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How do I know if a UK charity is financially transparent?

In short: Check that it files accounts on time, publishes a clear trustees’ annual report, and shows cause spend, fundraising costs and reserves. On CharityCompare, Clarity Score — especially Accountability & Transparency — is a filing-based transparency rating. Registration shows the charity exists; open filings show it accounts for money clearly.

Data from CharityCompare editorial, last updated .

Financial transparency for a UK charity means you can see the money trail in regulator filings, not only in an appeal video.

Practical checklist:

  1. Confirm the charity number.
  2. Check filing dates on the Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI register.
  3. Read cause spend, fundraising cost and reserves on the CharityCompare profile.
  4. Skim the trustees’ annual report for explanations of odd figures.

Clarity Score summarises stewardship on paper. It is not an impact score and not a user-review rating.

Related questions

Look up any UK charity's free Clarity Score from regulator filings.

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