Members of Chartered Accountants Ireland engage with charities in many ways — as employees, advisors, board members and volunteers. These charity pages provide guidance on key areas that accountants may encounter when acting for, or working with, a charity.
Charities in Ireland and the UK play a vital role in addressing a wide range of societal needs, including healthcare, education, poverty alleviation, and environmental protection. The size of the sector is substantial, with close to 20,000 charities registered with the Charities Regulator in the Republic of Ireland and the Charities Commission for Northern Ireland. Collectively, these charities manage billions of pounds and euros of incoming resources each year and use these resources in the furtherance of their charitable purpose.
Both Ireland and the UK have regulatory frameworks which are designed to ensure transparency and accountability within the charity sector. Four separate regulators oversee the sector across five jurisdictions. These frameworks help maintain public trust and confidence in charitable organizations by regulating the sector and ensuring compliance with charity law and regulations. The relevant authorities are;
Furthermore, given their distinct nature and the increased need for transparency and public trust, charities are subject to varying financial reporting and assurance requirements which are addressed on the links below.
Charity SORP 2026 issued
Nov 06, 2025
The Charity SORP making body has published the October 2025 edition of the Charity SORP. Statements of Recommended Practice (SORPs) are sector-driven recommendations on financial reporting which supplement the Financial Reporting Council’s (FRC) accounting standards. The Charity SORP provides guidance on how charities should apply FRS 102 and is mandatorily applicable for certain charities in the UK. In the Republic of Ireland, the SORP is not mandatorily applicable, however, some charities apply it voluntarily.
The SORP has been updated to reflect the changes made to FRS 102 as a result of the 2024 Periodic Review by the FRC. For charities using the SORP, the changes will be effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2026.
Some key changes include:
- New reporting tiers, which set out different reporting requirements for charities who fall within each tier.
- New and enhanced disclosures for the Trustees' Annual Report.
- More guidance and required disclosures relating to going concern.
- Guidance on how to apply the FRS 102 5-step model for income received in exchange transactions.
- A new lease accounting module which explains the new leasing requirements introduced by FRS 102.
- An increase in the threshold at which a charity is required to produce a cash flow statement to £15 million (provided FRS 102 does not otherwise require a cash flow statement to be prepared).
- Updated guidance on accounting for social investments to provide clarity and consistency in reporting.
The SORP-making body has also prepared a summary document summarising the changes made in each module.
These pages are provided as resources and information only and nothing in these pages purports to provide professional or legal advice or definitive legal interpretation(s) or opinion(s) on the applicable legislation or legal or other matters referred to in the pages. If the reader is in doubt on any matter in this complex area further legal or other advice must be obtained. While every reasonable care has been taken by the Institute in the preparation of these pages, we do not guarantee the accuracy or veracity of any resource, guidance, information or opinion, or the appropriateness, suitability or applicability of any practice or procedure contained therein. The Institute is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of the resources or information contained in these pages.
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