Advice on annual reporting

With an important annual reporting deadline for some 2,300 charities coming up at the end of the month, the Commission is urging anyone with a query around annual reporting not to leave it to the last minute to get in touch.

The Commission has limited resources and cannot guarantee that last minute queries will receive a response before the deadline of 31 October 2024, even if they are marked as urgent.

There are just under 1,100 charities still due to file by the end of October, with the Commission urging those charities to submit their accounts and reports as early as possible. This means that if the charity encounters an unexpected issue when filing, they may still have time to approach the Commission for assistance.

The annual reporting deadline for all registered charities is set in law under section 68(3)a of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008. This means that the Commission will not be able to amend a status once it has been flagged as overdue, even though the charity may have a valid reason for submitting late.

The Commission has also produced guidance on the annual monitoring return. This is a practical guide that sets out what you need to have to hand before commencing the return, and only takes about 10 minutes to read. ‘ARR05 How to complete the Annual Monitoring Return – 10 minute guide’ can be found on the Commission’s website here.

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