How to Complete and File Wisconsin Form 1952: Sections, Statements, and Filing

Wisconsin Form 1952, the Supplement to Financial Report, is the annual filing a registered charitable organization submits to the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) to keep its authority to solicit contributions in the state. You file it within 12 months after your fiscal year ends, there is no filing fee, and the financial figures come straight from your IRS Form 990, 990-EZ, or 990-PF.¹²

Is Form 1952 the Right Form for Your Organization

Form 1952 is for a registered Wisconsin charity that meets both of these conditions: it received more than $25,000 in contributions during the fiscal year (or more than $50,000 if it solicited only in the county where its principal office sits), and it files an IRS Form 990, 990-EZ, or 990-PF.¹

If you fall below those contribution thresholds, you file Form 1943, the Affidavit in Lieu of Annual Financial Report, instead.² Organizations small enough to file the IRS 990-N (the e-Postcard) cannot use Form 1952 at all; they file Form 308 or Form 1943.

What Counts as a Contribution

Because the filing thresholds hinge on contribution totals, the Wisconsin definition matters. A contribution is a grant or pledge of money, credit, property, or anything else of value given to a charity or for a charitable purpose. It includes bequests from the public and indirect support such as United Way campaign proceeds. Three categories are excluded: income from bingo or raffles conducted under Wisconsin Chapter 563, government grants, and bona fide membership fees or dues. There is one wrinkle on dues: if an initial membership is granted solely as consideration for a donation made in response to a solicitation, that payment counts as a contribution.¹

What to Gather Before You Start

Pull these together first. A missing attachment is the most common reason a filing stalls.

A completed copy of your IRS Form 990, 990-EZ, or 990-PF with all schedules and attachments, except Schedule B (the schedule of contributors), which is specifically excluded.
Your Wisconsin Charitable Organization Number and your Federal Employer Identification Number.
A list of all officers, directors, trustees, and principal salaried employees with each person’s name, address, and title. You can skip this attachment if your IRS 990 already includes it.
A list of every state that has issued a license, registration, permit, or other authorization allowing your organization to solicit contributions. Again, skip if your 990 already covers it.
If you used a professional fundraiser or fundraising counsel in Wisconsin during the fiscal year, their name, address, phone number, and whether they held custody of contributions.
Audited or reviewed financial statements, if your contribution level requires them (see below).

Review the yes-or-no questions on the form before you start writing. Every “Yes” answer requires its own written attachment explaining the answer.¹

Filling Out the Form

Form 1952 has three sections. With the IRS return in front of you, the financial section fills itself.

Section A: Organization Information

Enter your organization’s legal name, any trade names or DBAs, your Wisconsin Charitable Organization Number, and your FEIN. Give the name, address, phone number, and email of the person the DFI should contact with questions.

Then answer two yes-or-no questions. First, did the organization use a professional fundraiser or fundraising counsel in Wisconsin during the fiscal year? If yes, attach the fundraiser’s contact details and note whether they held custody of contributions. Second, has any previously submitted information changed? If yes, attach an explanation and a copy of the amended document.¹

Section B: Financial Information

Enter your fiscal year-end date, then complete eight financial lines using the figures from your IRS 990:

Line 1, Contributions: total contributions as Wisconsin defines them. This is the number the DFI uses to apply the filing and financial-statement thresholds, so get it right.
Line 2, Other Revenues: all income that does not qualify as a contribution, including government grants, program service revenue, and investment income.
Line 3, Total Revenue: lines 1 and 2 added.
Lines 4a through 4e, Expenses: a breakdown into program services, management and general, fundraising, and payments to affiliates. Line 4e is the total.
Line 5, Excess or Deficit: line 3 minus line 4e.
Line 6, Net Assets at Beginning of Year.
Line 7, Other Changes in Net Assets or Fund Balances, corresponding to Part XI of the IRS Form 990.
Line 8, Net Assets at End of Year.

These figures should line up with your federal return. If they diverge, often because Wisconsin’s contribution definition excludes government grants that your 990 counts in total revenue, be ready to explain the gap.¹

Section C: Certification

Two different officers must sign, and one of them must be the chief fiscal officer. Both sign under penalties of perjury that they have reviewed the report and all attachments and that the contents are true, correct, and complete under Wisconsin law.¹ An organization with only one active officer should fill the board vacancy before filing.

When You Need Audited or Reviewed Financial Statements

Your contribution total for the fiscal year decides whether the DFI expects professionally prepared financial statements on top of the form and your IRS return.

More than $500,000 in contributions: attach audited financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and accompanied by the opinion of an independent certified public accountant.
More than $300,000 but not more than $500,000: attach reviewed financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP by an independent CPA. Audited statements are also acceptable.
$300,000 or less: no separate financial statements are required beyond the form and your IRS return.

Wis. Stat. § 202.12 sets higher statutory thresholds than the form instructions use.³ Follow the numbers printed on Form 1952 when you prepare your filing.¹

Waivers for a Single Large Gift

An organization that normally receives modest contributions but gets a single outsized gift can ask the DFI to waive the financial-statement requirement. To qualify for a waiver of the audit requirement, the organization’s contributions must have been less than $100,000 in each of the past three fiscal years, and the current year’s contributions above the $500,000 threshold must have come from one contributor who gave more than $400,000. A parallel waiver covers the reviewed-statement requirement: the same three-year history below $100,000, plus a single contribution exceeding $200,000 that pushed the total past $300,000. Submit documentation for both prongs with the request.¹

How and Where to File

You can file electronically through the DFI’s online services portal for charitable organizations.⁴ You can also mail the completed form and attachments to:

Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions
Division of Corporate and Consumer Services
PO Box 7879
Madison, WI 53707-7879⁵

The deadline is 12 months after your fiscal year-end, and there is no filing fee. Do not confuse this deadline with your annual registration renewal, which runs from June 1 through July 31 each year, with a late-fee window through September 30.⁶ The annual report deadline tracks your fiscal year; the registration renewal is a fixed calendar window.

What Happens If You Don’t File

The DFI enforces Wisconsin’s charitable solicitation laws against organizations that fail to file required annual reports. The department can deny, restrict, suspend, or revoke your registration; assess a forfeiture (a civil monetary penalty); refer the case for possible legal action; or issue an administrative warning.⁷ A suspended or revoked registration means your organization cannot legally solicit contributions in Wisconsin until the problem is cured.

Because the Section C certification is signed under penalties of perjury, inaccurate numbers are more than a registration problem; they expose the signing officers personally. Pull your figures directly from the completed IRS return and reconcile them against Wisconsin’s contribution definition before anyone signs.

1
Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions. WI Form 1952 Wisconsin Supplement to Financial Report
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Department of Financial Institutions. Charitable Organizations Frequently Asked Questions
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Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 202.12 – Registration, Reports, and Records
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Department of Financial Institutions. Charitable and Professional Organization Online Services
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Department of Financial Institutions. Charitable and Professional Organization Forms
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Department of Financial Institutions. Charitable and Professional Organizations User Login
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Department of Financial Institutions. Report a Charitable Organization Violation