More than 1,000 charities in Northern Ireland have failed to submit their annual accounts on time, new data shows.

Figures from the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland showed 1,041 charities were overdue in filing their accounts at the time of writing. 

Rossa Keown, head of compliance and enquiries at CCNI, said charities could have different issues in filing accounts depending on their circumstances.

“We believe that some charities may have closed and not told us, meaning they haven’t filed their final set of accounts,” Keown said.

“If that is the case, I would encourage those former trustees to notify the commission so we can update the register as soon as possible.

“However, if your charity is still open and your annual return is simply overdue, my advice is to take action as soon as possible to ensure your accounts and reports are filed with the commission.”

The regulator said the number of late filers was subject to change by the hour as organisations send in their documents.

There were 2,010 registered charities whose financial year ended on 31 December 2023 that were required to submit their annual reports by the end of October.

Of those charities, 1,623 (81 per cent) submitted their accounts on time, the regulator said. 

“It’s great to see such high filing numbers; annual reporting is not just a legal duty but highlights that a charity is open and transparent, helping to reaffirm the public’s trust in them and their work,” said Keown.

The Court of Appeal ruling in February 2020, which found that more than 7,000 orders and decisions had been improperly made, meant that not all charities have had to file their accounts and reports with the regulator in recent years, though they have had the option to file voluntarily.  

This means the last full year of figures for comparison are for 2019/20 when 5,748 charities were due to file and 86 per cent did so by their deadline date.

"We are delighted that compliance rates have bounced back so well after the years of voluntary filing, which shows that the majority of charities are keen to be compliant, open and transparent,” a spokesperson said. 

The regulator said it had become mandatory again for all registered charities to file their accounts and reports with the commission. 

“This means that almost 7,000 charities will be required to submit their accounts and reports to the commission during this financial year (2024/25),” the regulator said.

“Once this full reporting year is complete, the commission will be able to identify the full trend in relation to annual reporting and submission rates."