Accountancy Services in and around London, Surrey and Hampshire:

Charities

Charities are another specialist area where our experience can help you. The DChA after Paul Chamberlain’s name shows that he was awarded a Diploma in Charity Accounting — an extra qualification from the Institute of Chartered Accountants to reflect expertise in this area.

New legislation

The Charities Act 2006 is sweeping more organisations into the Charity Commission’s net, and trustees are still getting used to the new accounting Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP 2005) with all the extra disclosures needed in the accounts.

External review

So there’s a lot to keep track of, and Trustees need to make sure that they’re following best practice. At the same time, it’s their duty not to waste the assets of the charity, so they’re conscious of costs of advice. Because of the need for public trust, Charity regulation requires outside review of the accounts at a lower level than limited companies, and many charities find themselves caught up in unexpected extra costs. Voluntary help is not always available, and a non-specialist trying to do it in their spare-time is not necessarily the right answer.

We can help

At Chamberlains we have years of practical experience of many kinds of charity, and we understand their needs. We can carry out Audits and Independent Examinations in a tailored manner to fit the circumstances and we have frequently presented the final accounts to trustees’ or general meetings. Contact us to discuss how we can help.