Running a charitable organisation comes with a lot of deadlines and pressures. This is why employing services of a charity Accountant can be helpful.
While many of these are in constant flux as investors, funding, and events all shift their availability, others are far more rigid.
Typically the charity annual return deadline is ten months after the close of your financial year.
Currently, with the free fall of many organisations and business due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, extensions are easy to request.
Requesting an extension is a solid plan if needed, but it’s better to have a plan and be ahead of the timeline. Keep an eye on the tax calendar to gauge important filing times for employees, volunteers, and students.
Charity Annual Return Basics
Reporting accounts for a charity does more than provide a peek at the bottom line. With required information including listings of the assets of an organisation, their value, income, and the legal structure it provides needed transparency for the public.
The annual return is a great way for a charity to demonstrate value to the public and describe the work that is done.
Organisations That Need to Submit
Not all charities need to file charity accounts to the Charity Commission. Even if an organisation is not required to submit, all such groups are required to maintain accurate accounting records.
Smaller Organisations
The organisations that need to submit are those that receive an income over £5,000 annually. Organisations meeting this minimum requirement legally file with the Charity Commission.
Up to £10,000, those registered with the Commission need to file an Annual Update. This update lists any changes to trustees, charity details, and income/expenditures.
Above £10,000, a charity annual return becomes necessary.
Organisations with an income between £25,000 and £250,000 must take an extra step in their return filing. These need to be audited or otherwise independently examined. In addition, a trustees’ annual report is filed alongside.
Larger Organisations
Above £250,000 but under £1m accrual accounts join the filing list. These also require independent examinations or audits.
These rules also apply to charities with over £1m in income or £250,000 in income and £3.26m in assets.
Charitable Incorporated Organisations
All CIOs require registry with the Charity Commission and have to submit an annual return. Beyond basic filing, the same income breakdowns cover CIOs. Any additional paperwork required by a charity at an income tier is also required by a CIO.
When to Submit
Though it’s possible to set a charities financial year to terminate at any time, the Charity Commission still has a timeline. They expect submission by January 31st unless other arrangements (ie extensions) have been arranged.
Documents can be submitted by a trustee or an authorized adviser.
Submitting outside of the deadline can flag a charity as overdue and create problems in maintaining the organisation.
Stay on Track
Consistency and transparency engender trust. Staying ahead of filing deadlines for a charity annual return complies with the law and provides time to process.
For charities that require audits, this extra time can be vital. For external examinations and audit work contact KG Accountants and see what we can do for you.
By giving you a fixed and competitive price, we can take the worry away when it comes to running your charity; allowing you to concentrate on transforming people’s lives.
Arrange a FREE initial consultation.
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How we can help
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Categories: Charities, Charity Acounts, Charity Annual Return
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