ACNC is presently auditing misreporting by entities claiming basic religious charity status and has communicated with many charities identifying three reasons why such charities are required to modify information they have provided in their Annual Information Statements.
- The holding of an Australian Registered Body Number by a religious organisation deems that the organisation is registered under the Corporations Act 2001 and is therefore disqualified from basic religious charity status.
- The operation or endorsement on the ABN of a charity of any fund, authority or institution it is endorsed to operate which has deductible gift recipient status where donations received exceed $250,000 per annum.
- Information provided to ACNC reflecting the potential eligibility for a charity which is advancing religion to also be registered under another subtype of charity, for example education, healthcare, aged care, social and public welfare, etc.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.