Charitable Status

It may not be necessary for your community group or voluntary organisation to register as a charity and you may not be eligible if you are involved in political or controversial activity.

However, if your organisation is eligible, is based in England or Wales and has an income over £5,000 a year, you are obliged in law to register with the Charity Commission.

Registered Charities do not have to pay some taxes and some funders only give to Registered Charities.

It can be a long, time-consuming process to become a Registered Charity. It will involve extra work and rigour to maintain this status and you will need to submit annual accounts that meet the Charity Commission’s standards of auditing.

Some funders will make payments to non-charities through a Registered Charity that is willing to oversee monies and meet the accounting needs of a small group that may not be equipped to deal with this themselves.

For full guidance on applying for Charitable Status visit the government website or you can contact our business support team who offer a paid service to assist with charity registration.

Further help on this can also be gained from the Charity Commission, or the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) if you are based in Scotland.