Charity Commission

The regulator for charities in England and Wales

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Home >  Charity requirements & guidance > View all guidance

Charity Commission guidance

Contents

  • Guidance
  • Research reports
  • Review of Register topics
  • Public Benefit
  • Protecting charities from harm
  • Podcasts
  • Operational guidance

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Guidance
Date
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PDF

CC3 - The Essential Trustee: what you need to know

See also our easy read guidance Being a trustee - this guide tells you the main things you need to know about being a trustee (PDF only)

Mar 2012
 

Mar 2010
HTML
English
Welsh
CC3a - The Essential Trustee: An introduction
Jan 2007
HTML
English
Welsh
CC7 - Ex Gratia Payments by Charities
Dec 2001
HTML
English
CC8 - Internal Financial Controls for Charities
July 2012
HTML
English
Welsh
CC8 - A self checklist for charities
July 2012
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English
Welsh
CC9 - Speaking Out - Campaigning and Political Activity by Charities

See also our guidance update on Charities and Elections

See also our guidance update on Charities and Political Donations

Mar 2008
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English
Welsh
CC10 - Hallmarks of an Effective Charity
Jul 2008
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English
Welsh
CC11 - Trustee expenses and payments
Mar 2012
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English
Welsh
CC12 - Managing Financial Difficulties and Insolvency in Charities
Jun 2010
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English
Welsh
CC13 - The Official Custodian for Charities' Land Holding Service
Sept 2004
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English
Welsh
CC14 - Charities and Investment Matters: A guide for trustees
Oct 2011
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English
Welsh
CC15b - Charity Reporting and Accounting: The essentials
Jan 2013
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English
Welsh
CC16 - Receipts and Payments Accounts Pack (based on SORP 2005)
Apr 2009
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CC17 - Accrual Accounts Pack (based on SORP 2005)
Apr 2009
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CC18 - Use of Church Halls for Village Hall and Other Charitable Purposes
Jul 2001
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English
CC19 - Charities and reserves
Jun 2010
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English
Welsh
CC20 - Charities and Fundraising
May 2011 
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English
Welsh 
CC21 - Registering as a Charity
July 2011 
HTML
English
Welsh
CC22 - Choosing and Preparing a Governing Document
Apr 2008
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English
Welsh
CC23 - Exempt Charities
Mar 2012
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English
CC24 - Users on Board: Beneficiaries who become trustees
Mar 2012
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English
CC25 - Managing charity assets and resources: an overview for trustees
Mar 2011
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English
Welsh
CC26 - Charities and Risk Management: A guide for trustees
Jun 2010
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English
Welsh
CC28 - Sales, leases, transfers or mortgages: What trustees need to know about disposing of charity land
Mar 2012
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English
Welsh
CC30 - Finding New Trustees - What charities need to know
Sept 2012
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English
Welsh
CC31 - Independent Examination of Charity Accounts: Trustees' Guide
Mar 2012
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English
Welsh
CC32 - Independent Examination of Charity Accounts: Examiners' Guide
Mar 2012
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English
 
CC33 - Acquiring Land
Apr 2001
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English
CC34 - Collaborative Working and Mergers
Also, see Collaborative Working and Mergers Resources
Nov 2009
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English
Welsh
CC35 - Trustees, trading and tax
Apr 2007
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English
Welsh
CC36 - Changing your Charity's Governing Document
Aug 2011
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English
Welsh
CC37 - Charities and Public Service Delivery - An Introduction and Overview
Mar 2012
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English
Welsh
CC39 - Accruals Accounts Pack
Mar 2010
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CC40 - Disaster Appeals
Aug 2012
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English
Welsh
CC42 - Appointing Nominees and Custodians: Guidance under s.19(4) of the Trustee Act 2000
Feb 2001
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English
CC43 - Incorporation of Charity Trustees
Mar 2012
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English
CC46 - Statutory Inquiries into Charities: Guidance for charities and their advisers
Feb 2012
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English
Welsh
CC47 - Complaints about Charities
Nov 2012
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English
 
CC48 - Charities and Meetings
Mar 2012
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English
Welsh
CC49 - Charities and Insurance
May 2011
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English
Welsh
Accounting & Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP 2005)
Mar 2005
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Alcohol: selling or providing drinks at events
Jan 2013 
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Risk Framework - Our regulatory approach to protecting the public's interest in charity
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English
Reporting Serious Incidents- Revised guidance for trustees on reporting serious incidents. This clarifies the Charity Commissions approach to issues of serious concern, detailing what we consider to be serious or significant, the actions trustees should take and what our response may be.
Jun 2010
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English

Welsh

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Research reports

Date
HTML
PDF
RS1 - Trustee Recruitment, Selection and Induction
Mar 2002
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English
Welsh
RS1 -Trustee Recruitment, Selection and Induction Annexes
Mar 2002
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RS2 - Charities and Commercial Partners
Jul 2002
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English
Welsh
RS2 - Charities and Commercial Partners - Annex A, B & C
Jul 2002
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RS3 - Charity Reserves
Mar 2003
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English
Welsh
RS3 - Charity Reserves - Annex A, B, C & D
Mar 2003
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RS3a - Charity Reserves: Key Findings
Mar 2003
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English
Welsh
RS4 - Collaborative Working and Mergers
Also, see Collaborative Working and Mergers Resources
Apr 2003
HTML
English
RS4 - Collaborative Working and Mergers: Annex A, B, C & D
Apr 2003
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RS4a - Collaborative Working and Mergers: Summary
Mar 2003
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English
Welsh
RS5 - Small Charities and Reserves
Jun 2003
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English
Welsh
RS6 - Milestones: Managing key events in the life of a charity
Dec 2003
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English
Welsh
RS6 - Milestones: Managing key events in the life of a charity: Annex A, B, C, D & E
Dec 2003
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RS6a - Milestones: Summary
Dec 2003
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English
Welsh
RS7 - Membership Charities
Mar 2004
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English
Welsh
RS7 - Membership Charities: Annex A, B, C & D
Mar 2004
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RS7a - Membership Charities: Summary
Mar 2004
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English
Welsh
RS8 - Transparency and Accountability
Jun 2004
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English
Welsh
RS8 - Transparency and Accountability: Annex A, B, C & D
Jun 2004
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RS9 - Village Halls and Community Centres
Dec 2004
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English
Welsh
RS9 - Village Halls and Community Centres: Annex A, B, C & D
Dec 2004
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RS9a - Village Halls and Community Centres: Summary
Dec 2004
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English
Welsh
RS10 - Start as you mean to go on: Trustee Recruitment and Induction
Jul 2005
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English
Welsh
RS10 - Start as you mean to go on: Trustee Recruitment and Induction Annex A, B, C, D & E
Jul 2005
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RS11 - Cause for Complaint? How charities manage complaints about their services
May 2006
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English
Welsh
RS11 - Cause for Complaint? How charities manage complaints about their services Annex A - E
May 2006
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RS12 - The Regeneration Game
Oct 2006
English
Welsh
RS13 - Tell It Like It Is
Nov 2006
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English
Welsh
RS14 - In their own words
Dec 2006
HTML
English
Welsh
RS14 - In their own words Annex A - E
Dec 2006
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RS15 - Stand and deliver: the future for charities delivering public services
Feb 2007
 
English
Welsh
RS16 - Charities working in the field of human rights
Dec 2007
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English
Welsh
RS17 - Going Green: Charities and Environmental Responsibility
Dec 2008
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English
Welsh
RS18 - A Balancing Act: New perspectives on the charity/beneficiary relationship
Feb 2009
 
English
Welsh
RS18 MORI - A Balancing Act: Technical report - A report produced by Ipsos MORI that contains the detailed survey method and data tables for the three surveys conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the Charity Commission for its research report of the same title.
Feb 2009
 
English
 
RS19 - Firm Foundations: A snapshot of how trusts and foundations are responding to the economic downturn in 2009
Aug 2009
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English
Welsh
RS20 - A snapshot of charities in Wales
Jan 2009
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English
Welsh
RS21 - Charity Reporting and Accounting - taking stock and future reform
Dec 2009
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English
 
RS22 - Charities' awareness, understanding and attitudes towards the public benefit requirements
Dec 2009
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English
 
RS23 - A Breath of Fresh Air: young people as charity trustees
Sep 2010
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English
Welsh 
RS24 - Strength in Numbers - Small charities’ experience of working together
Nov 2010
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English
Welsh
RS25 - Public benefit reporting by charities
Jun 2011
 
English
 
RS26 - Consortia for the delivery of public services: the issues for small and medium sized charities
July 2011
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English
 
RS27 - The impact of the public benefit requirement in the Charities Act 2006: perceptions, knowledge and experience
Jun 2012
 
English
 
RS28 - Public trust and confidence in charities
Jul 2012
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RS29 - Birth of a charity: governance of organisations seeking registered charitable status
Nov 2012
HTML
English
 
RS30 - Charities and social investment
Mar 2013
 
English
 

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Review of Register topics

Date
 
PDF

Please note that these reports are available only in PDF format. Some information, links and references may have changed since they were published.

RR1 - The Review of the Register of Charities
Oct 2001
 
English
Welsh
RR1a - Recognising New Charitable Purposes
Oct 2001
 
English
Welsh
RR2 - Promotion of Urban and Rural Regeneration
Mar 1999
 
English
Welsh
RR3 - Charities for the Relief of Unemployment
Mar 1999
 
English
Welsh
RR4 - The Recreational Charities Act 1958
Aug 2000
 
English
Welsh
RR5 - The Promotion of Community Capacity Building
Nov 2000
 
English
Welsh
RR6 - Maintenance of an Accurate Register
Dec 2012
 
English
RR7 - The Independence of Charities from the State
Feb 2001
 
English
Welsh
RR9 - Preservation and Conservation
Feb 2001
 
English
Welsh
RR10 - Museums and Art Galleries
Aug 2002
 
English
Welsh
RR11 - Charitable Status and Sport
Apr 2003
 
English
Welsh
RR12 - The Promotion of Human Rights
Jan 2005
 
English
Welsh
RR13 Promotion of the Voluntary Sector for the Benefit of the Public
Sept 2004
 
English
Welsh
RR14 Promoting the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Charities and the Effective Use of Charitable Resources for the Benefit of the Public
Sept 2004
 
English
Welsh

  

Protecting charities from harm
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PDF

An online toolkit that aims to give trustees the knowledge and tools they need to manage risks and protect their charity from harm and abuse.

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Podcasts
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PDF

Charity Commission's podcasts, which are aimed at trustees and those responsible for managing charities. Each episode focuses on a particular aspect of trusteeship or charity law and is designed as an introduction to our online guidance.

HTML
 

  

Operational guidance
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PDF
Application of the Risk Framework - Internal guidance for our staff on how to apply the Risk Framework in casework  
English
Our internal guidance written to help our staff to conduct their work in a fair and consistent way
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