Charity AIS Deadline Looms

Charities registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) that report on a January 1 to December 31 financial year must submit their 2013 Annual Information Statement by June 30.

Charities with a financial year ending between June 30, 2013 and December 31, 2013 who have not yet lodged are now almost three months overdue.

To date, over 34,000 charities have completed or commenced their Annual Information Statement.

The 2013 Annual Information Statement asks charities about the work they do in the community, who benefits from their activities and does not include any financial information. The information charities provide forms part of their listing on the ACNC Charity Register, a free, searchable database of all 61,000 registered charities in Australia.

The Charity Register has proven to be a useful tool, allowing members of the public to search by name, ABN, location, beneficiaries, sub-type and registration date. Since the launch of the Charity Register in December 2012, it has received over 350,000 page views.

The information charities are providing is increasing transparency and accountability in the sector, and is also helping to reduce red tape thanks to the new Charity Passport.

Charities that have not yet submitted their 2013 Annual Information Statement are encouraged to log onto acnc.gov.au/2013ais and complete it as soon as possible.

The username is the charity’s ABN and the password was mailed to the charity’s address for service in early December 2013.

If you have not received your password, call the ACNC on 13 22 62 or visit acnc.gov.au/whereareyou immediately.