Charities Regulator launches first guidance documents to help charities

Posted in Category(ies): Charities
Van-Geraghty
Company Secretarial Services | Corporate Governance | Compliance Tel: +353 (0) 505 34101 Email: vgeraghty@komsec.ie  

The Charities Regulator launched the first in a series of guidance documents on 21st July. These are aimed at encouraging and facilitating the better administration and management of charities. The documents address the issues of guidance for trustees and internal financial controls guidelines for charities.

 “The publication of the first of these guidance documents is an important landmark in the development of the Charities Regulator,” CEO John Farrelly said. “While our key functions include the creation and maintenance of the Charities Register and ensuring that charities are in compliance with the Charities Act, we are also tasked with encouraging and facilitating the better administration and management of charities.”

The trustees’ guidance document covers the minimum trustees should be aware of as well for those considering joining a board. To read the Guidance for Charity Trustees click https://t.co/e5T4ssk9Vh.

The internal financial control guidelines for charities document is practical and covers the main areas of financial control for charities: income; expenditure; banking (including payments and loans); assets and investments; and monitoring arrangements. It contains a number of useful checklists for organisations to ensure they have the appropriate controls in place. The Internal Financial Controls Guidelines for Charities can be read by clicking https://t.co/JiFcdtLBaf.

The Charities Regulatory Authority are expected to publish additional guidance documents before the end of the year which will include registration, winding down, conflict of interest and fundraising.

The guidelines are not yet prescriptive, however, when regulations are in place, Charities will be expected comply with these guidance documents

 

Electronic Filing

Posted in Category(ies): Electronic Filing
Kathryn-Maybury
A post by Kathryn Maybury | Managing Director | KOMSEC Limited | Company Secretarial Services | Corporate Governance | Compliance | Tel: +353 (0) 1 2107595 Email: kmaybury@komsec.ie  

Electronic Filing

The Companies Registration Office (CRO) introduced electronic filing a number of years ago but, since 1st June 2017 the CRO introduced mandatory electronic filing for:

–          B1 (Annual Return)

–          B2 (Change in situation of Registered Office)

–          B10 (Change in particulars of Directors/Secretary)

–          B73 (Change of Annual Return Date)

–          Financial Statements

 

Electronic filing makes sense but, the imposition of a 5mb limit (around 20 printed pages) on the size of Financial Statements is proving problematic.  It will be interesting to see how companies, practitioners, and accountants deal with the technological challenge of complying with the 5mb limit. 

 

Hopefully, implementing electronic filing during the summer months will give all involved the ability to iron out issues before peak filing of Annual Returns, and Financial Statements hits in the autumn

Simplified financial statements for small businesses

Posted in Category(ies): Financial Statements
Kathryn-Maybury
A post by Kathryn Maybury | Managing Director | KOMSEC Limited | Company Secretarial Services | Corporate Governance | Compliance | Tel: +353 (0) 1 2107595 Email: kmaybury@komsec.ie  

On the 17th of May the President signed into law the Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016 which is now known as the Companies (Accounting) Act no 9. of 2017. The Act simplifies the financial statements requirements for small businesses in Ireland which will hopefully assist these small and mirco companies to flourish. Companies will be able to opt for financial statements commecing 1/1/16 to be ‘simplified’.