What Charity Commission does
Statutory regulator of registered charities in England and Wales. Maintains the public register of charities (168,000+ registered). Ensures charity trustees comply with legal obligations. Investigates concerns about mismanagement or misconduct. Provides guidance on charity law and governance.
Non-ministerial government department. Scotland: Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). Northern Ireland: Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Contact via online forms at forms.charitycommission.gov.uk
Contact Charity Commission
- Phone
- 0300 066 9197
Official guidance from Charity Commission
Curated guidance documents to help you understand your obligations.
Prepare a charity trustees' annual report (opens in a new tab)
Detailed Guidance
Charity Commission for England and Wales (opens in a new tab)
Detailed Guidance
Independent examination guidance (CC32) (opens in a new tab)
Publication
Report a serious incident (opens in a new tab)
Detailed Guidance
Trustee disqualification rules (opens in a new tab)
Detailed Guidance
Charities paying a trustee or a connected person: understand the rules (CC11) (opens in a new tab)
Detailed Guidance
The essential trustee: what you need to know, what you need to do (CC3) (opens in a new tab)
Detailed Guidance
Charitable purposes guidance (opens in a new tab)
Detailed Guidance
View all 63 guidance documents (opens in a new tab)
Legal framework
Legislation that Charity Commission directly enforces.
Primary legislation
Secondary legislation
Related legislation
Legislation connected to Charity Commission’s remit but not directly enforced — establishing Acts, amendments, referenced legislation, and context.