You must register online with the Charity Commission if you run a charity in England or Wales that has an income of more than £5,000 per year.
You’ll need to provide proof of the charity’s income when you register.
There’s a different process to set up a charity in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
How to register a charity
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Read about charities and what counts as a charitable cause so you can decide if registering as a charity is the right thing to do.
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Follow the Charity Commission’s guidance on registering a charity to make sure your application has the best chance of being accepted.
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Register online - you’ll need to set up an account.
Charities with incomes of less than £5,000
You don’t have to register your charity if it will bring in less than £5,000 per year.
If the charity isn’t registered with the Charity Commission you:
- can call your organisation a ‘charity’ if it has a charitable purposes
- can’t use phrases like ‘registered’ or ‘charity status’
Read the guidance from The Charity Commission for setting up a small charity.
You may still get tax relief as an unregistered charity. Get information about tax for charities from HM Revenue and Customs.