Important note: This article is general educational information, not legal, tax, or accounting advice. Confirm any requirement with the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State’s Charitable Solicitation Licensing Division or a qualified professional before you rely on it.
You are probably here because someone told your organization it needs a North Carolina charitable solicitation license to ask North Carolinians for money, or because a renewal packet from the Secretary of State just arrived and the deadline is closer than you thought.
North Carolina calls this a license rather than a registration, and the word fits. As with a driver’s license, you apply, the state reviews, and only then do you go. The question that decides the rest comes before that: whether you need one at all. In North Carolina the answer turns on who you pay as much as on how much you raise.
Here is how the license works, from the exemption test to the renewal date.
Key takeaways
- Unless an exemption applies, a charity that solicits contributions in North Carolina needs a charitable solicitation license from the Secretary of State before it solicits, and renews it every year.
- The small-organization exemption has two conditions: less than $50,000 in contributions in a calendar year, and no compensation to any officer, trustee, organizer, incorporator, fund-raiser or solicitor.
- The fee is $50, $100 or $200, set by the prior year’s contributions. A licensed organization that received less than $5,000 pays no fee.
- The renewal is due by the 15th day of the fifth month after the fiscal year ends, May 15 for a calendar year, or by the extended federal 990 date if that is later.
- Every printed solicitation and receipt from a licensed organization must carry the state’s disclosure statement, and late filings cost $25 a month once every extension has run out.
On this page
- The $50,000 exemption has two conditions
- Who needs a North Carolina charitable solicitation license
- What counts as contributions
- North Carolina license fees by contributions
- The license application: online or by mail
- Renewal deadline and extensions
- The statement your solicitations must carry
- What happens if you are late or unlicensed
- What to settle before you file
- Getting help with annual filings
- Sources reviewed
- Frequently asked questions
- Related NPO Resources guides
The $50,000 exemption has two conditions
Section 131F-3(3) of North Carolina’s Solicitation of Contributions law, Chapter 131F of the General Statutes, exempts “any person who receives less than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) in contributions in any calendar year and does not provide compensation to any officer, trustee, organizer, incorporator, fund-raiser, or solicitor.” The threshold was $25,000 until Session Law 2023-119 raised it in September 2023, so older guides may still show the lower number.
The word that matters is “and.” An organization raising $30,000 a year with only volunteers is exempt. The same organization paying its executive director, who also serves as an officer, does not qualify for this exemption, at any size. The listed roles do not include ordinary staff, so if a paid employee is not an officer, confirm with the Division how it treats your case. The Department’s exemption request form also asks whether you pay “A Salaried Employee that occupies a seat on the board,” and a yes there means the organization does not qualify. The Secretary of State’s fee schedule spells this out: an organization that received less than $5,000 but compensated any of those people needs a license, with no fee.
One detail narrows the second condition: professional fees paid to licensed attorneys or accountants do not count as compensation to an organizer or incorporator. Separately, the statute lets an organization show it is under the threshold with its filed Form 990 or 990-EZ, its Form 990-N confirmation, a board-approved budget for the current year, a form the Department provides, or other evidence the Department accepts. If your organization is near either line, settle which side it is on before you send the first appeal letter, not after.
Who needs a North Carolina charitable solicitation license
Under section 131F-5(a), unless an exemption applies, a charitable organization or sponsor that intends to solicit contributions in North Carolina, have funds solicited on its behalf, or take part in a charitable sales promotion must “obtain a license by filing an application with the Department, obtaining approval of that application by the Department, and paying the applicable fee.” The Division’s FAQ lists the kinds of requests that count, starting with mailed donation requests to North Carolina residents and businesses. That reaches organizations based in other states that ask North Carolinians for gifts.
Exempt (13 categories on the Division’s list)
Including religious institutions, government agencies, accredited educational institutions, licensed hospitals, noncommercial radio and TV, volunteer fire departments and rescue squads, YMCAs and YWCAs, and the small-organization exemption above. The full list is on the exemption list.
Everyone else who solicits
Apply and wait for approval before soliciting. The license covers the organization’s salaried employees, unpaid volunteers and unpaid board members; they do not need their own. It does not cover anyone you retain on contract to solicit for you.
An exempt organization does not have to file anything. The FAQ says some choose to anyway, to receive an exemption letter and appear as exempt in the online registry; the Division’s forms page has a Request for Exemption under 131F-3(3) for this, on paper or online. The exemption list notes that the small-organization exemption “requires an annual review of an organization’s financial information by the Department,” and that the Department can review or cancel an exemption at any time.
The Department has a short clock once you apply. Under section 131F-5(b), if it finds the requirements are not met it must notify you within 10 days of receiving the application; if it does not, the application “is deemed to be approved and the license shall be granted.” Our guide to charitable solicitation registration compares North Carolina with other states.
What counts as contributions
Both the exemption and the fee use contributions, and the definition is narrower than total revenue. Section 131F-2(5) of the law says a contribution does not include bona fide membership dues, fees or assessments, unless the membership is given only in exchange for a contribution, and “does not include funds obtained by a charitable organization or sponsor under government grants or contracts.”
The Secretary of State’s fee schedule goes further. It says a contribution also does not include “grants or awards applied for by a charitable or sponsor organization that are received from a government entity or an organization exempt from federal income taxation” under section 501(c). Read that way, it leaves out grants your organization applied for from government or from any 501(c) organization, including private and community foundations. The exclusion covers only grants you applied for. The statute itself excludes only government grants and contracts, so confirm with the Division how your grants are counted. In-kind gifts of goods or services do count, and so does the part of a ticket or product price above its fair market value.
For an organization funded mostly by grants, this can change the answer. Work out the figure from your books before assuming total revenue decides the exemption or the fee.
North Carolina license fees by contributions
The fee is set by contributions received in the immediately preceding fiscal year. Section 131F-8 sets the amounts, and the Secretary of State’s schedule adds the exemption test:
| Contributions in the prior fiscal year | Fee |
|---|---|
| Less than $50,000 and no one in the listed roles is compensated | Exempt |
| Less than $5,000, and someone in those roles is compensated | License required, no fee |
| $5,000 to less than $100,000 (below $50,000, only if someone in the listed roles is paid) | $50 |
| $100,000 to less than $200,000 | $100 |
| $200,000 or more | $200 |
From G.S. 131F-8 and the Secretary of State’s charities fee schedule, read 22 October 2026. Fees change; check the source.
A parent organization can file one consolidated application for itself and its North Carolina chapters, branches or affiliates under section 131F-7. The parent then pays a single fee set by the number of affiliates, from $100 for one to five up to $400 for 16 or more. The FAQ says the Department accepts checks, money orders and credit cards; checks are payable to the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State.
The license application: online or by mail
The Division accepts applications through its online filing portal or on paper by mail, according to its license submission page. The paper form is the Initial/Renewal License Application (revised September 28, 2023), on the Division’s forms page; the same application is used for the first license and each renewal. Before you start, the online filing checklist asks you to have separate PDF files ready:
- Statements of the charitable purpose, how contributions will be used, and the major program activities.
- Proof of legal existence if you are incorporated outside North Carolina: a certificate of existence or good standing dated within six months, or a dated screenshot from the state’s official site.
- Lists of North Carolina locations, every name you solicit under (with proof of the right to use it), other states where you are authorized to solicit, directors, officers, trustees and salaried executives, the people in charge of solicitation, and the people with final responsibility for custody and distribution of contributions.
- Your IRS determination letter, if the Division does not already have it. If it arrives after you are licensed, the statute gives you 30 days to file it. An organization without one can still be licensed, as a “Non Tax Exempt Entity” under the Division’s rules, and must tell donors their gifts are not tax deductible.
- Financial information for the preceding fiscal year, in one of these forms: your signed IRS Form 990 with Schedule A or Form 990-EZ, an audited financial statement, or the Division’s Annual Financial Report form, which three members of the board, audit committee or finance committee sign. A new organization with no history sends a budget for the current year. The application says Form 990-N “is NOT accepted for licensure.”
- A fundraising disclosure form for each contract with a fundraising consultant, solicitor or coventurer, if you have one.
- A notarized signature. The treasurer or chief fiscal officer signs under oath in front of a notary. The online filing page says that since July 15, 2021, a completed, signed and notarized signature page must be uploaded as part of an online application. Mailed applications go to the NC Department of the Secretary of State, ATTN: CSL, PO Box 29622, Raleigh, NC 27626-0622.
Organizations that want an exemption letter file the exemption request instead. The 2024 licensing manual also shows a renewal exemption request, so an organization relying on the $50,000 exemption should expect the Department to review it again each year.
Renewal deadline and extensions
The license is renewed every year. Under section 131F-5(c), the renewal is due “on or before the fifteenth day of the fifth calendar month after the close of each fiscal year,” or by the date of any applicable extension of the federal information return, whichever is later. For a December 31 year end that is May 15, the same day the federal Form 990 is due according to the IRS. A mailed renewal counts as filed on its postmark date.
The Division’s FAQ describes the extensions in practice:
- Organizations whose license is in “current” standing receive a 60-day extension without asking; it comes with the renewal information.
- Up to a 6-month extension is available if you ask before the automatic extension ends and send a copy of your filed IRS Form 8868. The statute itself asks for that copy within seven days after you file the federal extension.
- Beyond that, the Department may at its discretion give 60 more days past the federal extension; after that, late fees apply.
- Extensions can be requested through the online filing portal, which has an extension request option.
The FAQ says renewal packets are mailed 65 days before the license expires, and the expiration date is printed on the license and shown in the online registry. Put both the statutory due date and the printed expiration date on the calendar next to the 990 due date. The renewal asks for financial information: the filed 990, an audited statement, or the Division’s Annual Financial Report form. If you plan to send the 990 and it is extended, file it first. Our guide to Form 990 filing requirements covers the federal side.
The statement your solicitations must carry
A license comes with a printed obligation. Under section 131F-9(c), every licensed organization must show this statement on every printed solicitation, written confirmation, receipt or reminder of a contribution, in type of at least nine points and made conspicuous with underlining, a border or bold type:
“Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at [telephone number]. The license is not an endorsement by the State.”
The Division’s FAQ gives the number as 919-814-5400 and words the office as the State Solicitation Licensing Division; check the current wording with the Division before you print. For a multi-page mailing, the statement can appear once, prominently. At the point of any solicitation, section 131F-9(b) also requires the organization’s name and the state of its principal place of business, a description of the purpose, and, on request, a contact, the deductible amount, and a financial statement within 14 days. If you also solicit in other states, check their rules too; another state may require a statement of its own.
What happens if you are late or unlicensed
Late fees
The application sets the late fee at $25 per month, starting the 16th day after the 2-month or 6-month extension expires. First-time applicants pay no late fee.
Soliciting without a license
The Licensing page warns of administrative penalties or fines in addition to civil or criminal prosecution.
Penalties per violation
Under section 131F-23(e), the Department can impose an administrative penalty of up to $1,000 for each act or omission that violates the chapter, and order the organization to stop. A willful and knowing violation is also a Class 1 misdemeanor under section 131F-22.
Volunteers raising money for a licensed charity without pay do not need their own license, but the FAQ says they need the charity’s written permission first. The Licensing page and FAQ say fundraising consultants and paid solicitors are licensed separately, with their own fee and a March 31 renewal date that does not apply to charities.
What to settle before you file
Start with these, and add to them as the organization grows. A short list you actually run each year beats a perfect one you avoid.
- Answer both exemption questions: contributions under the threshold, and whether anyone in the listed roles is paid.
- Calculate contributions the state’s way, leaving out dues and the grants the fee schedule excludes, and match the figure to a fee.
- Put the statutory due date and the expiration date printed on your license on the calendar next to the 990 date — our nonprofit compliance calendar checklist has a place for both.
- Book a notary for the signature page, and confirm who signs as treasurer or chief fiscal officer.
- Add the disclosure statement to appeal letters, reply forms and receipt templates before the next mailing.
Getting help with annual filings
GivingArc | Nonprofit accounting
Bookkeeping, monthly close, and Form 990 preparation for small nonprofit teams. GivingArc is run by connectNPO, the company behind NPO Resources. The license application itself is filed by your organization with the Secretary of State.
To work from the official sources directly, our filing requirements by state page lists North Carolina’s official pages with the date each was last checked. The Secretary of State’s charity search also lets you look up to see an organization’s license, status and most recent financial information.
Sources reviewed
Every fact above was read on the pages below on 22 October 2026. Fees, forms and procedures change; check the source before relying on any figure here.
- N.C. General Statutes Chapter 131F, Solicitation of Contributions — sections 131F-2(5), 131F-3, 131F-5, 131F-6, 131F-7, 131F-8, 131F-9, 131F-22 and 131F-23.
- Session Law 2023-119 (Senate Bill 429) — the change from $25,000 to $50,000 and the renewal extension wording.
- Secretary of State — Charities forms and the Initial/Renewal License Application (rev. September 28, 2023) — the form, notarized oath, financial information, late fee line.
- Request for Exemption under 131F-3(3) — the exemption request.
- Secretary of State — Licensing — who needs a license, penalties for operating without one.
- Secretary of State — Exemption List — the 13 exemptions, exemption letters, the annual review note.
- Secretary of State — Charities Fees — the fee schedule and the definition of contribution used for it.
- Secretary of State — License Submission — online or mailed applications.
- Secretary of State — Online Filing — online applications, extensions, the notarized signature page.
- Secretary of State — Charities Online Filing Checklist — documents to prepare.
- Secretary of State — Charities FAQ — extensions, late fees, renewal packets, volunteers, contract solicitors, exempt organizations, the disclosure telephone number, consultant and solicitor licenses.
- Charitable or Sponsor License Application Instructions — financial information options, Non Tax Exempt Entity licenses.
- Charitable Solicitation Licensing Manual (revised 2024) — the online filing screens and fee schedule.
- IRS — Annual exempt organization return due date — the federal May 15 due date and Form 8868.
Frequently asked questions
It is the license the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State issues to charitable and sponsor organizations so they can solicit contributions from the public in the state. Unless an exemption applies, an organization must obtain it before soliciting and renew it every year.
Not if it receives less than $50,000 in contributions in a calendar year and does not compensate any officer, trustee, organizer, incorporator, fund-raiser or solicitor. Both conditions must be met. An organization below $50,000 that pays someone in those roles needs a license; if it received less than $5,000, the license carries no fee.
The fee depends on contributions received in the prior fiscal year: $50 for $5,000 to less than $100,000 (below $50,000 only if someone in the listed roles is paid), $100 for $100,000 to less than $200,000, and $200 for $200,000 or more. A licensed organization that received less than $5,000 pays no fee.
By the 15th day of the fifth month after the fiscal year ends, which is May 15 for a calendar year, or by the extended federal Form 990 due date if that is later. Licenses in current standing receive an automatic 60-day extension.
Yes. The Secretary of State’s online filing portal accepts initial and renewal applications for charities, and a completed, signed and notarized signature page must be uploaded with an online application. Paper applications can still be mailed.
No. An exempt organization does not have to file, but it may submit a written exemption request with supporting documents to receive an exemption letter. The Department notes that the small-organization exemption involves an annual review of financial information.
Licensed organizations must print, in at least nine-point type and made conspicuous, that financial information about the organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at a stated telephone number, and that the license is not an endorsement by the State.
Related NPO Resources guides
- Charitable solicitation registration — what triggers registration, and how North Carolina compares with other states.
- BCO-10: Pennsylvania charity registration — Pennsylvania’s registration and renewal.
- New Jersey charity registration — New Jersey’s registration, where the audit line counts only monetary donations.
- CHAR500: New York charity annual filing — New York’s annual filing.
- AG990-IL: Illinois charity annual report — the Illinois annual report.
- Form RRF-1: California charity registration renewal — California’s annual renewal.
- Form 990 filing requirements — the federal return the license renewal asks for.
- Nonprofit compliance calendar checklist — putting state and federal deadlines on one calendar.