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Leadership & Governance
The 2026 annual return is now open — a few things to get ready
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Rachel Wall Company Secretary at The Committee Room Posted 13 hours ago
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If your charity's financial year ends in 2026, you can now file your annual return through My Charity Commission Account. A few practical things worth knowing so it's painless rather than a last-minute scramble:
Your deadline is 10 months after your financial year end — so a 31 March year end means 31 January, and a 31 December year end means 31 October. Worth diarising now.
Check your My Charity Commission Account access before you need it. This is the bit that catches people out: each trustee or filer needs their own account, linked to the charity, and the return has to be submitted by someone who's connected. Sorting that out the week before the deadline is no fun — five minutes now saves the panic.
What you'll actually need depends on your income:
- Under £10k: just your income and spending figures.
- £10k–£25k: the annual return questions.
- Over £25k: the questions plus your trustees' annual report, accounts and independent examiner's (or auditor's) report — and you'll declare there are no unreported serious incidents.
- CIOs: you always submit your trustees' annual report and accounts, whatever your income.
One tip: finalise your accounts and check your trustee details are up to date on the register before you start — mismatched trustee information is a common hold-up.
The Commission's official checklist is here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prepare-a-charity-annual-return
And if it helps, I keep a free compliance calendar (plus minutes and agenda templates) at thecommitteeroom.co.uk so these deadlines stop sneaking up on you.
Rachel Wall ACG — chartered governance professional
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