MONTGOMERY, Ala.  — The Internal Revenue Service is offering a workshop to educate tax-exempt organizations in South Alabama and the Gulf Coast area about meeting their tax obligations and maintaining their tax-exempt status.

The IRS will hold one-day “Stay Exempt” workshop Jan. 26 in Mobile, Ala.

Coordinated by Auburn University, the workshop is designed especially for administrators or volunteers who are responsible for a small or medium-sized organization’s tax compliance. It will be led by experienced IRS Exempt Organizations specialists and is approved for continuing education credits by practitioner licensing authorities in Alabama.

Topics include discussion of activities that can jeopardize 501(c)(3) status, unrelated business income, charitable gaming, employment issues and an overview of the Forms 990, 990-EZ, and 990-N (e-Postcard), including tips on recordkeeping and answers to frequently asked questions.

In 2011, nearly 5,000 Alabama non-profits lost their tax-exempt status due to failure to file certain annual information returns. More organizations lose exempt status with each passing month as filing deadlines are missed. To help still-exempt organizations avoid this fate, the workshop will also cover filing requirements.

Cost is $45 per person and pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, visit the Charities and Non-profits page of the IRS website at www.irs.gov/eo and click the “Calendar of Events” link, or contact Ashley Collier at aac0007@auburn.edu or call (334) 844-5100.