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Reporting of Net Assets on the Form 990: Compliance with SFAS 117 (Technical Note)

Approximately 70% of organizations filing Form 990s used the SFAS 117 reporting categories for net assets (unrestricted, temporarily restricted and permanently restricted net assets). The percentage increased slightly from 68.4% in 1998 to 70.4% in 2003.

Twenty-six to 28% of organizations used the older format. Between three and four percent reported no net assets of any kind. Some organizations (0.3-0.4%) incorrectly reported net assets in both categories.

This analysis was limited to Form 990 -- not 990-EZ -- filers.

The attached spreadsheet shows the distribution by fiscal year.