Your charity must submit an annual return if its income is over £10,000.
If your charity’s income is under £10,000, you must still keep your registered details up to date, eg income, expenditure, trustees, contact details.
You need to send your annual return to a different regulator if your charity is registered in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
When to send your return
Your return must be sent within 10 months of the end of your financial year – you can’t get an extension.
If you submit your return late, your charity will be marked ‘overdue’ on the register. The charity may be removed from the register after 6 months and the Charity Commission may take further action.
What you need
You’ll need the:
- registered charity number (and company number if applicable)
- charity’s bank or building society details – account name, number and sort code
- trustees’ details – names, dates of birth and contact details
- details of the main contact at the charity
- number of volunteers and employees at the charity
Financial information
You’ll need the:
- start and end dates of the financial period you’re reporting
- total income and spending for the period (in pounds)
- the amount spent outside England and Wales
Get this information from your charity’s accounts.
Information on your charity’s aims and activities
You’ll need:
- a description of your charity’s activities in the reporting period (around 100 words)
- information about what your charity does
- locations where your charity worked in the period
Get this information from your trustees’ annual report.
Extra information from charities with an income over £25,000
You’ll need digital copies (PDF format) of your:
- charity’s accounts, agreed by the trustees
- independent examiner or auditor’s report
- trustees’ annual report
You must list any serious incidents that took place in the year, even if you have already reported them to the Charity Commission.
