Guidance

Community interest companies: forms and step-by-step guides

The processes you need to follow, and the documents you need to submit, when you are a community interest company or you wish to form (or convert to) a community interest company.

Published 1 September 2012
Last updated 5 September 2018 — see all updates

• From: Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies

Documents

CIC business activities: forms and step-by-step guidelines

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Details

A Community Interest Company (CIC) is a limited company, with special additional features, created for the use of people who want to conduct a business or other activity for community benefit, and not purely for private advantage.

This step-by-step guidance explains what you need to do to:

• form a CIC
• form a community interest public limited company (plc)
• convert an existing company to a CIC
• convert a charitable company to a CIC
• convert an industrial and provident society (IPS) to a CIC
• convert a private company to a community interest plc
• convert a plc to a community interest plc
• change or specifying an asset-locked body in the articles of association
• alter clauses in the articles of association
• alter the object statement of a CIC
• change the status of a CIC to a community interest plc
• convert a CIC to a charitable company
• convert a CIC to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
• convert a CIC to an IPS
• arrange the voluntary dissolution of a CIC
• file an annual CIC report and accounts

It includes links to the appropriate forms, model constitutions (including the memorandum of association and articles of association) and model special resolutions.

Published 1 September 2012
Last updated 5 September 2018 + show all updates

1. 5 September 2018 New process for a CIC converting to a CIO
2. 24 November 2017 Form IN01 continuation sheet added
3. 5 October 2016 Updated the notice of intent to remove the company from 3 to 2 months.
4. 31 August 2016 Companies House addresses amended
5. 4 July 2016 Step-by-step guides updated to reflect new version of IN01
6. 20 May 2016 Updated office address
7. 15 March 2016 Updated form IN01 link
8. 5 February 2016 Updated the convert a CIC to a Registered Society step-by-step guide.
9. 26 November 2015 Voluntary dissolution step by step guide updated.
10. 16 June 2014 Convert an existing comapny to CIC step-by-step guides updated
11. 1 September 2012 First published.