Charities Act 2011

Disclosure of registered charity status

39Statement required to be made in official publications etc.

(1)This section applies to a registered charity if its gross income in its last financial year exceeded £10,000.

(2)If this section applies to a registered charity, the fact that it is a registered charity must be stated in legible characters—

(a)in all notices, advertisements and other documents issued by or on behalf of the charity and soliciting money or other property for the benefit of the charity,

(b)in all bills of exchange, promissory notes, endorsements, cheques and orders for money or goods purporting to be signed on behalf of the charity, and

(c)in all bills rendered by it and in all its invoices, receipts and letters of credit.

(3)The statement required by subsection (2) must be in English, except that, in the case of a document which is otherwise wholly in Welsh, the statement may be in Welsh if it consists of or includes “elusen cofrestredig” (the Welsh equivalent of “registered charity”).

(4)Subsection (2)(a) has effect—

(a)whether the solicitation is express or implied, and

(b)whether or not the money or other property is to be given for any consideration.

40Power to alter sum specified in s.39(1)

The Minister may by order amend section 39(1) by substituting a different sum for the sum for the time being specified there.

41Offences

(1)It is an offence for a person, in the case of a registered charity to which section 39 applies, to issue or authorise the issue of any document falling within section 39(2)(a) or (c) which does not contain the statement required by section 39(2).

(2)It is an offence for a person, in the case of a registered charity to which section 39 applies, to sign any document falling within section 39(2)(b) which does not contain the statement required by section 39(2).

(3)A person guilty of an offence under subsection (1) or (2) is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.