In 2013 the Charity Commission consulted on proposed changes to the Annual Return for 2014. As a result of this consultation they have introduced some new questions to the Annual Return for 2014, as well as removing the requirement for charities with income over £1million to complete the Summary Information Return (SIR).
The new questions ask charities for information about whether they:
• raise funds from the public
• have a trading subsidiary
• pay one or more of their trustees for carrying out their trustee duties
• have certain policies in place
• are regulated by a regulator or registered with a registrar other than the Commission
• carry out the charity’s purposes through predominantly grant-making
These questions help make your charity more accountable to the public and are now compulsory.
The form is now available to complete online and there are new guidelines for charities who may need help in completing the form.
All registered charities with an income exceeding £10,000 must file an annual return within 10 months of the end of their financial year. This information is used to update their profile that appears on the online register of charities.
For further information, visit: www.charitycommission.gov.uk/running-a-charity/managing-your-charity/completing-annual-returns/