Reminder: end of January reporting deadline for over 2,000 charities

Charities with an annual reporting deadline of 31 January 2025 are being encouraged to submit their annual return to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland on time.

Around 2,400 registered charities must, under the law, file their accounts and reports with the regulator by the end of January - no later than 10 months after the end of their 31 March financial year.

As at Monday 9 December 2024, just under a quarter of those charities had filed their annual return with the Commission already, leaving the majority still to report by their deadline next month.   

Rossa Keown, Head of Compliance and Enquiries at the Commission, explained: “With the festive holidays coming up, it can be extremely easy to put off the work needed to prepare the charity’s annual accounts and reports for submission.

“However, that 31 January deadline will arrive fast once the holiday season is over, and there may be issues or questions which come up and need some time to answer.

“To avoid any risk of missing the deadline, I would encourage charities not to wait until the last minute but to prepare in advance and submit all the required information in good time,” Rossa concluded.

All registered charities have a deadline to submit their annual reports and accounts to the Commission within 10 months of their relevant financial year end.

Charities which file on time will be marked as green on the register of charities. Those who fail to file by the deadline will be marked as amber (overdue 14 days or less) or red (overdue more than 14 days).

The deadline 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 practical guide How to complete the Annual Monitoring Return – 10-minute guide is recommended as a starting point to help charities prepare and submit their accounts and report. Read or download it from the Commission’s website here.

Ends

For more information, please contact Shirley Kernan, Commission Communications Officer, on telephone: 028 3832 0169 or email: shirley.kernan@charitycommissionni.org.uk

Notes to editors

The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland is the independent regulator of charities in Northern Ireland, established under the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.

The Commission has statutory objectives to ensure trustees comply with their legal obligations in managing charities, and to increase public trust and confidence in charities.