Check and update your charity details
All registered charities in England and Wales need to check and update their details before submitting an annual return.
From 12 November 2018, the first time you log in to your online account to do your annual return or update your charity details you will need to check and confirm your charity details are correct, or update them if needed.
This so you can collect information before you log in. It also explains which information will be available to the public on the charity register.
The service will:
- guide you through 6 separate pages that show all your charity details
- highlight where you have missing information that needs to be provided to us (this will be tailored to your charity depending on how up to date your details are on the register)
You will be able to save your information and return back to the service if needed. When all the missing information has been provided on each page, and you confirm details are correct, you will be able to continue to submit your annual return.
You only need to provide missing information the first time you log in to do your annual return, or update your charity details (from 12 November 2018). When you need to update your charity details in future you can choose which sections or information to edit and update.
Trustees of all charities have a legal obligation to keep the details on the charity register accurate and up to date. This helps maintain public trust and confidence in the charity sector and enables us to contact you with important regulatory information.
There have also been some other changes to this service, which are explained below.
Changes to public display names for trustees
Trustees will not be able to add a public display name on the charity register. Their full legal name will show to the public.
This is because charity trusteeship is a serious responsibility. Trustees have independent control over, and legal responsibility for, a charity’s management and administration. They need to be accountable to the public.
If current trustees have used the display name feature, this will be removed on the 1 April 2020 and their legal name will show to the public. If this would cause personal danger to a person they can apply for a dispensation to remove a trustee’s legal name from public display.
If trustees have been granted a dispensation for their legal name not to be displayed to the public on the register, this will be retained. There will be no need to apply for a dispensation again.
Changes to trustee and charity contact details
You need to check that the details for your trustees remain up to date. This includes adding any new trustees and their contact details.
You must make sure that each person named is not disqualified from acting as a trustee.
You will need to remove the details of any trustees who are no longer involved with your charity.
When you update trustee details, if they are linked to other charities the changes will take effect across all other charity entries too. This will help to keep the register accurate and reduce duplicate entries.
Trustees will also need to provide their home address and telephone number. This helps with validating the identity of trustees. No trustee contact details or home addresses will be shown to the public.
Changes to email addresses
All trustees will need to provide their email address, or confirm that they do not have one.
We will use this email address to contact trustees about their charity. The address that is provided will be applied to all their entries on the register.
We will only contact trustees by email if we are handling a case about your charity, or to provide regulatory alerts and updates to help you to run your charity effectively.
We will not send you unsolicited email, marketing materials or anything outside of our regulatory remit.
Changes to bank account information
You will need to provide details of all your charity’s UK bank/building society accounts. This information will not be available to the public.
We will use the information to make sure that charities are protecting and managing their funds appropriately, where we need to. Trustees have a duty to act responsibly, reasonably and honestly and protect charity funds and assets so that they are only used to support or carry out its purposes.
Working inside the regulated banking system is the best way to achieve this. Holding a bank account also aids with transparency providing an audit trail and records, such as bank statements.
Data processing
You can read our privacy notice which explains how we process data when you update or change your charity details.
Updates to this page
Published 22 June 2018Last updated 16 July 2019 + show all updates
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Updated the section 'Changes to public display names for trustees'. The display name feature will be removed on the 1 April 2020.
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Updated information for changes to public display names for trustees. The display name feature will be removed on the 1 September 2019.
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If your charity annual return is due soon you will need to check and update your charity details first.
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The Gift Aid and bank account information in the guide has been updated.
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The service you use to update charity details has changed. You need to check and update your charity details before submitting an annual return.
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Added information about changes to public display name for trustees on the charity register, and a link to the dispensation process.
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The update charity details service is changing on the 12 November. You will need to update your charity details before you can submit an annual return.
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Added more information about the changes to the update charity details service.
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First published.