Which membership organisation rules apply to your organisation
Membership organisations — trade and professional bodies, trade unions, religious congregations, political parties, clubs and societies — are …
Charities & Social Enterprise
Registration rules for trade unions, political parties and charities
What a membership organisation must register depends on what it is. Trade unions list with the Certification Officer and file a statutory annual return. Political parties that contest elections register with the Electoral Commission and report donations. Organisations established for exclusively charitable purposes — including most religious congregations and many membership bodies — register with the charity regulator for their nation. Work through the section for your kind of organisation.
UK-wide
On this page
UK-wide
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Membership organisations compliance checklist
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This guide covers the registration regimes that attach to specific kinds of membership organisation, on top of the shared duties in run a compliant membership organisation. Work through the section for what you are — an organisation can sit in more than one section.
Trade unions: list with the Certification Officer
A trade union may apply for entry on the Certification Officer's list and, if it meets the independence test, a certificate of independence — and trade unions, listed or not, file a statutory annual return covering accounts, membership and any political fund. This regime covers Great Britain; Northern Ireland has its own Certification Officer.
If you are an employer dealing with unions rather than running one, see working with trade unions.
Political parties: register with the Electoral Commission
An organisation that wants to field candidates under a party name must register with the Electoral Commission, appoint a registered treasurer, keep proper accounting records, and report donations and loans — donations from impermissible sources are prohibited. This applies UK-wide.
Charitable bodies: register with your charity regulator
An organisation established for exclusively charitable purposes for the public benefit — including most religious congregations and many membership bodies — may need to register with the charity regulator for its nation: the Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR in Scotland, and the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.
The detailed charity guides cover the rest: register a charity with the Charity Commission, register with OSCR, trustee duties and charity accounts using SORP.
Next steps
Make sure the shared duties in run a compliant membership organisation are in place, then confirm everything with the membership organisations compliance checklist.