The Charity Commission has published a new study finding that only around half of charity accounts reviewed met the regulator’s external scrutiny benchmark.
296 charities were assessed against a new external scrutiny benchmark developed by the Charity Commission to determine whether a minimum standard of scrutiny by auditors and independent examiners has been met.
The benchmark is about ensuring that the basic requirements have been met, making the findings particularly concerning.
The Government policy paper, against which the charities were being examined is entitled ‘A benchmark for the external scrutiny of charity accounts’ and can be found here.
The Government has also published guidance on independent examination of charity accounts which can be found here.
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