Scottish Charity Accounting

 

The Scottish Parliament has approved new Accounting Regulations and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 apply to financial years starting on or after 1st April 2006.

 

A copy of OSCR’s guidance Scottish Charity Accounts – A guide to the 2006 Regulations was posted to all active charities in Scotland in mid February 2007. Copies were also sent to local Councils for Voluntary Service, umbrella bodies and libraries. The guidance was designed to allow for easy photocopying by charities.

 

In addition to the guidance, two further example receipts and payments accounts and a workpack to help charities prepare receipts and payments accounts will be published by OSCR in January 2008.

 

The guidance to the 2006 Charities Accounts Regulations is divided into three parts. Part 1: The Overview should be read in conjunction with either Part 2: Receipts and Payments accounts, or Part 3: Fully Accrued Accounts, depending on the type of accounts a charity prepares.  Part 1: The Overview contains three flow charts to help charities determine the type of accounts they should prepare and the type of external scrutiny to which they should be subject.

 

 

 

The Charity Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 apply to all charities with a financial year which begins on or after 1st April 2006. See the section above to download the relevant guidance for charities with a financial year which begins on or after 1st April 2006.

 

For accounting periods commencing before 1st April 2006, charities should continue to maintain accounting records and prepare accounts in accordance with the Charity Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 1992. The exemptions applicable to Scottish charitable corporations, local authority trusts, and registered housing associations as contained in statutory instruments 1993/1624, 1995/645 and 2000/49, and the exemption orders in  1993 and 2005 for designated religious bodies also continue to apply for accounting periods commencing before 1st April 2006. The OSCR publication 'Scottish Charity Accounts - A Brief Guide' provides further guidance.

The Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006
SSI 2006/218 - Web version (HTML)
SSI 2006/218 - Print version (PDF - 68 KB)
SSI 2006/218 - Executive Note (PDF - 80 KB)