Accounting and reporting essentials
For more information on the annual reporting requirements for registered Northern Ireland charities, or to view the full suite of annual reporting guidance, please visit the Annual reporting section of our website.
The guidance, available below, explain the principles underlying receipts and payments accounts and provide advice and tips on when and how to prepare this type of accounts in accordance with The Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015.
The toolkit and example accounts, also below, have been finalised and are a key component of the Commission’s receipts and payments guidance.
The Receipts and payments toolkit, along with the Example receipts and payments accounts, provide a copy of the Commission’s recommended format for this type of accounts.
The Charities SORP (Statement of Recommended Practice) provides a comprehensive framework of recommended practice for charity accounting and reporting.
It provides a mechanism enabling charities to meet the legal requirement when preparing accruals accounts and provides consistency in the sector's interpretation of accounting standards. The SORP also provides recommendations for annual reporting that are relevant to sector and stakeholders needs and are in line with wider developments in reporting.
The Charities SORP-making body comprises:
- The Charity Commission for England and Wales
- The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator
- The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
Adoption of the SORP is mandatory in the charity law jurisdictions in the UK but is currently voluntary in the Republic of Ireland. The SORP-making body is grateful for the advice and input offered by the Charities Regulator which has an observer role on the Charities SORP Committee.
The second edition of the SORP is effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019 and can be viewed on the SORP microsite (external link).