Generally, only charities with an annual income above £5,000 must register with the Commission. This threshold has gone up from its previous level of £1,000. The registration requirements for ‘exempt’ and ‘excepted’ charities will also change. However all charities that opt for the new status of Charitable Incorporated Organisation must register with the Commission, regardless of their income.
Previously there was a requirement that a charity must register (regardless of the level of its income) if it possessed a permanent endowment, or used or occupied land. That is no longer the case.
In this way smaller charities will be released from several compliance obligations, while continuing to benefit from charitable status. Existing registered charities with an annual income below the £5,000 threshold can ask to be removed from the register – although they will still be charities and will have to abide by charity law.
Eventually changes in the Act will mean that small charities will have a right to register voluntarily, but this right has not yet come into force. Some charities have a particular need to be registered and so in the interim the Charity Commission will consider their requests on a case-by-case basis.
This provision came into force on 23 April 2007.
For all enquiries about
Charity Law related issues, please contact any member of our specialist team on 01872 241700 for further information or to arrange an appointment.
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