Parochial Church Council – Charitable Status
Each Parochial Church Council in England is a separate charity in its own right. They are excepted from registration with the Charity Commission through the Charities (Exception from Registration) Regulations, recently updated to extend the exception to 2031. The exception includes all PCCs within the Church of England whose income is less than £100,000. They are not yet able to accept voluntary registration either.
This means that although each PCC is a charity and needs to comply with laws pertaining to charities, they do not have to register with the Charity Commission, nor meet the administrative tasks that come with that registration.
On the website Parish Resources, they have a frequently asked questions section which addresses charitable status. You can find this at;
https://www.parishresources.org.uk/pccs/frequently-asked-questions/
Proof of Charity Status
Churches often report difficulty when they need a charity registration number to access some services. Some quote their HMRC gift aid reference number ( which usually begins with a "x") and make it clear that this is the number that they are quoting. Other organisations will accept proof of excepted charity status from the certificate that can be downloaded via your own profile page on the A Church Near You website.
To download your church's certificate follow the instructions below:
- Find your church's profile page on the A Church Near You website
- Scroll down the left hand menu and click on the "More Information" tab.
- Scroll down to to the bottom of the "More Information" page and complete a registration form to receive your certificate.