Tax Forms

Tax Forms

Checklist

Pre-Filing

Resources

Annotated Tax Forms

990T

Form 990-T is how tax-exempt organizations report and claim refundable credits. Officially titled Exempt Organization Business Income Tax Return, 990T is specifically used by tax-exempt organizations to claim credits or report income unrelated to the business purpose. 
 IRS page
Instructions (PDF)
IRS Form 990-T (PDF)

3800

Form 3800, titled General Business Credit, is used by businesses and organizations to calculate and claim a variety of tax credits. It consolidates multiple business credits into a single form, making it easier to determine the total credit available for the tax year. Generally, this form isn't needed for tax exempt entities. 
IRS page
Instructions (PDF)
IRS Form 3800 (PDF)

3468

Used to claim the Investment Credit (ITC), including credits for energy-related property such as solar, wind, and other renewable energy installations. This form allows entities to detail and calculate their eligible energy investment credits, which can be critical for maximizing the financial incentives
IRS page
Instructions (PDF)
IRS Form 3468 (PDF)
Please consult a tax advisor or tax lawyer to determine which forms are right for you. 
Source: Lighthouse, IRS

IRS Pre-Filing Overview.

Checklist

    • Bills of Sale

    • Purchase agreements

    • Financing Documents

    • Title

    • Construction permits showing location of property

    • Lease agreement showing permission to install property

  • This could include:

    • Operating permits from utility (if grid connected)

    • Electrical permits certifying compliance

    • Permission to operate from an authority having jurisdiction

  • This is especially important if you are looking to certify specific bonus adders:

    • Signed statement from supplier(s) regarding the domestic content of components

    • Evidence of prevailing wage payments for installation (if seeking PWA bonus)

    • Wage determination showing applicable prevailing wage rate

    • Payroll records showing personnel who performed installation, their function, and their pay rates

Your checklist will vary by project, but this should cover at a high level what you shouldn't forget. 
Source: Lawyers for Good Governance

Direct Pay Advisors

Is your organization missing? Reach out to us so we can include you! We don't take any commissions or fees. This website is purely educational.

Helpful Resources

Lawyers for Good Government

Comprehensive guidance on direct pay. It offers tools like the Clean Energy Tax Navigator, annotated tax forms, and information on e-filing services to streamline the process of obtaining these incentives.

The White House

Offers high level guidance on eligibility, benefits, and application processes to help these organizations leverage federal incentives for renewable energy initiatives.

IRS Final Guidance

If you want to go to the real source, here is what the Treasury published for final guidance in 2024. Good luck reading this, we couldn’t get through it ourselves.

Center For Public Enterprise Elective Pay Financial Model

Tool and accompanying report to assist  in evaluating the financial implications of direct pay through an easy to use model.

Blue Green Alliance

Another great overview to direct pay.

Community Infrastructure Center

Milken Institute site to connect project sponsors with free, automatic tools from grant searching to readiness assessments and matchmaking with providers to get your project implementation ready.

  • The best advice we can offer is after going through our site, you should consult a qualified tax accountant or tax lawyer. Specific tax guidance is invaluable and can de-risk your project.