Mississippi Secretary of State - Charities Division
Please Note
We are a service company that can help you file with the Mississippi Secretary of State - Charities Division. We are not associated with this nor any other government agency. We offer paid services and software to help you file. You are not required to purchase our service to file - you may file directly with this agency without using our service.
Contact Information
125 S. Congress Street P.O. Box 136
Jackson, MS 39205
Phone: (601) 359-1599
Fax: (601) 359-9070
Web: Home Name search
Email: charities.customerservice@sos.ms.gov
Licenses
We track the following licenses with the Mississippi Secretary of State - Charities Division in order to provide compliance services to our clients. As a client, you see this and other Compliance Core™ data in License Manager in-line with your licenses.
Mississippi Charitable Organization Registration
Agency: | Mississippi Secretary of State - Charities Division |
Law: | |
Foreign Qualification is Prerequisite: | No |
Registered Agent (Special Agency) Required? | Yes |
Automatic Exemption
Exemption Eligible Organizations: | Bona fide duly constituted religious institutions and such separate groups or corporations which form an integral part of religious institutions, provided that:
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Law: | |
Notes: | Religious organizations that meet the definition in Miss. Code Ann. Section 79-11-501(a)(iii) are excluded from registration requirements. |
One-Time Exemption Registration
Exemption Eligible Organizations: |
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Filing Method: | |
Agency Fee: | $50 + $4 online filing fee. |
Law: | |
Notes: | Notices of exemption do not expire, but charities must update their exemption within 30 days if any information changes. |
Required Attachments: |
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Initial Registration
Filing Method: | |
Agency Fee: | $50 + $3.14 online filing fee. |
Turnaround: | 1 week |
Original Ink: | Not required |
Notarization Required?: | Not required |
Notes: |
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Before you Apply: | Domestic Applicants:
Foreign Applicants:
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How to Apply: | Domestic Applicants:
Foreign Applicants:
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Required Attachments: |
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Registration Renewal
Filing Method: | |
Agency Fee: | $50 + $3.14 online filing fee. |
Due: |
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Due Date Extension: | Due dates can be extended for 180 days beyond the original due date by submitting a request for extension through the online portal. A copy of IRS form 8868 must be included when requesting an extension. |
Original Ink: | Not required |
Notarization Required?: | Not required |
Notes: |
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Required Attachments: |
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Reinstatement
Instructions: |
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Filing Method: | Mail and online |
Agency Fee: |
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Penalties: | Charities suspected of violating Mississippi Code §79-11-501 - §79-11-527 are subject to investigation(s) by the Secretary of State and/or Attorney General. Upon application from either one of these agencies, the court can issue the following judgments:
The Secretary of State, in addition to other remedies authorized by the law, may issue one or more of the following remedies:
A conviction of knowingly violating this Act is a misdemeanor charge and is punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 1 year in county jail. In connection with any solicitation, any attempt to defraud or obtain money or property using false pretenses is a felony conviction and is punishable by a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 5 years. |
Notes: | Organizations can renew a registration up to 6 months past its due date. After this point, they will receive a registration revocation notice from the Secretary of State which gives them 30 days to submit the late renewal. Once the registration is revoked, an organization must undergo the reinstatement process. |
Required Attachments: |
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Change of Fiscal Year
Agency Fee: | $0 |
Turnaround: | 1-2 business days |
Notes: | Fiscal year can be changed during the standard renewal process. |
Cancelation
Filing Method: | |
Agency Fee: | $0 |
Notes: | To close out your registration, file a final report and attach the necessary documents. |
Required Attachments: |
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Commercial Co-venturer shall mean any person or entity who is regularly and primarily engaged in the production, trade, sale or commerce of goods other than in connection with the raising or solicitation of funds, assets, or other property for charitable organizations or charitable purposes, who for indirect compensation (including contractually arranged fees, commissions or other monetary remuneration), conducts, promotes, underwrites, arranges, markets, sponsors or advertises a sale, performance, or event of any kind which will benefit, to any extent, a Charitable Organization, or
A person or entity who contracts with a Charitable Organization to benefit that charity to any extent, and who receives only indirect compensation limited to goodwill or tax benefits as a result of that contractual agreement, is considered neither a commercial co-venturer nor a professional fund-raiser so long as neither the person (or entity) nor the Charitable Organization conducts, promotes, underwrites, arranges, markets, sponsors, or advertises the relationship to the public during the contract period.
Mississippi Commercial Co-Venturer Registration
Agency: | Mississippi Secretary of State - Charities Division |
Law: |
Initial Registration
Filing Method: | |
Agency Fee: | $0 |
Turnaround: | Immediately online. |
Bond Amount: | None |
Renewal Not Required
Not required
Commercial co-venturer registrations do not need to be renewed, however, contact information should be kept up to date.
Contract Filing
Filing Method: | |
Agency Fee: | $0 |
Turnaround: | Immediately online. |
Due: | A Commercial Co-venturer engaging in a charitable sales promotion is required to file with the Secretary of State notice of the promotion no less than seven (7) days prior to the start of said promotion. Such notice must include a copy of the contract between the Co-venturer and the Charitable Organization. |
Original Ink: | Not required |
Notarization Required?: | Not required |
How to Apply: | The charity must be registered to solicit charitable contributions or otherwise exempt for the contract to be accepted. |
Contract Amendment
Agency Fee: | $0 |
Due: | An amendment filing should be made before the expiration date of a campaign in order to extend the campaign. |
Notes: | To report an extension of a campaign or another change to a campaign agreement, submit a cover letter describing the change and include a copy of the amended agreement. |
Financial Reporting
Filing Method: | |
Agency Fee: | $0 |
Turnaround: | Immediately online. |
Due: | A financial accounting must be filed no later than thirty 30 days after the conclusion of the promotion if the charitable sales promotion is less than 1 year and no later than thirty 30 days after the anniversary date of the first notice of promotion filing if the promotion is greater than 1 year, and shall file a final financial accounting of the charitable sales promotion no later than thirty 30 days after the conclusion of said promotion. |
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