ACNC to undertake DGR reviews

The charities commission will review 500 Public Benevolent Institutions this year 

Charities with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status are being urged to check their registration details, as the charities commission prepares to review hundreds of organisations.

From July, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) will undertake 500 reviews to assess if organisations are still eligible to be registered with the ACNC as a charity, a subtype of charity and for DGR status.

The reviews will initially focus on Public Benevolent Institutions (PBIs) – the largest group of the DGR organisations – which can access the highest rate of charity tax concessions.

PBIs may be selected for review if they were registered as a charity and PBI before 3 December 2012, are not regulated by the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations, and have no or only one responsible person listed on the ACNC register or no governing document.

ACNC commissioner Dr Gary Johns said there should be no impact on charities under review, unless an issue is identified.

He encouraged charities to self-assess, using an online tool available on the ACNC website.

“By using our self-assessment tool, charities will be able to identify and rectify most issues, such as nominating responsible persons and uploading their governing document to the register,” Johns said.   

“Charities don’t need to notify us of those changes or send us their self-assessment.  They can make changes easily through the ACNC Charity Portal.

“To promote good practice, we encourage charities to assess themselves periodically.”