I did our 1023 myself; I'm not an accountant (I'm a software guy) but with some input from a parent who's a lawyer, and a lot of suggestions from the Start-up Toolkit.
I did it myself. However, I should also qualify that by saying I'm an accountant. But--PTOToday sells a Start Up toolkit (see here: www.ptotoday.com/startup-guide) that does an excellent job of walking you through how to fill it out. Well worth every penny.
This is for mum24kids, did you fill out the form yourself or did you have someone do it for you. I am getting ready to start filling out the application and it makes me nervous.
we met with an accountant on August 23 and got our EIN number the same day. A little more than 3 weeks ago. I'd love to see a quick turnaround for our group, too!
IRS is still looking good on processing time for 1023 apps. I did another one recently that they confirmed they received on August 10, and the letter approving our tax-exempt status is dated September 2--just a tad over 3 weeks.
I don't know that CyberAssistant will ever see the light of day. It's been put off until at least 2012.
It can be anywhere between 2 and 6 months depending on how busy they are. Probably best to plan for the longer end and be happily surprised if it happens sooner: )