Steadworthy

As of 2026-07-23 · verified against primary sources

Michigan charitable solicitation registration: requirements, fees, and deadlines

RegistrationRequired
AgencyMichigan Attorney General — Charitable Trust Section
Initial feeNo fee
Renewal feeNo fee
Renewal / report due6 months after fiscal year end
Filing channelElectronic filing available

Who must register

Michigan generally requires charitable organizations to register with the Michigan Attorney General — Charitable Trust Section before soliciting contributions there, unless an exemption applies. Requirements attach to out-of-state charities soliciting Michigan residents as well as local ones.

MCL 400.273(1) · official source

How to register in Michigan

  1. 01Register with the Michigan Attorney General's Charitable Trust Section before soliciting — file the CTS-01 by e-filing (free via the AG's vendor), email, mail, or fax; registration takes effect the day the AG receives it. Michigan charges nothing: no registration, renewal, or late fee exists in the act. A Solicitations Act registration also automatically covers the Supervision Act's charitable-trust registration — one filing, both regimes.MCL 400.273(1) (register before solicitation); MCL 400.275(1) (effective on receipt), (2) (registration without charge); AG Charitable Trust Section (Solicit…
  2. 02Your registration expires 1 year and 7 months after the end date of the financial statement you filed — in practice, 7 months after each fiscal year end — and the CTS-02 renewal is due at least 30 days before that expiry. Attach a CPA review (or audit) at $325,000+ in contributions and a full GAAP audit at $575,000+ — those figures escalate $25,000 every five years (current through 2029; next step 2030-01-01) and exclude government grants.MCL 400.277 (expiry = financial-statement end date + 1 year 7 months; renewal ≥30 days before); MCL 400.273(2)(j) + (3)(a) (audit/review thresholds with the …

Form CTS-01 (initial registration)

Initial Solicitation Registration (CTS-01)

MCL 400.273(1) — registration with the Attorney General before solicitation; Charitable Trust Section Form CTS-01, submitted by e-filing, email, mail, or fax… · official form

Form CTS-02 (annual renewal)

Renewal Solicitation Registration (CTS-02)

MCL 400.277 — renewal registration statement filed on or before 30 days before the current registration's expiry (expiry = 1 year and 7 months after the fina… · official form

Form CTS-03 (initial registration)

Exemption Confirmation (CTS-03)

MCL 400.283 (self-executing exemption categories); AG Charitable Trust Section practice (confirm exemption via CTS-03). · official form

Exemptions we check for

The state, not Steadworthy, decides whether an exemption applies.

Financial statement thresholds

If you use a paid fundraiser

Michigan's small-organization exemption (up to $25,000 per 12-month period) requires that all fund-raising functions be carried on by unpaid persons and that a financial statement be publicly available — paying anyone to fundraise defeats it. The named-individual-relief exemption likewise requires unpaid fundraising with 100% passing to the beneficiary.

MCL 400.283(b) (small-org exemption conditioned on all fund-raising functions carried on by unpaid persons + public financial statement), (a) (named-individu…

If you haven't registered yet

Michigan has no late fee — the consequence of missing renewal is expiry itself, after which soliciting violates MCL 400.273(1). A small organization that exceeds the $25,000 exemption threshold has 30 days to register. The Charitable Trust Section supervises charitable assets beyond solicitation: non-soliciting trustees register separately under the Supervision Act within 2 months of receiving property.

MCL 400.273(1) (no unregistered solicitation); MCL 400.283(b) (30-day registration clock on exceeding $25,000); MCL 14.255 (Supervision Act trustee registrat… · how to get current, calmly

Is your charity registered in Michigan? Check free.

Free. No account. Built from public records. Informational, not legal advice.

Michigan registration: common questions

Does a charity need to register to solicit donations in Michigan?
Yes. Michigan generally requires charitable organizations to register with the Michigan Attorney General — Charitable Trust Section before soliciting contributions in the state, unless an exemption applies. The requirement reaches out-of-state charities soliciting Michigan residents.
How much does charitable registration cost in Michigan?
The initial registration fee is No fee, and renewal is No fee. Fees are stated as the state sets them; where a fee varies with contributions, the tiers are cited on this page.
When is the Michigan charitable registration renewal due?
6 months after fiscal year end. The date is computed from the organization's own fiscal year end under the rule this page cites, so it differs between charities.
Are any charities exempt from registering in Michigan?
Michigan recognizes exemptions, and this page lists each one we check for with its statutory citation. The state, not a third party, decides whether an exemption applies.
Does Michigan require audited financial statements?
Michigan requires an accountant's report above a revenue threshold. The lowest threshold on record is a review above $325,000 in contributions. Every threshold and its citation are listed on this page.

Related: registration fees by state · renewal deadlines by state · exemptions · all state registration requirements

Nearby states

Fundraising rarely stops at a border — where Michigan charities also commonly solicit:

Citations

Statuses and requirements reflect public records and cited sources as of the dates shown. Informational, not legal advice.