Charities have a duty to notify the ACNC of changes to their details, including Responsible Persons and governing documents. Once you are aware of the change, you must notify the ACNC of changes as soon as you reasonably can but no later than:
Administrative penalties may apply for failing to notify the ACNC.
You must tell us if any of the following details about your registered charity change:
You can change other contact details for your charity, such as its street address, phone number or website, in the Charity Portal.
Log in to the Charity Portal to notify us of changes to your charity details
You must tell us if your charity has changed its governing documents (such as its constitution, rules or trust deed), and give us a copy of the new governing documents. If your governing documents have changed because your charity's legal structure has changed, see our guidance on changing your charity's legal structure.
Make sure you follow the right legal steps to change your governing documents.
This includes complying with any requirements from other regulators, before notifying us. For example, Victorian incorporated associations and companies limited by guarantee need a special resolution to be passed. Notify us once your regulator has approved the change, or any special process has been completed.
Log in to the Charity Portal to notify us of changes to your governing documents.
You must tell us each and every time a Responsible Person (a committee or board member, or trustee) takes on or finishes a role they have as a Responsible Person. This includes any change in their role (for example, if the Treasurer has been elected at the annual general meeting as the new Chair of the board).
If you are adding a new Responsible Person you will be asked a series of questions, such as name, date of birth, residential address, position held, the date they became a Responsible Person and if you have searched the ASIC Register of Banned or Disqualified Persons for this Responsible Person. Some are mandatory and some are optional. ONLY the Responsible Person’s name and position will appear on the ACNC Register.
Log in to the Charity Portal to notify us of changes to your responsible persons.
Before winding up (closing) your charity, you should request voluntary revocation (cancellation) of your charity's registration with the ACNC. If so, it will no longer receive Commonwealth charity tax concessions. You must explain why you want registration revoked, and the ACNC will consider a number of factors when deciding, such as whether your charity has met its reporting obligations. See our policy statement on voluntary revocation.
If your charity has closed (wound up), or stopped operating, and you did not notify us beforehand, please still notify us (in writing), even though in many cases this will not be a legal requirement.
Fill out Form 5A: Application to revoke charity registration
You must also tell us if you think your charity has breached the ACNC Act or not complied with an ACNC Governance Standard in a significant way, and as a result, it is no longer entitled to be registered. An example of this is if your charity changes its purpose and is no longer working towards its charitable purpose.
You must notify the ACNC as soon as you reasonably can, but no later than 28 days after you become aware of the failure to comply.
Unless we tell you otherwise, ACNC obligations are in addition to any other obligations your charity has under other laws or to other regulators. The ACNC is working with other government departments and agencies to reduce red tape for charities.
If your charity is a company registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), registration with the ACNC transfers some of your notification and reporting obligations from ASIC to the ACNC. For more information, read our companies limited by guarantee page.
If your charity is an ORIC-registered Indigenous corporation, you need to continue to notify ORIC of changes to your corporation. ORIC will share these changes with the ACNC. There are some optional changes about your corporation’s charity status that you can notify the ACNC. Read more about when you should contact ORIC or the ACNC.
If your charity is an incorporated association you will still have to notify your state or territory regulator for incorporated associations (such as a fair trading or consumer affairs agency). Find out more about ASIC and other regulators.
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