2026 · CharityIndex editorial team
Every tax-exempt organization above a small size threshold files a Form 990 with the IRS each year, and the filing is public by law. It is the single best source of truth about a nonprofit's money — better than its marketing site, better than press coverage.
The parts worth your time
- Part I — Summary. Revenue, expenses, net assets for this year and last. A one-page health check.
- Part VII — Compensation. Officers, directors and the highest-paid employees, with reportable pay. This is where CEO salary lives.
- Part VIII — Revenue. The mix: donations and grants vs. program service fees vs. investment income.
- Part IX — Functional expenses.Every dollar spent, split into program services, management & general, and fundraising. The basis for most efficiency ratios.
- Part X — Balance sheet. Assets, liabilities and net assets — the reserves an organization can fall back on.
CharityIndex extracts these figures from e-filed 990s automatically and charts them across up to 15 years on every organization's profile, so you rarely need to open the PDF — but when you do, now you know where to look.