2025-12-30T16:47:41-07:00 2024-12-31 990EZ 2024-01-01 814050044 BIKE RESCUE INC BIKE 5106778590 1411 23rd Ave Oakland CA 94606 Charlotte Hryse Board Treasurer 7143293536 2025-12-30 1 2024 2025-03-06 01:10:19Z X X X www.bayareabicyclerescue.com X X 55743 X 3000 52743 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 55743 0 0 33824 0 21614 0 14092 69530 -13787 21443 4097 11753 X 16443 6753 0 0 5000 5000 21443 11753 0 0 21443 11753 BIKE RESCUE INC operates Bay Area Bicycle Rescue, which takes unused and salvaged bikes, fixes them, and gets them to people and groups in need of transportation. The organization acts as a bridge between extreme bicycle waste and needy charities by taking on bicycle salvage and rescue operations, refurbishing bikes to make them ready for use, and donating them to individuals and community organizations in need. PROGRAM SERVICE 1: Bicycle Collection, Refurbishment, and Distribution: In 2024, Bay Area Bicycle Rescue collected over 1,200 donated bicycles that would otherwise have been sent to landfills. Through our workshop at 1411 23rd Ave in Oakland, our staff and volunteers refurbished and distributed over 800 bicycles to community members in need of transportation. We partnered with Oakland city departments to provide bicycles for community programs, helping reduce transportation barriers and environmental waste. An additional 290 bikes were sold to support our operational costs, with all proceeds reinvested in the program. 0 69530 69530 Tiff Mueller President and Executive Director 40 26049 0 0 Charlotte Hryse Board Treasurer 5 0 0 0 Syed Zaidi Board Secretary 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CA Charlotte Hryse 1411 23rd Ave Oakland CA 94606 5106778590 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NONE NONE 1 X 1000 1000 1500 2000 3000 8500 15814 24123 43057 47871 52743 183608 16814 25123 44557 49871 55743 192108 192108 16814 25123 44557 49871 55743 192108 1 0 0 0 X Form 990-EZ, Part I, Line 16 Gusto fees: $552 T-Mobile: $477 Insurance: $302 Sales tax payments to CDTFA: $1,350 Other operational expenses: $11,411 Form 990-EZ, Part I, Line 20 Adjustment includes $5,000 in tool/equipment assets not previously recorded on cash basis, plus -$903 correction to beginning net assets from transition from Form 990-N. Form 990-EZ, Part II, Line 24 Tools & other assets inventory kept on hand. BIKE RESCUE INC; EIN: 81-4050044; Internal Revenue Service, Ogden, UT 84201-0027; RE: Request for Penalty Abatement - Form 990-EZ for Tax Year 2024. DEAR Sir or Madam: I am writing on behalf of Bike Rescue Inc (EIN: 81-4050044) to request abatement of late filing penalties for our 2024 Form 990-EZ, which is being filed late. BACKGROUND Bike Rescue Inc is a small 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates Bay Area Bicycle Rescue in Oakland, California. Our mission is to take unused and salvaged bikes, refurbish them, and distribute them to people and groups in need of transportation. We act as a bridge between bicycle waste and needy charities by salvaging bikes, refurbishing them, and donating them to individuals and community organizations. For tax years 2020 through 2023, we qualified to file Form 990-N (e-Postcard) as our gross receipts were normally $50,000 or less. In 2024, our gross receipts increased to $52,743, which required us to file Form 990-EZ for the first time. The return was due on May 15, 2025 (with no extension filed). REASONABLE CAUSE FOR LATE FILING We respectfully request penalty abatement based on reasonable cause for the following reasons: 1. FIRST-TIME FILING REQUIREMENT: This is the organization's first year filing Form 990-EZ. For the previous four years (2020-2023), we filed Form 990-N (e-Postcard) as permitted for organizations with gross receipts normally $50,000 or less. The organization was not aware that crossing the $50,000 threshold would trigger a more complex filing requirement until after the original deadline had passed. 2. MINIMAL EXCESS OF THRESHOLD: Our gross receipts of $52,743 barely exceeded the $50,000 threshold by only $2,743 (5.5%). This minimal excess made it unclear to our all-volunteer board whether we still qualified for the e-Postcard or needed to file the longer form. 3. VOLUNTEER-LED ORGANIZATION: Bike Rescue Inc is led by a small board of volunteers with limited nonprofit tax filing experience. We have only one paid staff member (our Executive Director), and neither she nor our board members have professional accounting or tax preparation backgrounds. Our organization does not have the resources to retain professional tax preparers. 4. ORGANIZATIONAL CHALLENGES: During 2024 and early 2025, the organization experienced leadership transitions and operational challenges that affected our ability to meet administrative deadlines. Other organizational obstacles like multiple robberies in 2024 delayed our ability to work on this administrative task. 5. GOOD FAITH EFFORT: Upon discovering our filing obligation, we immediately began working to complete the Form 990-EZ and Schedule A accurately. We are filing this return as soon as reasonably possible after discovering the requirement. 6. HISTORY OF COMPLIANCE: The organization has consistently filed Form 990-N (e-Postcard) on time for prior years when we qualified for that simplified filing. This late filing represents an isolated incident, not a pattern of non-compliance. 7. NO TAX DUE: As a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3), there is no tax liability associated with this return. The late filing has not resulted in any loss of tax revenue to the government. EFFORTS TO COMPLY Since discovering our filing requirement, we have: * Researched and understood the Form 990-EZ filing requirements * Gathered all necessary financial records for tax year 2024 * Completed Form 990-EZ and Schedule A accurately and thoroughly * Implemented procedures to ensure timely filing in future years * Added calendar reminders for the May 15, 2026 deadline for the 2025 return FINANCIAL HARDSHIP Bike Rescue Inc operates on a very limited budget. As shown on the enclosed Form 990-EZ, we had total revenue of $52,743 and total expenses of $69,530 in 2024, resulting in a deficit of $16,787. Our net assets decreased from $23,540 to $6,753 during the year. Any penalty assessed would impose a significant financial hardship on our organization and would directly reduce funds available for our charitable mission of providing bicycles to individuals and community organizations in need. The penalty could potentially exceed 10% of our remaining net assets. REQUEST FOR RELIEF Based on the reasonable cause factors outlined above, we respectfully request full abatement of any late filing penalties that would otherwise be assessed for this return. We have made good faith efforts to comply with all tax filing requirements once we understood them. The late filing was the result of reasonable cause and not willful neglect. We have taken steps to ensure timely compliance in future years. CONCLUSION Bike Rescue Inc is committed to full compliance with all IRS requirements. We respectfully request that you grant penalty abatement for this first-time Form 990-EZ filing. The organization has limited resources and depends on every dollar to fulfill our mission of helping community members in need of transportation. If you need any additional information or documentation to support this request, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for your consideration. Charlotte Hryse