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When to apply to register your charity

Usually, you must register with the Charity Commission if your charity is聽based in England or Wales聽and has over 拢5,000 income per year. The commission will take action to secure compliance if it identifies a charity which isn鈥檛 registered but should be.

If your charity is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) it must register whatever its income.

Only apply to register your charity once it鈥檚聽set up. This means you have:

• decided what your charity鈥檚 purpose is
• decided what type of charity structure it will have
• written a governing document
• chosen a name
• recruited trustees
• decided how your charity will be funded

How to apply to register a charity

Use the Charity Commission鈥檚 鈥楢pply to register a charity鈥� service.

If you are applying to register a new CIO please ensure its name does not聽require Companies鈥� House approval.

This service is available in Welsh. To apply in Welsh, log in and select 鈥榃elsh version鈥�.

We will only accept Welsh applications submitted through this service.

Once you start, you鈥檒l get a reference number that allows you to save the form and come back to it at any time within 3 months of starting it.

Watch the commission鈥檚 video tutorial explaining the process of applying to register a charity.

PDF, 170 KB, 9 pages

Charities that don鈥檛 have to register

Small unincorporated charities

If your charity is based in England and Wales and isn鈥檛 a CIO, you don鈥檛 have to apply to register it if its annual income is less than 拢5,000. But you can still聽apply to HM Revenue and Customs for recognition as a charity聽to get charity tax breaks and claim gift aid.

You can apply to the commission to register this sort of charity voluntarily but the commission will only consider applications in exceptional circumstances. For example, if you can prove that your charity has been offered significant funds but has to provide a registered charity number before it can receive the funds.

鈥楨xcepted鈥� charities

Some charities don鈥檛 have to register with the commission if their income is below a particular threshold (currently 拢100,000 a year). These 鈥榚xcepted charities鈥� include:

• churches and chapels of some Christian denominations (and funds connected with them)
• charitable funds of the armed forces
• Scout and Guide groups

If your charity is a local branch of a larger charity it may not have to register unless it鈥檚 independent (for example, it controls its own funds). Check with your parent organisation to see if you need to register.

Read the Commission鈥檚 guidance聽Excepted charities聽for more information.

Other charities that can鈥檛 register

The Commission can鈥檛 register charities that aren鈥檛 based in England and Wales -聽听补苍诲听聽have their own charity regulators.

Some charities can鈥檛 register with the Commission because they鈥檙e regulated by a different organisation (they鈥檙e 鈥榚xempt鈥�). These聽exempt charities听颈苍肠濒耻诲别:

• most universities in England
• many national museums and galleries
• some school governing bodies or academy trusts

How to apply to register your charity

Before you start, make sure you鈥檝e read the Commission鈥檚 guidance on聽how to set up a charity聽and on聽how to write your charity鈥檚 purposes.

Read the application questions, including the instruction notes, carefully and answer them fully.

Your application needs to satisfy the Commission that:

• your organisation is a charity and should register
• your trustees understand their role and responsibilities

We are currently experiencing high volumes of applications and regret to inform you that the Commission may take up to 45 working days to ask you for more information or clarification. For example, because:

• you don鈥檛 answer all the questions fully
• you aren鈥檛 using a聽model or approved governing document
• you don鈥檛聽write your charity鈥檚 purposes clearly, explain what they are and how you will carry them out
• you don鈥檛 fully explain how your charity鈥檚 purposes are聽for the public benefit聽and will be聽carried out for the public benefit
• you or a third-party adviser(s) have used generic text, including text generated through AI tools, which is not specific to the charity you want to register
• your charity鈥檚 purposes are new or unusual

The Commission will return your application to you to resubmit if it鈥檚 unclear or incomplete.

Submit your application well in advance if you need to register your charity by a particular date.

Tell the Commission about any special circumstances that may affect your application - for example if your charity needs to be set up urgently, such as a disaster appeal, but the trustees haven鈥檛 had time to meet and agree its governing document.

Information about your charity

You need to provide:

• your charity鈥檚 main bank or building society details (sort codes, account/roll numbers)
• your charity鈥檚 public contact details, including a postal address - this cannot usually be a PO Box address except in special circumstances (such as for a refuge)
• a copy of your charity鈥檚 governing document as a PDF file - which has been聽signed or witnessed as necessary
• if your charity is a company: a copy of the certificate of incorporation and memorandum
• proof that your charity鈥檚 income is over 拢5,000 (unless it鈥檚 a CIO) - this can be its latest annual accounts, a recent bank statement or a formal offer of funding from a recognised funding body

Information about your trustees

Each trustee must read and sign the聽trustee declaration form聽to confirm they can act as a trustee of the organisation named on the declaration form. The Commission cannot accept electronic signatures.

The Commission will check that all those named in the application as trustees are eligible.

You need to scan this in and send it as a PDF file. You also need:

• the full name of each trustee (this is displayed on the public register of charities)
• the full address and post code of each trustee (this isn鈥檛 displayed on the public register of charities)
• their previous names, dates of birth and contact details, including email address if they have one (this isn鈥檛 displayed on the public register of charities)
• to say if any trustees (or people connected to them) will personally benefit from the charity in any way

If your charity works with vulnerable people (including children), you鈥檒l need to confirm that you鈥檝e read the Commission鈥檚 guidance on聽protecting vulnerable groups including children聽and sign a declaration that the trustees have carried out all necessary checks required by law.

What happens after you apply

You will get an automated email to confirm your application has been received.

The Commission will assess the information you鈥檝e provided within 48 hours to make sure:

• your organisation is required to register as a charity - if it鈥檚 not required to register the Commission won鈥檛 consider your application, except in special circumstances
• you鈥檝e answered all the necessary questions in full
• you鈥檝e provided the factual information about the charity and trustees to enter in the register of charities
• each trustee is eligible to act as a trustee, including carrying out checks with other agencies

If your application doesn鈥檛 provide enough information for the Commission to decide whether your organisation is a charity, it will be returned. If this happens you will be asked to resubmit it.

The Commission will聽make a decision聽based on the information provided and any relevant law, to:

• register your organisation as a charity
• register your organisation as a charity on condition that the trustees take certain actions, which the Commission may follow up after registration
• reject your application on the grounds that your organisation isn鈥檛 set up as a charity

If your application is successful

If the Commission decides your organisation is a charity and should be registered, it will:

• enter your charity on the register of charities - your charity鈥檚 register entry should appear on the public register within 48 hours of you being notified of this decision
• email your charity number to your charity鈥檚 main contact
• email each trustee, for whom you have provided an email address, a list of online guidance relevant to their聽role as trustee

If you haven鈥檛 already done so, don鈥檛 forget to register with聽HM Revenue and Customs聽for tax relief.

If the Commission has registered your charity on condition its trustees take certain actions, it may:

• monitor your charity鈥檚 activities after registration
• ask you for evidence that the trustees have taken the required actions

The Commission may take聽regulatory action聽if the trustees haven鈥檛 taken the required actions.

If your application is unsuccessful

The Commission will confirm to you in writing the reasons your application was rejected. You can either:

• reapply, providing you have addressed the reasons for rejection
• ask the Commission to review its decision to reject your application
• appeal to the Charity Tribunal