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Charities Act Implementation Plan

Government explains how the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will implement the Charities Act 2022.

Following the Charities Act receiving Royal Assent on 24 February 2022, the Government has released the plan of when and how it intends to implement the relevant sections into law.

Different provisions within the Act are set to come into force at different times over the next 18 months, in three stages.

The majority will come into effect in Autumn 2022, including:

  • the power to amend Royal Charters more easily.
  • Remuneration of charity trustees on certain occasions when providing goods or services to the charity.
  • Additional flexibility on failed fundraising appeals (so called Cy-près powers).

Others will be enacted in Spring 2023, including:

  • Having access to a much wider pool of professional advisors on land disposal, and to more straightforward rules on what advice they must receive.
  • More flexibility to make use of a ‘permanent endowment’.

The final set will come into force in Autumn 2023, these include:

  • Making it easier for charities to amend governing documents to allow mergers, and more easily transfer property during a merger.

As the different provisions are enacted new guidance will be provided.

View the Charities Act Implementation Plan which includes a full list of the changes and when they will come into effect.

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