Deadline Extended for Registered Charities

When the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) was established in December 2012, it marked the first time that information on all 56,000 charities that had previously been endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) was made available on a single, searchable, online database.

The aim of the ACNC Charity Register is to provide members of the public and donors with easy access to reliable and accurate information about the excellent work charities do for the community.

It also gives charities an opportunity to connect with donors, as the Register can be searched by location and charitable purpose.

From day one the Register, available at acnc.gov.au/findacharity, has been a popular tool for members of the public and donors. Since the establishment of the ACNC the Charity Register has been searched over 150,000 times, making it the most viewed page on our website.

The effectiveness of the Charity Register for both the public and charities is closely aligned with charities completing their 2013 Annual Information Statement.

As the 2013 Annual Information Statement is the first time all registered charities have needed to report to the ACNC and, taking into account that there may be some charities that are still unaware of their reporting requirements, the ACNC are extending the submission date for the 2013 Annual Information Statement.

This extension (to March 31, 2014) is for charities using the standard July 1 to 30 June financial year that were previously required to report to the ACNC by December 31, 2013.

Charities that have approved substituted accounting periods, meaning they do not report on a standard financial year, still have six months from the end of their reporting period to submit their 2013 Annual  Information Statement. For example, charities using the calendar reporting period of January 1 to December 31 are required to submit their 2013 Annual Information Statement by June 30, 2014.

Charities can log onto the new ACNC Charity Portal to complete their 2013 Annual Information Statement. To login, simply visit charity.acnc.gov.au and enter the charity’s unique username and password – these were sent to charities by mail in August 2013 and then again in late November.

The Portal provides registered charities with a secure online space where they can:

• complete the 2013, and future Annual Information Statements;

• update contact details;

• update a charity’s address for service (the address to which the ACNC sends correspondence);

• add or remove responsible persons;

• add trading names;

• upload or change governing documents;

• print a copy of their Charity Certificate.

The introduction of the Charity Portal means that charities can now manage their information at a time and place that suit them. Changes that charities make via the portal will be reflected on the Charity Register almost instantly.

The Charity Portal and the extension to the 2013 Annual Information Statement due date are just two ways the ACNC is working to help charities meet their obligations.

For more information, advice and support, visit our website acnc.gov.au, call 13 ACNC (13 22 62) or email advice@acnc.gov.au.