Update: Response timescales

Please note that, due to limited resources at present, responses from the Commission’s annual reporting team may take longer than usual.

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 cannot guarantee that last minute queries will receive a response before the deadline of 31 January 2024, even if they are marked as urgent.

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

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. You can also read our annual reporting FAQs, which cover the  top ten questions we get asked regarding annual reporting, here.