Charitable organisations: Registration of charities
Registration of charities
The Charities Commission
The Charities Commission (established as an autonomous crown entity under the Charities Act 2005) has two main functions:
- to provide education and support to the charitable sector, and
- to register and monitor charitable entities that wish to obtain income tax exempt status.
| Note | |
|---|---|
| Sports organisations and other non-profit bodies that have tax exemptions for reasons other than charitable purposes are not covered by the Charities Act 2005. | |
Registering with the Charities Commission
The Commission maintains a register of charitable entities. Registration is voluntary, but since 1 July 2008 a charity needs to be registered by the Charities Commission to qualify for the following tax benefits:
- exemption from income tax
- gifts to the charity exempt from gift duty
The registration forms are on the Charities Commission website.
For more information
You can:
- go to the Charities Commission website for their:
- Fact Sheet 18 to find out about the affects of the Charities Act on your tax status
- booklet A Guide to the Charities Act
- phone 0508 CHARITIES (0508 242 748) for
- further information about the Charities Act, or
- a copy of the booklet.
Date published: 20 Jan 2009
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