Remove a charity from the charities register

You must remove your charity from the charities register if you’ve closed (or ‘dissolved’) it.

Close your charity first

Read:

• your charity’s governing document for the dissolution process
• the guide on closing a charity for what you must do
• the guide on merging with another charity if you closed your charity to merge with another

Information you need

You need the:

• value of your charity’s remaining assets - and what happened to them when you closed the charity
• reason for the closure - recorded in the minutes of the meeting when the trustees decided to close
• registered number of the new charitable company if your charity has become a charitable company
• registered number of the charity getting your charity’s remaining property if you’ve transferred it

How long it takes

Your charity will be removed from the register within 15 working days.

Check the register to see if your charity has been removed.

When you can’t use the online form

You can’t use this form if your charity:

• had an income of more than £5 million last year - contact the Charity Commission
• has assets worth more than £100 million
• is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO)
• is an NHS charity - read the NHS charities guidance

Northern Ireland and Scotland

There’s a different process for closing and de-registering your charity in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Contact the:

• Scottish Charity Regulator in Scotland
• Charity Commission for Northern Ireland in Northern Ireland

• Takes around 7 minutes

Last updated: 17 December 2014