Britannica
Sources used in this answer
When did the Church of Scientology receive tax-exempt status from the IRS?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Scientology
L. Ron Hubbard's seminal – and controversial – work was Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, written in 1950.
The Church of Scientology received tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service in 1993, concluding what was the longest investigation in the agency's history.1
Prior to this, the IRS had revoked the organization's tax-exempt status in 1967, leading to a 25-year legal dispute. Following negotiations between church leadership and the IRS in 1991, the church agreed to pay $12.5 million and accept significant government oversight in exchange for the restoration of its tax-exempt status.2