SORP 2026 for small charities

The new Charities SORP applies to accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2026, so a charity with a 31 December year end prepares its first set of SORP 2026 accounts for the year ending 31 December 2026.

For small charities, the main change is the new three-tier structure:

• Tier 1: income up to £500,000
• Tier 2: income from £500,000 to £15 million
• Tier 3: income above £15 million

Most small charities sit in Tier 1, which carries the lightest reporting requirements, although some Tier 1 charities will find a few new disclosures they didn't have before.

If your charity is not a company and prepares receipts and payments accounts, SORP doesn't apply to you at all.

It is worth a conversation with your independent examiner before the year end rather than after it.

General guidance, not legal advice.