Reminder: Trustees can still Complete their Annual Monitoring Return

As a consequence of the Court of Appeal ruling of February 2020, the Charity Commission has stopped sending reminders to charities registered before the end of May 2019.  If your charity was registered prior to the end of May 2019, it is a still a charity in law but it is no longer technically registered.  The advice from the Commission is to continue as normal and the Commission has left online services open for charities to use.  However,  the commission has also stopped automatic email notifications advising charities that they have a legal requirement to file their accounts and reports or are in default of their annual reporting requirements.  In addition the Commission have removed the status of ‘in default’, ‘due documents received late’ or ‘up to date’. 

Even though there is no legal requirement for charities registered prior to the end of May 2019 to file annual reporting information with the Commission at this time, we would urge charities to do so.  We believe that it is important for stakeholders to be able to view your accounts and reports.  Funders will be interested in seeing up-to-date information on your charity.  Charitable companies who have filed their accounts with Companies House should not forget to file their accounts with the Charity Commission.

Help and Support

We are here to help. If you have any questions or issues with completing your annual monitoring return, feel free to contact us: 

If you are in the following Council areas: Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, Ards and North Down Borough Council, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Belfast City Council, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Derry City and Strabane District Council, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, please contact Michele Crilly ([email protected]) on 028 90 877777. 

Alternatively, if you are in Mid and East Antrim, Mid Ulster or Fermanagh and Omagh Council areas, contact Kathryn Kerr ([email protected]) on  028 8676 6670.  Michele and Kathryn can help you with charity reporting and can provide free training on the topic.   

Online Resources

Assistance with Charity Reporting: www.nicva.org/services/charity-annual-reporting

Register for email reminders from Companies House: www.gov.uk/guidance/register-for-email-reminders-from-companies-house

More information on the legal judgement: www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/news/legal-update/ and www.nicva.org/article/charity-register-in-ni.