You can pay trustees for services to the charity providing the governing document does not expressly forbid it and you follow any specific requirements.

Trustees can be paid for providing services to a charity, such as:

• building work, ie plumbing or painting
• a piece of research
• legal or accountancy advice
• specialist services eg estate agent, IT consultant
• use of trustees’ premises or facilities

Payments to a connected person, ie family member or spouse of a trustee, also fall into this category.

Before paying a trustee for services, you must:

• have a written agreement between the charity and the trustee who is to be paid
• exclude the trustee who is to be paid from any discussions about the decision to pay them
• ensure the payment is reasonable and in the charity’s interests

Further information is provided in our guidance on paying trustees:

• Making payments to your charity's trustees

See also:

• Trustee expenses and payments (CC11)

ID: 178

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