The review follows class inquiries undertaken by the Charity Commission which identify those charities who fail to file accounts properly in 2 consecutive years. These ‘double defaulting’ charities are then given the opportunity to file the required documents within a certain time period.

The Charity Commission review provides some wider lessons for trustees, auditors and independent examiners including:

• All registered charities with an income of over £25,000 and all charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs) irrespective of income, must file their trustees’ annual report and accounts and external scrutiny report with the Charity Commission within 10 months of their financial year end.
• It is the responsibility of trustees to ensure the right external scrutiny is carried out where required by charity law.
• It is the responsibility of trustees of charitable companies to ensure that their charity’s report and accounts are filed with both Companies House and the Charity Commission.

The review also highlights a number of resources to assist trustees and independent examiners on the preparation and scrutiny of the annual report and accounts.

The press release and report are available on the Charity Commission website.