Our role
The Charities Commission’s role is to:
- maintain and monitor a register of charities
- receive annual returns and monitor the activities of charities
- promote public trust in charitable organisations
- provide education and assistance to the charitable sector
- encourage best practice in governance and use of resources
- provide advice on matters relating to charities.
The register of charities is now open to receive applications from charitable organisations. Registration with the Commission is voluntary but charitable organisations need to keep in mind that registration with the Commission is a prerequisite for tax exempt status.
Interested parties can also be informed of any updates via email by subscribing to our contact database. Ring 0508 242 748 and asked to be put on our electronic database for news and other updates.
A Guide to the Charities Act has been developed and can be downloaded from this site.