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PTO officer handover: a checklist for the new board

Mahesh Murthy, FounderMeetings

A handover checklist for outgoing and incoming PTO officers: bank signers, the IRS filing, logins, records and the calendar, with who does what.

When a PTO changes officers, things can get lost: who can sign checks, whether the IRS filing was made, where the bylaws are. Hold one handover meeting before the school year ends, and work through this list.

Money

  • Add the new treasurer and president as signers on the bank account, and remove the outgoing ones. Bring the minutes showing the election, since the bank may ask for them.
  • Hand over the checkbook, debit cards and the cash box. Count the cash together and both sign the count.
  • Reconcile the account to the handover date, and have someone other than the treasurer look over the year's statements.
  • Change the login for any payment apps the PTO uses.
  • Give the new treasurer this year's budget and next year's draft.

Filings

  • Find the EIN and the IRS determination letter, and put copies in the shared folder.
  • Confirm that this year's IRS return was filed, and note when the next one is due. A small organization whose gross receipts are normally $50,000 or less can generally file Form 990-N, the e-Postcard.
  • Check your state's requirements: an annual report, charitable registration, sales tax exemption. These vary by state.

The IRS says organizations that fail to file for three consecutive years automatically lose their tax-exempt status. Put the due date on the calendar with two names next to it.

Records

  • Bylaws, with the date they were last amended
  • Minutes for at least the last three years
  • The membership list and volunteer contacts, kept the way your school's privacy rules require
  • Insurance policy and renewal date
  • Contracts with vendors, such as the photographer or the fundraising company

Logins

Make a list of every account: email, shared drive, website, social media, sign-up tools, the payment app. For each one, change the password or move ownership to a PTO address, so nothing depends on a parent's personal account.

The calendar

Write out the year: meeting dates, fundraisers, budget vote, elections, filing deadlines. The outgoing president knows when things have to start. Get those dates on paper.

People

  • Introduce the new officers to the principal and the school secretary.
  • Share the names of reliable volunteers, and what each likes doing.
  • Tell the new president which decisions are waiting.

One page for next year

Ask each outgoing officer to write a page: what the job involved month by month, and what they would do differently. It takes about twenty minutes.

If you are a PTA

Your state PTA has its own handover and audit requirements for units. Follow those first.

How Karma Compass helps

The executive board's records don't have to move at all if they live in one place. On Karma Compass Free, the board's minutes, votes and documents stay with the organization when officers change, and new officers reach them from links in their email. The Free plan includes unlimited board members and four meetings a year.

See what the Free plan includes

Source

  • Form 990-N (e-Postcard): the IRS on who can file it and on losing tax-exempt status after three years without filing. Read 12 November 2026.

Questions this post answers

  • What should outgoing PTO officers hand over?

    Bank access, the checkbook and cash, the EIN and IRS letter, proof of this year's filings, the bylaws and minutes, every login, the year's calendar, and a page of notes on the job.

  • How do you change signers on a PTO bank account?

    Ask the bank what it needs. Bring the minutes showing the election of the new officers. The bank may also want the new signers there in person with identification.

  • Does a PTO have to file with the IRS every year?

    A tax-exempt PTO has an annual filing. One whose gross receipts are normally $50,000 or less can generally file Form 990-N, the e-Postcard.

  • What happens if a PTO forgets to file with the IRS?

    An organization that fails to file for three consecutive years automatically loses its tax-exempt status.

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