Charities

Charity finance is a distinct discipline: income must be tracked by restriction, accounts prepared under the Charities SORP rather than ordinary company rules, thresholds decide between independent examination and audit, Gift Aid is free money most charities under-claim, and VAT — charities' cruellest subject — takes exemptions everyone assumes help and turns them into blocked recovery. Trustees carry personal responsibility for getting this machinery right, usually unpaid and part-time.

Acumon's charity team serves charities, CIOs and community organisations year-round: accounts and examinations, the Gift Aid actually claimed, VAT positions that recover what the rules allow, and reporting that lets trustees govern rather than guess.

SORP Accounts and Fund Accounting

Charity accounts answer to the SORP: income recognised by charity rules, funds tracked as restricted, unrestricted and endowment with transfers documented, the trustees' annual report telling the story funders and the Commission actually read, and the filing done to Charity Commission deadlines. Underneath, we set up fund accounting in your bookkeeping — Xero and the sector systems — so restricted money is visibly restricted all year, not reconstructed at year-end from memory and hope.

Independent Examination and Audit

Income thresholds decide the assurance regime: independent examination for mid-sized charities, statutory audit above £1m income (or lower with large assets), and sometimes audit by choice because a funder demands it. We provide both — examinations through the charity team, audits through our ICAEW-registered, FRC-regulated audit practice with named charity specialists — and we tell you honestly which regime you are actually in, which changes as income fluctuates and which charities regularly get wrong in both directions.

Gift Aid and Charity Tax

Gift Aid adds 25% to eligible donations, and the sector leaves large amounts unclaimed through weak declarations, unclaimed higher-rate scope and ignorance of the small donations scheme for cash and contactless giving. We build claiming into your routine — declarations that satisfy HMRC, records that survive its audits, claims filed promptly — and watch the boundaries where charity tax exemption ends: trading subsidiaries needed, sponsorship versus donation distinctions, and the reliefs on business rates and investments charities forget they hold.

Charity VAT: the Expensive Subject

Charities suffer VAT precisely because their income is exempt or non-business: recovery gets blocked, partial exemption methods decide real money, and the sector-specific reliefs — advertising zero-rating, reduced-rate fuel and power, building reliefs, welfare exemptions — go unclaimed because nobody knew to ask. Our charity VAT specialists review positions, design recovery methods that reflect your actual activities, and sit on property projects early, where charity VAT mistakes are largest and least reversible.

What You Get With Acumon

• SORP-compliant accounts with proper fund accounting all year round
• Trustees' annual reports that serve funders, not just the filing
• Independent examination or statutory audit — the right regime, delivered in-house
• Gift Aid claiming built into routine, including the small donations scheme
• Charity VAT reviews recovering what the rules actually allow
• Trading subsidiary structures where non-charitable income needs one
• Payroll and pensions for charity staff through the CIPP-qualified team
• Practical support for treasurers and finance sub-committees

Why Acumon for Charities?

• ICAEW and FRC-regulated charity auditors with a named senior charity team
• Case study: arts charity received a £19,000 payable tax credit via theatre tax relief guidance
• Integrated charity VAT and tax advisory alongside accounts and audit
• System expertise across Microsoft Dynamics, Sage and Xero

Get a Fixed-Fee Quote

Tell us what you need and we'll come back within one business day with a clear scope and a fixed price — no hourly-rate surprises. Call 020 8567 3451 or use the form and we'll be in touch.