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

Charities with an annual reporting deadline of 31 January 2024 are being encouraged to submit their annual return to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland on time.

Around 2,300 registered charities, which have a financial year ending 31 March 2023, are required to submit their annual reporting information to the regulator by the end of this month - no later than 10 months after the end of their financial year.

And, with the new traffic light display now live, those who submit on time will be marked as green on the register of charities while those who fail to submit by the deadline will be marked as amber (overdue 14 days or less) or red (overdue more than 14 days).

Rossa Keown, Head of Compliance and Enquiries at the Commission, explained: “Not only is reporting annually to the Commission a legal requirement, but it also provides charities with an important means of demonstrating their activities and work to the public during the year.

“In the same vein, if a charity is late or fails to report then the new traffic light display flags that up on their register entry, which may lead to supporters and funders asking why,” said Rossa.

“That’s why, to avoid any risk of missing their deadline, charities are being strongly encouraged not to wait until the last minute but to prepare in advance and submit all the required information in good time.”

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. To check your charity’s submission deadline click here.

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 has 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.

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.