All organizations subject to the tax on unrelated business income, except the exempt trusts described in section 511(b)(2), are taxable at corporate rates on that income. All exempt trusts subject to the tax on unrelated business income that, if not exempt, would be taxable as trusts are taxable at trust rates on that income. However, an exempt trust may not claim the deduction for a personal exemption that is normally allowed to a trust.

The tax is imposed on the organization's unrelated business taxable income (described in chapter 4). The tax is reduced by any applicable tax credits, including the general business credits (such as the investment credit and the alcohol fuel credit) and the foreign tax credit.

Organizations liable for tax on unrelated business income may be liable for alternative minimum tax on certain adjustments and tax preference items.

An exempt organization subject to the tax on unrelated business income must file Form 990-T and attach any required supporting schedules and forms. The obligation to file Form 990-T is in addition to the obligation to file any other required returns.

Form 990-T is required if the organization's gross income from unrelated businesses is $1,000 or more. An exempt organization must report income from all its unrelated businesses on a single Form 990-T. Each organization must file a separate Form 990-T, except section 501(c)(2) title holding corporations and organizations receiving their earnings that file a consolidated return under section 1501.

The various provisions of tax law relating to accounting periods, accounting methods, at-risk limits (described in section 465), assessments, and collection penalties that apply to tax returns generally also apply to Form 990-T.

The Form 990-T of an employees' trust described in section 401(a), an IRA (including a traditional, SEP, SIMPLE, Roth, or Coverdell IRA), or an MSA must be filed by the 15th day of the 4th month after the end of its tax year. The Form 990-T of any other exempt organization must be filed by the 15th day of the 5th month after the end of its tax year. If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the return is due by the next business day.

A Form 990-T filer may request an automatic 3-month (6 months for corporation) extension of time to file a return by submitting Form 8868, Application for Extension of Time To File an Exempt Organization Return. The Form 990-T filer may also use Form 8868 to apply for an additional (not automatic) 3-month extension to file the return if the original 3-month extension was not enough time.

Under section 6104(d), a section 501(c)(3) organization that has gross income from an unrelated trade or business of $1,000 or more must make its annual exempt organization business income tax return (including amended returns) available for public inspection.