Form1120-POL

Department of the Treasury 

Internal Revenue Service

U.S. Income Tax Return for Certain Political Organizations

▶ Information about Form 1120-POL and its instructions is available at www.irs.gov/form1120pol.

OMB No. 1545-0123

2016

For calendar year 2016 or other tax year beginning , 2016, and ending , 20

Check the box if this is a section 501(c) organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ▶

Check if: 

Final return 

Name change 

Address change 

Amended return 

Name of organization

Number, street, and room or suite no. (If a P.O. box, see instructions.)

City or town, state or province, country, and ZIP or foreign postal code

Employer identification number

Candidates for U.S. Congress Only 

If this is a principal campaign committee, and it is the 

ONLY political committee, check here . . .

If this is a principal campaign committee, but is NOT 

the only political committee, check here and attach a 

copy of designation. See instructions . . .

Income 

1 Dividends (attach statement) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 

2 Interest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 

3 Gross rents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 

4 Gross royalties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 

5 Capital gain net income (attach Schedule D (Form 1120)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 

6 Net gain or (loss) from Form 4797, Part II, line 17 (attach Form 4797) . . . . . . . . . . 6 

7 Other income and nonexempt function expenditures (see instructions) . . . . . . . . . . 7 

8 Total income. Add lines 1 through 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 

Deductions 

9 Salaries and wages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 

10 Repairs and maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 

11 Rents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 

12 Taxes and licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 

13 Interest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 

14 Depreciation (attach Form 4562) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 

15 Other deductions (attach statement) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 

16 Total deductions. Add lines 9 through 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 

17 Taxable income before specific deduction of $100. See instructions. Section 501(c) organizations show: 

a Amount of net investment income . . . . . . . . . . . . . ▶

b Aggregate amount expended for an exempt function (attach statement) . ▶ 17c 

18 Specific deduction of $100 (not allowed for newsletter funds defined under section 527(g)) . . . 18 

Tax 

19 Taxable income. Subtract line 18 from line 17c. If line 19 is zero or less, see the instructions . . . 19 

20 Income tax. See instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 

21 Tax credits. Attach the applicable credit forms. See instructions . . . . . . . . . . . 21 

22 Total tax. Subtract line 21 from line 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 

23 Payments: a Tax deposited with Form 7004 . . . . . . . . 23a 

b Credit for tax paid on undistributed capital gains (attach Form 2439) 23b 

c Credit for federal tax on fuels (attach Form 4136) . . . 23c 

d Total payments. Add lines 23a through 23c . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23d 

24 Tax due. Subtract line 23d from line 22. See instructions for depository method of payment . . . 24 

25 Overpayment. Subtract line 22 from line 23d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 

Additional 

Information 

1 At any time during the 2016 calendar year, did the organization have an interest in or a signature or 

other authority over a financial account (such as a bank account, securities account, or other financial 

account) in a foreign country? See instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes No

If “Yes,” enter the name of the foreign country ▶

2 During the tax year, did the organization receive a distribution from, or was it the grantor of, or transferor 

to, a foreign trust? If “Yes,” the organization may have to file Form 3520 . . . . . . . . . . Yes No

3 Enter the amount of tax-exempt interest received or accrued during the tax year . . . ▶ $

4 Date organization formed ▶

5a The books are in care of ▶ b Enter name of candidate ▶

c The books are located at ▶ d Telephone No. ▶

Sign 

Here

Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this return, including accompanying schedules and statements, and to the best of my knowledge and belief, it is true, 

correct, and complete. Declaration of preparer (other than taxpayer) is based on all information of which preparer has any knowledge.

▲

Signature of officer Date

▲

Title

May the IRS discuss this return with 

the preparer shown below? See 

instructions Yes No 

Paid 

Preparer 

Use Only

Print/Type preparer’s name Preparer’s signature Date Check if 

self-employed

PTIN

Firm’s name ▶

Firm’s address ▶

Firm’s EIN ▶

Phone no.

For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see instructions. Cat. No. 11523K Form 1120-POL (2016) 
Form 1120-POL (2016) Page 2 

Section references are to the Internal 

Revenue Code unless otherwise noted. 

Future developments. For the latest 

information about developments related to 

Form 1120-POL and its instructions, such 

as legislation enacted after they were 

published, go to www.irs.gov/form1120pol.

What’s New

For tax years beginning after 2015, the due 

date of filing Form 1120-POL is the 15th 

day of the 4th month after the end of the 

organization’s tax year. 

How To Get Forms and 

Publications

Internet. You can access the IRS website 24 

hours a day, 7 days a week, at IRS.gov to:

• Download forms, instructions, and 

publications;

• Order IRS products online;

• Research your tax questions online;

• Search publications online by topic or 

keyword;

• View Internal Revenue Bulletins (IRBs) 

published in recent years; and

• Sign up to receive local and national tax 

news by email.

Tax forms and publications. The 

organization can download or print all of 

the forms and publications it may need on 

www.irs.gov/formspubs. Otherwise, the 

organization can go to www.irs.gov/

orderforms to place an order and have 

forms mailed to it. The organization should 

receive its order within 10 business days.

General Instructions 

Purpose of Form 

Political organizations and certain exempt 

organizations file Form 1120-POL to report 

their political organization taxable income 

and income tax liability under section 527. 

Phone Help

If you have questions and/or need help 

completing Form 1120-POL, please call 

1-877-829-5500. This toll-free telephone 

service is available Monday through 

Friday.

Who Must File 

A political organization, whether or not it is 

tax exempt, must file Form 1120-POL if it 

has any political organization taxable 

income. 

An exempt organization that isn’t a 

political organization must file Form 

1120-POL if it is treated as having political 

organization taxable income under section 

527(f)(1). 

Political Organizations 

A political organization is a party, 

committee, association, fund (including a 

separate segregated fund described in 

section 527(f)(3) set up by a section 501(c) 

organization), or other organization, 

organized and operated primarily for the 

purpose of accepting contributions or 

making expenditures, or both, to influence 

the selection, nomination, election, or 

appointment of any individual to any public 

office or office in a political organization, or 

the election of Presidential or Vice 

Presidential electors. Political 

organizations include the following.

1. Principal campaign committee, if it is 

the political committee designated by a 

candidate for U.S. Congress as his or her 

principal campaign committee for 

purposes of section 302(e)(1) of the Federal 

Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 

section 30102(e)(1)) and section 527(h) of 

the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. 

section 527(h)). 

If a candidate for U.S. Congress elects 

to make a designation under section 

527(h), he or she must designate the 

principal campaign committee by 

attaching a copy of the Statement of 

Candidacy to Form 1120-POL. This can be 

either the Federal Election Commission’s 

Form 2, Statement of Candidacy, or an 

equivalent statement filed with the Federal 

Election Commission. The designation may 

also be made by attaching a signed 

statement with all of the following 

information. 

• The candidate’s name and address. 

• The candidate’s identifying number. 

• The candidate’s party affiliation and 

office sought. 

• The district and state in which the office 

is sought.

• The name and address of the principal 

campaign committee. 

Note: If the candidate for U.S. Congress 

has a designation in effect from an earlier 

year, attach a copy of the earlier year’s 

designation to this year’s Form 1120-POL 

and check the appropriate box on the form. 

See Regulations section 1.527-9. If a 

candidate for U.S. Congress has only one 

political campaign committee, no 

designation is required. However, be sure 

to check the appropriate box on Form 

1120-POL. 

2. Newsletter fund, if it is a fund 

established and maintained by an 

individual who holds, has been elected to, 

or is a candidate (as defined in section 

527(g)(3)) for nomination or election to any 

federal, state, or local elective public office. 

The fund must be maintained exclusively 

for the preparation and circulation of the 

individual’s newsletter. 

3. Separate segregated fund, if it is 

maintained by a section 501(c) organization 

(exempt from tax under section 501(a)). For 

more information, see section 527(f)(3) and 

Regulations section 1.527-6(f). 

Taxable Income 

Political organization taxable income (line 

19) is the excess of (a) gross income for 

the tax year (excluding exempt function 

income (defined later)) over (b) deductions 

directly connected with the earning of 

gross income (excluding exempt function 

income). Taxable income is figured with the 

following adjustments. 

1. A specific deduction of $100 is 

allowed (but not for newsletter funds). 

2. The net operating loss deduction isn’t 

allowed.

3. The dividends-received deduction 

and other special deductions for 

corporations aren’t allowed. See section 

527(c)(2)(C). 

Effect of failure to file Form 8871. Unless 

excepted (see Other Reports and Returns 

That May Be Required, later) every 

political organization, in order to be

considered a tax-exempt organization,

must file Form 8871, Political Organization 

Notice of Section 527 Status. An 

organization that is required to file Form 

8871, but fails to file it when due, must 

include in taxable income for the period 

before Form 8871 is filed, its exempt 

function income (including contributions 

received, membership dues, and political 

fundraising receipts), minus any deductions 

directly connected with the production of 

that income. The organization may not 

deduct its exempt function expenditures 

because section 162(e) denies a deduction 

for political campaign expenditures.

Exempt Function and Exempt 

Function Income 

The exempt function of a political 

organization includes all activities that are 

related to and support the process of 

influencing or attempting to influence the 

selection, nomination, election, or 

appointment of any individual to any 

federal, state, or local public office, or 

office of a political organization, or the 

election of Presidential or Vice Presidential 

electors, whether or not the individuals or 

electors are selected, nominated, elected, 

or appointed. The term “exempt function” 

also means the making of expenditures 

relating to the individual’s office, once 

selected, nominated, elected, or appointed, 

but only if the expenditures would be 

deductible by an individual under section 

162(a). 

Exempt function income is the total of 

all amounts received from the following 

sources (to the extent that they are 

separately segregated only for use for an 

exempt function).

• Contributions of money and property. 

• Membership dues, fees, or assessments 

paid by a member of a political party.

• Proceeds from a political fundraising or 

entertainment event, or from the sale of 

political campaign materials, if those 

amounts aren’t received in the active 

conduct of a trade or business.

• Proceeds from the conduct of a bingo 

game, as described in section 513(f)(2). 

Specified Taxable Income 

Newsletter fund. Taxable income of a 

newsletter fund is figured in the same 

manner as taxable income of a political 

organization except that the specific 

deduction of $100 isn’t allowed. 
Form 1120-POL (2016) Page 3 

Exempt organization that is not a 

political organization. Taxable income for 

an exempt organization described in 

section 501(c) that isn’t a political 

organization is the smaller of: 

1. The net investment income of the 

organization for the tax year, or 

2. The amount spent for an exempt 

function during the tax year either directly 

or indirectly through another organization. 

Net investment income, for this purpose, 

is the excess of: 

1. The gross amount of interest, 

dividends, rents, and royalties, plus the 

excess, if any, of gains from the sale or 

exchange of assets, over the losses from 

the sale or exchange of assets; over 

2. The deductions directly connected 

with the production of this income. 

Taxable income is figured with the 

adjustments shown in (1), (2), and (3) under 

Taxable Income, earlier. 

Who Must Sign 

The return must be signed and dated by: 

• The president, vice president, treasurer, 

assistant treasurer, chief accounting 

officer; or 

• Any other officer (such as tax officer) 

authorized to sign. 

Receivers, trustees, and assignees must 

also sign and date any return filed on 

behalf of an organization. 

If an employee of the organization 

completes Form 1120-POL, the Paid 

Preparer Use Only area should remain 

blank. In addition, anyone who prepares 

Form 1120-POL but doesn’t charge the 

organization shouldn’t complete that 

section. Generally, anyone who is paid to 

prepare the return must sign it and fill in 

the Paid Preparer Use Only area. 

The paid preparer must complete the 

required preparer information and: 

• Sign the return in the space provided for 

the preparer’s signature, and

• Give a copy of the return to the taxpayer. 

Note: A paid preparer may sign original or 

amended returns by rubber stamp, 

mechanical device, or computer software 

program. Also, facsimile signatures are 

authorized. 

Paid Preparer Authorization

If the organization wants to allow the IRS to 

discuss its 2016 tax return with the paid 

preparer who signed it, check the “Yes” 

box in the signature area of the return. This 

authorization applies only to the individual 

whose signature appears in the Paid 

Preparer Use Only section of the return. It 

doesn’t apply to the firm, if any, shown in 

that section. 

If the “Yes” box is checked, the 

organization is authorizing the IRS to call 

the paid preparer to answer any questions 

that may arise during the processing of its 

return. The organization is also authorizing 

the paid preparer to: 

• Give the IRS any information that is 

missing from its return; 

• Call the IRS for information about the 

processing of its return or the status of any 

refund or payment(s); and 

• Respond to certain IRS notices that the 

organization may have shared with the 

preparer about math errors, offsets, and 

return preparation. The notices won’t be 

sent to the preparer. 

The organization isn’t authorizing the 

paid preparer to receive any refund check, 

bind the organization to anything 

(including any additional tax liability), or 

otherwise represent it before the IRS. If the 

organization wants to expand the paid 

preparer’s authorization, see Pub. 947, 

Practice Before the IRS and Power of 

Attorney. 

However, the authorization will 

automatically end no later than the due 

date (excluding extensions) for filing the 

2017 tax return. If you want to revoke the 

authorization before it ends, see Pub. 947. 

When and Where To File 

In general, an organization must file Form 

1120-POL by the 15th day of the 4th month 

after the end of the tax year. 

If the due date falls on a Saturday, 

Sunday, or legal holiday, the organization 

may file on the next business day. 

File Form 1120-POL with the:

Department of the Treasury 

Internal Revenue Service Center 

Ogden, UT 84201

If the organization’s principal business, 

office, or agency is located in a foreign 

country or a U.S. possession, the address 

for mailing their return should be:

Internal Revenue Service Center 

P.O. Box 409101 

Ogden, UT 84409 

Private delivery services. In addition to 

the U.S. Postal Service, the organization

can use certain private delivery services

designated by the IRS to meet the “timely 

mailing as timely filing/payment” rule for 

tax returns and payments. These private 

delivery services include only the following. 

• DHL Express: DHL Express 9:00, DHL 

Express 10:30, DHL Express 12:00, DHL 

Express Worldwide, DHL Express 

Envelope, DHL Import Express 10:30, DHL 

Import Express 12:00, and DHL Import 

Express Worldwide.

• Federal Express (FedEx): FedEx First 

Overnight, FedEx Priority Overnight, FedEx 

Standard Overnight, FedEx 2Day, FedEx 

International Next Flight Out, FedEx 

International Priority, FedEx International 

First, and FedEx International Economy.

• United Parcel Service (UPS): UPS Next 

Day Air Early A.M., UPS Next Day Air, UPS 

Next Day Air Saver, UPS 2nd Day Air, UPS 

2nd Day Air A.M., UPS Worldwide Express 

Plus, and UPS Worldwide Express. 

The private delivery service can tell you 

how to get written proof of the mailing date. 

For the IRS mailing address to use if you 

are using a private delivery service, go to 

IRS.gov and enter “private delivery service” 

in the search box.

▲!

CAUTION

Private delivery services cannot 

deliver items to P.O. boxes. You 

must use the U.S. Postal 

Service to mail any item to an 

 IRS P.O. box. 

Overnight deliveries should be mailed to:

Internal Revenue Service 

1973 Rulon White Blvd. 

Ogden, UT 84404

Extension. File Form 7004, Application for 

Automatic Extension of Time To File 

Certain Business Income Tax, Information, 

and Other Returns, to request an extension 

of time to file. 

Other Reports and Returns That 

May Be Required 

An organization that files Form 1120-POL 

may also be required to file the following 

forms. 

1. Form 8871, Political Organization 

Notice of Section 527 Status. 

Generally, to be tax exempt, a political 

organization must file this form within 24 

hours of the date it is established and 

within 30 days of any material change in 

the organization. However, do not file this 

form if the organization is: 

• An organization that reasonably expects 

its annual gross receipts to always be less 

than $25,000, 

• A political committee required to report 

under the Federal Election Campaign Act 

of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 431 et seq.), 

• A political committee of a state or local 

candidate, 

• A state or local committee of a political 

party, or 

• A tax-exempt organization described in 

section 501(c) that is treated as having 

political organization taxable income under 

section 527(f)(1). 

2. Form 8872, Political Organization 

Report of Contributions and Expenditures 

(periodic reports are required during the 

calendar year). 

Generally, a political organization that 

files Form 8871 and accepts a contribution 

or makes an expenditure for an exempt 

function during the calendar year must file 

this form. However, this form isn’t required 

to be filed by an organization excepted 

from filing Form 8871 (see above), or a 

qualified state or local political organization 

(QSLPO) (see the Instructions for Form 

8871, and Rev. Rul. 2003-49, 2003-20 

I.R.B. 903, for the definition of a QSLPO). 

3. Form 990, Return of Organization 

Exempt From Income Tax, or Form 

990-EZ, Short Form Return of Organization 

Exempt From Income Tax. 

An exempt political organization must 

also file one of these forms if its annual 

gross receipts are $25,000 or more 

($100,000 or more for a QSLPO). 
Form 1120-POL (2016) Page 4 

The following political organizations are 

not required to file Form 990. 

• Any political organization excepted from 

the requirement to file Form 8871. 

• Any caucus or association of state or 

local officials. 

See the instructions for Form 990 or 

Form 990-EZ. 

Accounting Methods 

Figure taxable income using the method of 

accounting regularly used in keeping the 

organization’s books and records. 

Generally, permissible methods include: 

• Cash, 

• Accrual, or 

• Any other method authorized by the 

Internal Revenue Code. 

In all cases, the method used must 

clearly show taxable income. 

Change in accounting method. 

Generally, the organization may only 

change the method of accounting used to 

report taxable income (for income as a 

whole or for any material item) by getting 

consent on Form 3115, Application for 

Change in Accounting Method. For more 

information, see Pub. 538, Accounting 

Periods and Methods. 

Accounting Period 

The organization must figure its taxable 

income on the basis of a tax year. The tax 

year is the annual accounting period the 

organization uses to keep its records and 

report its income and expenses if that 

period is a calendar year or a fiscal year. 

However, an organization that doesn’t keep 

books or doesn’t have an annual 

accounting period must use the calendar 

year as its tax year. A new organization 

must adopt its tax year by the due date 

(not including extensions) of its first income 

tax return. 

Change of tax year. After the organization 

has adopted a tax year, it must get the 

consent of the IRS to change its tax year 

by filing Form 1128, Application To Adopt, 

Change, or Retain a Tax Year. See 

Regulations section 1.442-1 and Pub. 538. 

Rounding Off to Whole Dollars 

The organization may round off cents to 

whole dollars on the return and 

accompanying schedules. If the 

organization does round to whole dollars, it 

must round all amounts. To round, drop 

amounts under 50 cents and increase 

amounts from 50 to 99 cents to the next 

dollar. For example, $1.39 becomes $1 and 

$2.50 becomes $3. 

If two or more amounts must be added 

to figure the amount to enter on a line, 

include cents when adding the amounts 

and round off only the total. 

Federal Tax Deposits Must Be 

Made by Electronic Funds 

Transfer

You must use electronic funds transfer to 

make all federal deposits (such as deposits

of estimated tax, employment tax, and 

excise tax). Generally, electronic fund 

transfers are made using the Electronic 

Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). If 

you don’t want to use EFTPS, you can 

arrange for your tax professional, financial 

institution, payroll service, or other trusted 

third party to make deposits on your 

behalf. Also, you may arrange for your 

financial institution to submit a same-day 

wire payment on your behalf. EFTPS is a 

free service provided by the Department of 

the Treasury. Services provided by your tax 

professional, financial institution, payroll 

services, or other third party may have a 

fee. To get more information about EFTPS 

or to enroll in EFTPS, visit www.eftps.gov

or call 1-800-555-4477. Additional 

information about EFTPS is available in 

Pub. 966, Electronic Federal Tax Payment 

System: A Guide To Getting Started.

Depositing on time. For deposits made by 

EFTPS to be on time, you must submit the 

deposit by 8 p.m. Eastern time the day 

before the date the deposit is due. If you 

use a third party to make deposits on its 

behalf, they may have different cutoff 

times.

Same-day payment option. If you fail to 

submit a deposit transaction on EFTPS by 

8 p.m. Eastern time the day before the date 

a deposit is due, you can still make the 

deposit on time by using the Federal Tax 

Application (FTA). Before using the sameday payment option, you will need to make 

arrangements with your financial institution 

ahead of time. Please check with the 

financial institution regarding availability, 

deadlines, and costs. To learn more about 

making a same-day payment and 

download the Same-Day Payment 

Worksheet, visit www.eftps.gov.

Deposits on business days only. If a 

deposit is required to be made on a day 

that isn’t a business day, the deposit is 

considered timely if it is made by the close 

of the next business day. A business day is 

any day other than Saturday, Sunday, or a 

legal holiday. For example, if a deposit is 

required to be made on a Friday and Friday 

is a legal holiday, the deposit will be 

considered timely if it is made by the 

following Monday (if that Monday is a 

business day). The term “legal holiday” 

means any legal holiday in the District of 

Columbia.

▲!

CAUTION

If the organization owes tax

when it files Form 1120-POL, 

do not include the payment 

with the tax return. Instead, 

use EFTPS. 

Interest and Penalties 

Interest 

Interest is charged on taxes paid late even 

if an extension of time to file is granted. 

Interest is also charged on penalties 

imposed for failure to file, negligence, 

fraud, gross valuation overstatements, and 

substantial understatement of tax from the 

due date (including extensions) to the date 

of payment. The interest charge is figured 

at a rate determined under section 6621. 

Penalties 

Penalties may be imposed if the 

organization is required to file Form 

1120-POL and it fails to file the form by 

the due date. The following penalties may 

apply if the organization doesn’t file its tax 

return by the due date, including 

extensions. 

Late filing of return. The organization 

may be charged a penalty of 5% of the 

unpaid tax for each month or part of a 

month the return is late, up to a maximum 

of 25% of the unpaid tax. The minimum 

penalty for a return that is more than 60 

days late is the smaller of the tax due or 

$205. If you receive a notice about a 

penalty after you file this return, reply to the 

notice with an explanation and we will 

determine if you meet reasonable-cause 

criteria. Do not include an explanation 

when you file your return. 

Late payment of tax. An organization that 

doesn’t pay the tax when due generally 

may have to pay a penalty of 1⁄2 of 1% of 

the unpaid tax for each month or part of a 

month the tax isn’t paid, up to a maximum 

of 25% of the unpaid tax. If you receive a 

notice about a penalty after you file this 

return, reply to the notice with an 

explanation and we will determine if you 

meet reasonable-cause criteria. Do not 

include an explanation when you file your 

return. 

Other penalties. Other penalties can be 

imposed for negligence, substantial 

understatement of tax, and fraud. See 

sections 6662 and 6663. 

Assembling the Return 

Attach Form 4136, Credit for Federal Tax 

Paid on Fuels, after page 1 of Form 

1120-POL. Attach schedules in 

alphabetical order and other forms in 

numerical order after Form 4136. 

Complete every applicable entry space 

on Form 1120-POL. Do not write “See 

attached” instead of completing the entry 

spaces. If you need more space on the 

forms or schedules, attach separate sheets 

using the same size and format as on the 

printed forms. Show the totals on the 

printed forms. Attach these separate 

sheets after all the schedules and forms. 

Be sure to put the organization’s name and 

EIN on each sheet. 

Specific Instructions 

Period covered. File the 2016 return for 

calendar year 2016 and fiscal years that 

begin in 2016 and end in 2017. For a fiscal 

year, fill in the tax year space at the top of 

the form. 

Note: The 2016 Form 1120-POL may also 

be used if: 

• The organization has a tax year of less 

than 12 months that begins and ends in 

2017, and 
Form 1120-POL (2016) Page 5 

• The 2017 Form 1120-POL isn’t available 

at the time the organization is required to 

file its return. The organization must show 

its 2017 tax year on the 2016 Form 

1120-POL and take into account any tax 

law changes that are effective for tax years 

beginning after December 31, 2016.

Address. Include the suite, room, or other 

unit number after the street address. If the 

Post Office doesn’t deliver mail to the 

street address and the organization has a 

P.O. box, show the box number instead of 

the street address. 

Final return, name change, address 

change, amended return. If the 

organization ceases to exist, check the 

“Final return” box.

If the organization has changed its name 

since it last filed a return, check the “Name 

change” box. 

If the organization has changed its 

address since it last filed a return, check 

the “Address change” box. 

Note: If a change in address occurs after 

the return is filed, the organization should 

use Form 8822-B, Change of Address or 

Responsible Party—Business, to notify the 

IRS of the new address. 

Amended return. If you are filing an 

amended Form 1120-POL: 

• Check the “Amended return” box, 

• Complete the entire return, 

• Correct the appropriate lines with the 

new information, and 

• Refigure the tax liability. 

Attach a sheet that explains the reason 

for the amendments and identifies the lines 

and amounts being changed on the 

amended return. Generally, the amended 

return must be filed within 3 years after the 

date the original return was due or 3 years 

after the date the organization filed it, 

whichever is later. 

Employer identification number (EIN). 

Enter the nine-digit EIN assigned to the 

organization. If the organization doesn’t 

have an EIN, it must apply for one. An EIN 

can be applied for in the following ways.

• Online—Click on the Employer ID 

Numbers link at www.irs.gov/Businesses. 

The EIN is issued immediately once the 

application information is validated.

• By faxing or mailing Form SS-4, 

Application for Employer Identification 

Number. 

▲!

CAUTION

Corporations located in the 

United States or U.S. 

possessions can use the online 

application. Foreign 

corporations should call 1-267-941-1099 

for more information on obtaining an EIN.

The online application process isn’t yet 

available for organizations with addresses 

in foreign countries. 

If the organization hasn’t received its 

EIN by the time the return is due, write 

“Applied for” in the space provided for the 

EIN. See Pub. 583, Starting a Business and 

Keeping Records, for details. 

Income and deductions. Campaign 

contributions and other exempt function 

income are generally not includible in 

income; likewise, campaign expenditures 

and other exempt function expenditures 

aren’t deductible. To be deductible in 

figuring political organization taxable 

income, expenses must be directly 

connected with the production of political 

organization taxable income. In those 

cases where expenses are attributable to 

the production of both exempt function 

income and political organization taxable 

income, the expenses should be allocated 

on a reasonable and consistent basis. Only 

the portion allocable to the production of 

political organization taxable income may 

be deducted. No deduction is allowed for 

general administrative or indirect expenses. 

Line 7. Other income and nonexempt 

function expenditures. Enter the income 

from other sources, such as the following.

• Exempt function income that wasn’t 

properly segregated for exempt functions. 

• Income received in the ordinary course 

of a trade or business. 

• Ordinary income from the trade or 

business activities of a partnership (from 

Schedule K-1 (Form 1065), Partner’s Share 

of Income, Deductions, Credits, etc., Part 

III, box 1). 

• Exempt function income (minus any 

deductions directly connected with the 

production of that income) taxable under 

section 527(i)(4) for failure to timely file 

Form 8871. Include amounts whether or 

not segregated for use for an exempt 

function. 

Also include on this line: 

• Expenditures that were made from 

exempt function income that weren’t for an 

exempt function and resulted in direct or 

indirect financial benefit to the political 

organization (see Regulations section 

1.527-5 for examples), and 

• Illegal expenditures. 

Attach a schedule listing all income and 

expenditures included on line 7. 

Line 17. Taxable income before specific 

deduction of $100. Political organizations, 

newsletter funds, and separate segregated 

funds figure their tax by subtracting line 16 

from line 8 and enter the result on line 

17(c). 

Exempt organizations (section 501(c)) 

that are not political organizations. 

Complete lines 17a and 17b if the 

organization made exempt function 

expenditures that weren’t from a separate 

segregated fund. Enter on line 17c the 

smaller of line 17a or 17b. See Exempt 

organization that is not a political 

organization, earlier, for an explanation of 

the amounts to enter on these lines. 

Line 19. Taxable income. If the taxable 

income on line 19 is zero or less, the Form 

1120-POL isn’t required to be filed, but it 

may be filed to start the statute of 

limitations period. 

Line 20. Income tax. The rate of tax 

imposed depends on whether the political 

organization is a principal campaign 

committee as defined in section 527(h). 

The tax rate is lower for a principal 

campaign committee. 

Political organization not a principal 

campaign committee. An organization 

that isn’t a principal campaign committee 

figures its tax by multiplying line 19 by 35% 

(0.35) and enters the result on line 20. 

Principal campaign committee 

(section 527(h)). A political organization 

that is a principal campaign committee of a 

candidate for U.S. Congress figures its tax 

in the same manner as provided in section 

11(b) for corporations. Figure the tax as 

follows. 

1. Enter taxable income (line 

19, Form 1120-POL) . .

2. Enter line 1 or $50,000, 

whichever is less . . .

3. Subtract line 2 from line 1 

4. Enter line 3 or $25,000, 

whichever is less . . .

5. Subtract line 4 from line 3 

6. Enter line 5 or $9,925,000, 

whichever is less . . .

7. Subtract line 6 from line 5 

8. Multiply line 2 by 15% (0.15) 

9. Multiply line 4 by 25% (0.25) 

10. Multiply line 6 by 34% (0.34) 

11. Multiply line 7 by 35% (0.35)

12. If line 1 is greater than 

$100,000, enter the smaller 

of: 5% of taxable income in 

excess of $100,000, or 

$11,750 . . . . .

13. If line 1 is greater than $15 

million, enter the smaller of: 

3% of taxable income in 

excess of $15 million, or 

$100,000 . . . . .

14. Add lines 8 through 13. 

Enter here and on line 20, 

Form 1120-POL . . .
Form 1120-POL (2016) Page 6 

Note: Estimated tax and alternative 

minimum tax don’t apply to political 

organizations. 

Line 21. Tax credits. The organization 

may qualify for the following credits.

• Foreign tax credit. See Form 1118, 

Foreign Tax Credit—Corporations. 

• Qualified electric vehicle credit 

(carryforward ONLY). See Form 8834, 

Qualified Electric Vehicle Credit.

• General business credit (excluding 

the small employer health insurance 

premium credit, work opportunity credit, 

the empowerment zone employment credit, 

the Indian employment credit, and the 

credit for employer differential wage 

payments). See Form 3800, General 

Business Credit.

Enter the total amount of qualified 

credits on line 21 and attach the 

applicable credit forms. 

Line 22. Total tax. If the political 

organization must recapture any of the 

qualified electric vehicle credit, include the 

amount of the recapture in the total for line 

22. On the dotted line next to the entry 

space, write “QEV recapture” and the 

amount. See Regulations section 1.30-1 for 

details on how to figure the recapture. 

What If You Can’t Pay In Full?

If you can’t pay the full amount of tax you 

owe, you can apply for an installment 

agreement online.

You can apply for an installment 

agreement online if:

• You can’t pay the full amount shown on 

line 24,

• The total amount you owe is $25,000 or 

less, and

• You can pay the liability in full in 24 

months.

To apply using the Online Payment 

Agreement Application, go to IRS.gov, click 

on “Tools,” then click on “Online Payment 

Agreement.”

Under an installment agreement, you can 

pay what you owe in monthly installments. 

There are certain conditions you must meet 

to enter into and maintain an installment 

agreement, such as paying the liability 

within 24 months and making all required 

deposits and timely filing tax returns during 

the length of the agreement.

If your installment agreement is 

accepted, you will be charged a fee and 

you will be subject to penalties and interest 

on the amount of tax not paid by the due 

date of the return.

Additional Information 

Question 1 

Foreign financial accounts. Check the 

“Yes” box if either (1) or (2) below applies 

to the organization. Otherwise, check the 

“No” box.

1. At any time during the 2016 calendar 

year the organization had a financial 

interest in or signature or other authority 

over a bank, securities, or other types of 

financial accounts in a foreign country; 

• The combined value of the accounts was 

more than $10,000 at any time during the 

calendar year; and 

• The account wasn’t with a U.S. military 

banking facility operated by a U.S. financial 

institution.

2. The organization owns more than 

50% of the stock in any corporation that 

would answer “Yes” to item (1) above. 

See FinCEN Form 114, Report of Foreign 

Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), to 

find out if the organization is considered to 

have an interest in or signature or other 

authority over a financial account in a 

foreign country. 

If “Yes” is checked for this question, file 

FinCEN Form 114 electronically with the 

Department of the Treasury using FinCEN’s 

BSA E-Filing System. Because FinCEN 

Form 114 is not a tax form, do not file it 

with Form 1120-POL.

See www.fincen.gov for more 

information.

Also, if “Yes” is checked for this 

question, enter the name of the foreign 

country or countries. Attach a separate 

sheet if more space is needed. 

Question 2

If you checked “Yes” to Question 2, the 

organization may be required to file Form 

3520, Annual Return To Report 

Transactions With Foreign Trusts and 

Receipt of Certain Foreign Gifts. For 

details, see the Instructions for Form 3520. 

Note: An owner of a foreign trust must 

ensure that the trust files an annual 

information return on Form 3520-A, Annual 

Information Return of Foreign Trust With a 

U.S. Owner. For details, see the 

Instructions for Form 3520-A. 

Question 3

In the space provided, show any taxexempt interest income received or 

accrued. Include any exempt-interest 

dividends received as a shareholder in a 

mutual fund or other regulated investment 

company.

Paperwork Reduction Act Notice. We 

ask for the information on this form to carry 

out the Internal Revenue laws of the United 

States. You are required to give us the 

information. We need it to ensure that you 

are complying with these laws and to allow

us to figure and collect the right amount of 

tax. 

You aren’t required to provide the 

information requested on a form that is 

subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act 

unless the form displays a valid OMB 

control number. Books or records relating 

to a form or its instructions must be 

retained as long as their contents may 

become material in the administration of 

any Internal Revenue law. Generally, tax 

returns and return information are 

confidential, as required by section 6103.

The time needed to complete and file 

this form will vary depending on individual 

circumstances. The estimated burden for 

business taxpayers filing this form is 

approved under OMB control number 

1545-0123 and is included in the estimates 

shown in the instructions for their business 

income tax return.

If you have comments concerning the 

accuracy of these time estimates or 

suggestions for making this form simpler, 

we would be happy to hear from you. You 

can send your comments to:

Internal Revenue Service 

Tax Forms and Publications Division 

1111 Constitution Ave. NW, IR-6526 

Washington, DC 20224 

We respond to many letters by 

telephone. Therefore, it would be helpful if 

you would include your daytime phone 

number, including the area code, in your 

correspondence. 

You can send your comments from 

www.irs.gov/formspubs. Click on “More 

Information” and then on “Give us 

feedback.”

Although we can’t respond individually to 

each comment received, we do appreciate 

your feedback and will consider your 

comments as we revise our tax products.

Do not send the tax form to this address. 

See When and Where To File, earlier.