slb@hawsons.co.uk From 1 January 2026, the new Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), aligned with FRS 102, officially came into effect. This marked a significant change in how UK charities report their finances, with changes around income recognition,...
Latest News
Over 35 Charities Filed Overdue Accounts After Being Part of Regulators’ Enquiry Last Year
slb@hawsons.co.uk A startling figure has emerged from last year’s Charity Commission investigations: more than 35 charities were found to have filed their accounts late, despite being under regulatory scrutiny for their previous reporting lapses. As part of the...
Diversifying Income Streams
slb@hawsons.co.uk Why Diversifying Income Is Vital for Charities Today The charity funding environment is ever changing. Trusts and foundations are offering fewer grants, the cost-of-living crisis has affected both donors and operating costs, resulting in fiercer...
Participation in mass fundraising events exceeds pre-pandemic figures
The Mass Participation Pulse 2025 report has found that participation in mass fundraising events has not only recovered from pre-pandemic levels but exceeded them for the first time. This report was based on a survey of over 11,000 UK adults which was conducted in...
Fraud reimbursement scheme
On 7th October 2024, the Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud reimbursement scheme came into force. The scheme was introduced by the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) which mandates bank and payment service providers must reimburse charities that are victims of APP fraud...
New Charities SORP on the Horizon
Charity accounting in the UK is based upon Financial Reporting Standard (FRS) 102 which is subject to periodic review every five years. The latest revision to FRS 102 was published in March 2024. The Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) provides...
Charities Struggling with Incomplete Trustee Boards
Recent research from the eighth quarterly VCSE Sector Barometer from Pro Bono Economics has found that only 37% of charities have what they consider to be a complete board of trustees. This means that 63% of charities have an incomplete board of trustees at the time...
Legal aid a top priority for new government
The new Justice Minister, Shabana Mahmood, has said she is pledging to make public funding a priority and to smooth relations with the Legal Aid Agency. The Legal Aid Minister, Heidi Alexander admitted that the legal aid system was on life support and it would be a...
SRA wins approval for 270% compensation fund increase
The SRA has been given the go ahead by the Legal Services Board (LSB) to increase the compensation fund contribution for 2024/25 by 270%. This decision has been made partly to cover the costs of the Axiom Ince intervention. In addition to the increased contributions,...
AI and law firms: preparing for the future
Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the biggest and most talked about technologies of the last 10 years. It has the ability to completely change how businesses operate, automate, make decisions and become more efficient. The legal sector, notorious for its...
First International Non-Profit Accounting Guidance enters final consultation
The development of the first International Non-Profit Accounting Guidance (INPAG) for non-profit entities has progressed into a third and final consultation. Currently, no international accounting guidance exists for non-profit organisations. What issues does...
Formal volunteering falls to an all-time low
A recent analysis by Pro Bono Economics (PBE) has found that rates of formal volunteering have reached an all-time low as 40% of charities report that volunteering numbers have been insufficient to enable them to meet their main objectives in the last 12 months. Small...











