The ACNC has advised that charities with a 30 June year-end have been granted an extension until 31 March 2014 to submit their Annual Information Statement (AIS). This is to give charities more time to prepare for this new requirement. Originally, the AIS would have been due by 31 December 2013.
Charities that use a different reporting period (eg the calendar year or another period) can only submit their AIS after their reporting period ends and should not submit it now.
Charities whose reporting period for 2013-14 is not yet over have until 6 months after it ends to submit their AIS.
The ACNC has also advised that the end of transitional arrangements between the ACNC and the ATO will affect some charity types from 2 December 2013:
- Registered charities that advance religion – If a religious charity was automatically transferred from ATO to the ACNC when the ACNC was established, the ACNC says it needs the charity to confirm its charitable purpose. This can be done by checking the charity’s subtype entry on the ACNC Register. If it is not listed as “a charity for the purpose of advancing religion”, it must notify the ACNC on 13 22 62 or by email to advice@acnc.gov.au.
- Unregistered religious charities (Self-Assessing Religious Institutions) – If an organisation previously self-assessed as a religious institution in order to be recognised as income tax exempt, it will not have been automatically registered with the ACNC on 3 December 2012. The ACNC says such organizations must opt-in to register with the ACNC by 2 December 2013 to continue to be eligible for tax concessions.
[LTN 232, 29/11/13]