Charity Commission Accounts
Under charity law, every registered charity in Northern Ireland must provide annual accounts, which have been independently examined or audited, as well as a trustees’ report to the Commission within ten months of their financial year end - commonly 31st January.
- Don’t wait to the last minute. Failure to file on time is against the law. Deadline extensions are not offered, and if you fail to file on time your online register entry will be flagged red as being in default.
- Make sure you have all the necessary information to hand including your charity’s login details. You need a password to access the annual monitoring return, so all trustees must ensure they know who has the password and that it is handed over if that person leaves, otherwise it can be a time-consuming process. Submitting this information is the collective responsibility of the entire trustee body, not just the person the task has been delegated to.
- Double check the documents you plan to upload. Check the accounts and reports are for the correct financial year and make sure they do not contain any sensitive information, such as bank details or personal data. The names of trustees must be included in your annual report but make sure addresses etc are not included. If you prepare receipts and payments accounts remember to include a Statement of Assets and Liabilities!
- File your annual information online using online services. Attempts to file by way of a letter or by email will not be processed and your charity’s online register entry will be marked in default if you miss the deadline.
- Income and expenditure must be recorded in whole pounds – not thousands of pounds, and no decimal points.
Any group or organisation registered with the charity commission who needs assistance with filing accounts should contact ABC Community Network immediately. Don’t leave it until the last minute!
Contact Abigail on 028 3839 2777 or [email protected]
