Guidance

Exempt charities (CC23)

What it means to be an 'exempt' charity and how exempt charities are regulated.

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Details

This guidance lists charities that are exempt from registration and regulation by the Charity Commission. When the Charities Act 2011 is fully implemented, exempt charities must either:

  • have a ‘principal regulator’ to regulate them as charities, or
  • no longer be exempt and have the Commission as regulator

Principal regulators must promote exempt charities’ compliance with charity law. They have no powers of enforcement, and must work with the Commission.

Published 1 September 2013
Last updated 14 June 2023 + show all updates
  1. Guidance updated to reflect changes introduced by the Charities Act 2022.

  2. Updated the details of principal regulators of exempt charities, and included information about recent regulations that have come into force.

  3. First published.