Register of Charities

The Register of Charities is an accurate and up-to-date list of all organisations in Northern Ireland considered by law to be charitable. It includes the charities' names, contacts, charitable purposes, finances, beneficiaries, and charity trustees.

An organisation must apply for registration as a charity in Northern Ireland, regardless of its income, size or whether or not it has received charitable tax status from HMRC, if:

• it is governed by the law of Northern Ireland, and
• it has exclusively charitable purposes
• it 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.

The Register of Charities contains details of registered charities and information from their Annual Monitoring Returns (AMRs).

At present, the Commission is managing registration in stages, only organisations which have been called forward by the Commission are eligible to register as a charity.

It is important to note that annual reporting to the Commission applies only to full financial periods following registration and that a charity has a deadline of 10 months following the end of each financial period within which to submit its annual accounts and reports. This means that, at present, the income data on the Register of Charities is limited. As more charities fall due to submit their annual accounts and reports more information will become available.

For more information on charity registration, visit the Commission's website.