Registering as a charity (alternate look)

• how to apply.
• how long the process can take.
• what information you’ll need to provide.
• what happens after you submit your application.
• where to get help with your application.

If your group or organisation does charitable work in Northern Ireland, it’s important to know that you must register with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland - no matter how big or small your charity is, or how much money it brings in each year.

Even if you're already registered with HMRC to claim Gift Aid or tax relief, that’s not the same as being officially recognised as a charity in Northern Ireland. To be legally recognised, you need to register with the Commission if your organisation:

• has exclusively charitable purposes
• is governed by the law of Northern Ireland
• is an institution, that is, it is an organisation that is an independent body, the hallmarks of which include having control and direction over its governance and resources.

Some groups may not have thought of themselves as charities before, but if you meet these criterion, registration is required.

The Commission is inviting organisations to register in stages, so you’ll need to wait until you’re contacted and given a password to start the process. In the meantime, it’s a good idea to get ready by checking the Commission’s guidance and gathering your documents.

To be a charity in Northern Ireland, your organisation must do more than just have good intentions. It must provide a public benefit - this means your work must help the public in a clear and meaningful way.

The law (the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008) says that to be a charity, your organisation must:

• Have one or more purposes that fall under the 12 types of charitable purposes listed in the law, and
• Make sure those purposes are carried out for the public benefit.

The public benefit requirement is explained in official guidance from the Charity Commission. This guide helps organisations understand what public benefit means and how to show they meet the requirement.

To be a charity in Northern Ireland, your organisation must have one or more of these purposes:

1. Helping people in poverty

2. Advancing education

3. Advancing religion

4. Advancing health or saving lives

5. Helping people with disabilities or other disadvantages

6. Promoting citizenship or community development

7. Advancing the arts, culture, or heritage

8. Advancing amateur sport

9. Protecting the environment

10. Relief for those in need

11. Advancing animal welfare

12. Any other charitable purpose

Each of these areas is explored in more detail in the supporting documents for that purpose, including, where applicable, the poverty exception.

If you have started a new charity which has exclusively charitable purposes, is governed by the law of Northern Ireland and has control and direction over its governance and resources, please complete the Commission’s online Expression of intent form.