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International aid · Reg 216647

International Bible Students Association

95 /100

Clarity score

Exceptional

Charity accounts, evidence & financial rating

95/100 Clarity Score · 5 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Register checked 4 October 2026 · latest accounts 2025

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Quick answer

Is International Bible Students Association a good charity?

International Bible Students Association scores 95/100 (5 stars, Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£41m total income, 100% cause spend, 3-yr avg). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Income

£41m

Accounts 2025-08-31

Spending

£37m

Accounts 2025-08-31

Charitable activities

100%

3-yr avg · share of spending

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

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Chelmsford · UK-wide · CM2 8FW Reg 216647 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does International Bible Students Association do?

Provide serviced facilities to support religious activity of Jehovah's Witnesses. Arrange for venues to host conventions for Bible education. Pay expenses for and take care of living arrangements for members of the Worldwide Order of Special Full-Time Servants of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Activities reported by the charity on the official register · extract . This is separate from the accounts data used for its rating.

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How much does International Bible Students Association raise and spend?

Accounts period 2024-09-01 to 2025-08-31 · Source: Charity Commission filings

International Bible Students Association revenue and expenses for 2025
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £41m —
Total expenditure £37m —
Charitable activities £37m 100%
Fundraising £0 0%
Reported governance £43k 0%

Governance can already be allocated within other expenditure categories. It is not a separate measure of all administration costs; do not add these rows without checking the accounts notes.

What changed in International Bible Students Association’s latest accounts?

Reported totals for 2025 compared with 2024. Changes can reflect the accounting period, restricted grants or restructuring as well as the charity’s work.

Income change
−18.9%
£50m → £41m
Spending change
−36.4%
£58m → £37m
Charitable activities share
+0.0 pp
100% → 100% · percentage points

These are annual figures. The Clarity Score may use averages across several disclosed years. Source: official accounts.

100%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £37m spent

  • Charitable activities100%

Charities usually allocate governance costs across their other spending categories, and these reported figures add up to more than total spending, so governance is not drawn as a separate slice. The accounts table shows it separately.

From the annual return

What does International Bible Students Association pay its staff, and where does its money come from?

Answers International Bible Students Association gave in its annual return to the Charity Commission for the year ending 31 August 2025, plus its register entry. These are the charity's own disclosures, not part of the Clarity Score.

Where does International Bible Students Association's money come from?

International Bible Students Association reported £41m total income for the year ending 31 August 2025. The largest sources were donations and legacies £40m (98%), other income £878k (2%), investments £96k (0%). Legacies (gifts in wills) contributed £7.8m.

  • Donations and legacies £40m · 98%
  • Other income £878k · 2%
  • Investments £96k · 0%

Cash at year end: £2.9m · unrestricted funds: £165m · restricted funds: £0. Restricted funds can only be spent on purposes set by the donor.

Can I claim Gift Aid, and are the trustees paid?

The register records International Bible Students Association as registered with HMRC for Gift Aid, so a UK taxpayer can usually add 25p to every £1 they give by making a Gift Aid declaration. Work out your Gift Aid

International Bible Students Association's annual return for the year ending 31 August 2025 reports that one or more trustees received payments or other benefits. Charity law allows this only in limited circumstances; the trustees' annual report should explain it.

Registration details

Registered as a charity
Company number
00136726 (Companies House)
Where it says it operates
Throughout England and Wales · Scotland · Northern Ireland

Source: Charity Commission register and annual return data, Open Government Licence v3.0. A blank answer in the return is shown as not reported, never as “no”.

How have International Bible Students Association's finances changed over five years?

Income fell 43% from £72m in 2021 to £41m in 2025; spending was £37m in 2025.

£0 £20m £40m £60m £80m 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £72m Spending 2021: £76m Cause spend 2021: £76m Income 2022: £63m Spending 2022: £49m Cause spend 2022: £49m Income 2023: £40m Spending 2023: £44m Cause spend 2023: £44m Income 2024: £50m Spending 2024: £58m Cause spend 2024: £58m Income 2025: £41m Spending 2025: £37m Cause spend 2025: £37m
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend
International Bible Students Association income and spending by accounts year
Year Income Spending Charitable activities
2025 £41m £37m £37m
2024 £50m £58m £58m
2023 £40m £44m £44m
2022 £63m £49m £49m
2021 £72m £76m £76m

Cause spend is plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission filings

Financial context

How do its finances compare with similar charities?

Compare International Bible Students Association with 61 other international aid charities in our detailed dataset: the same regulator, £10m+ income band and accounts ending in 2025. Each period covers 50–54 weeks. These are reference points, not targets or a ranking of impact.

Swipe across the table to see the peer median and coverage.

Latest annual figures, accounts ending 2025-08-31. Peer medians exclude this charity; the median is the middle value.
MeasureThis charityPeer medianPeer coverage
Annual income £41m £24m 61 of 61
Annual spending £37m £27m 61 of 61
Charitable activities share 100.0% 92.8% 60 of 61

The annual spending share can differ from the multi-year average shown elsewhere. Missing disclosures are excluded, never counted as zero. We show a median only with at least ten peer disclosures. Different year-end months, restricted funding and delivery models can still limit comparisons.

How peers are selected Check this charity’s source accounts Choose between similar charities

How does International Bible Students Association compare?

The share of each group scoring at or below International Bible Students Association, including tied scores. A group matched on cause, income band and accounts year appears when at least ten records qualify. Broader groups below may mix reporting periods and operating models. Groups include this charity; percentiles measure our financial rating, not impact.

Same cause, income band and accounts year (2025) 98thpercentile

Scores at or above 98% of 63 charities with the same primary cause, income band and latest accounts year · 95/100 vs 77 peer average.

Income band (£10m+) 98thpercentile

Scores at or above 98% of 930 charities in its income band · 95/100 vs 77 peer average.

International aid charities 95thpercentile

Scores at or above 95% of 614 charities in this cause · 95/100 vs 73 peer average.

How does International Bible Students Association compare, and where else can you look?

Compare International Bible Students Association with others More international aid charities How we score charities

Where International Bible Students Association sits

The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.

Similar international aid charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

Evidence and interpretation

What the evidence says about International Bible Students Association

In 2025, reported income was £40,581,061 and expenditure was £36,770,107. Income exceeded expenditure by £3,810,954. This annual balance is not the charity’s available cash or unrestricted reserves.

More financial context

Income fell 18.9% compared with 2024. Read the accounts notes for restricted grants, legacies and one-off receipts before treating the movement as a trend.

Calculated from our dated accounts dataset, refreshed 2026-09-06. This is not an audit or a manual review of every filing. Original register and accounts · How calculations work.

Find the right support

Who it supports and how to access its work

Reported beneficiaries: Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies; The General Public/mankind.

How it works: Provides Human Resources; Provides Buildings/facilities/open Space; Provides Services.

Use the official contact details to check eligibility, referrals, waiting lists and current service coverage. Broad register classifications and a contact address do not confirm that a particular service is available to you.

Explore source-checked support routes

Classifications supplied to the register; extract 2026-10-04. Register contact and activity details · Website listed for this charity

Look beyond the score

Results and impact evidence

We have not added a source-checked programme outcome for this charity. That is a gap in this profile, not evidence that the charity has no impact. Its annual report may contain results that have not been assessed here.

Reported grants to institutions: £0 (2025-08-31). This is spending reported in the annual return, not a measure of beneficiary outcomes or an open grant opportunity. It may already be included in charitable expenditure. Check the source accounts.

What these results can tell you

Counts of services delivered describe activity. They do not by themselves establish lasting change, what would have happened without the programme, or cost-effectiveness. Results with different definitions, populations or years should not be ranked against each other.

How to judge charity impact evidence

What is International Bible Students Association's Beacon report?

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from UK regulator filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for International Bible Students Association
Metric Score Value
Filing history (5 years)

No recorded lateness in available history = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more or unknown status = 0 pts. Missing data is not proof of late filing.

 100% 15/15 pts
Trustee oversight

Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three).

 100% 7 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return.

 100% 10/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

83/100

Financial Health metrics for International Bible Students Association
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of expenditure)

3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years = 0 pts. Reserves are not necessarily cash; needs vary by operating model.

 100% 3 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth

+20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between.

 50% 5/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt.

 100% 4% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for International Bible Students Association
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below.

 100% 100% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income).

 100% 0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average, disclosed years)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

100/100

Community Support metrics for International Bible Students Association
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between.

 100% 300 volunteers / 0 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

What trust indicators does International Bible Students Association have?

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    7 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    0 employees · 300 volunteers

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

Separate from our financial scores. Registration records a commitment to the Code of Fundraising Practice; it does not certify every fundraising activity.

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 216647

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Karl William Snaith since 2015
  • Jonathan Manley since 2017
  • Stephen Charles Hale Symonds since 2018
  • Andrew Paul Sutton since 2021
  • Michael Simpson since 2021
  • Steve Winston Sylvester since 2025
  • Paul Stephen Norton since 2025

How reliable is International Bible Students Association's data?

Source
Charity Commission (England & Wales)
Accounts year
2025
Filing date
Data refreshed

High confidence — complete filing data

Scores reflect the accounts in our dated data extract. The live register may contain newer filings. Clarity Score measures how clearly the charity accounts for money in those filings — not programme impact.

Check the current register entry · Report a data correction

Financial source extract: 2026-09-06. Organisation identifier: 216647. Method version: 1.1. View method changes.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Open Government Licence v3.0 .

Your donation decision

What should you check before donating to International Bible Students Association?

  1. 1. Match the name and charity number

    Check 216647 on the official register. A real charity number alone does not prove that a fundraiser or appeal is authentic.

    Verify the registration →

  2. 2. Read the accounts in context

    Our latest accounts data covers 2025. Compare the accounts period, spending and reserves. An administration cost ratio alone cannot tell you how effective a charity is.

    Explore the financial evidence →

  3. 3. Look for evidence of results

    Read the trustees’ annual report for activities, outcomes and limitations. The Clarity Score measures public reporting; it does not establish the impact of a donation.

    How to read charity accounts →

  4. 4. Compare charities serving your cause

    Compare up to four charities, check the dates behind their figures, and decide which work you want to support. Complete your donation through a verified charity channel.

    Start a comparison with International Bible Students Association →
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

Full methodology →

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below).

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated.

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about International Bible Students Association's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is International Bible Students Association a good charity? +

International Bible Students Association scores 95 out of 100 (5 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 100% of its spending goes to charitable activities (3-yr avg) and its accounts are up to date. That reflects how transparent and financially healthy it looks on paper — it does not measure the real-world impact of its work, so treat it as one factor alongside the cause you care about. CharityCompare never tells you where to donate.

Is International Bible Students Association a legitimate charity? +

The register data used for this profile lists International Bible Students Association as a registered charity (charity number 216647). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regId=216647&subId=0. Check the current entry and the identity of anyone requesting money. Registration does not verify a particular appeal; Clarity Score summarises filing transparency, not programme impact.

What is International Bible Students Association's charity number? +

International Bible Students Association's charity number is 216647. Check that number on the official register (Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI) or this CharityCompare profile before you donate — scammers sometimes reuse real numbers on fake appeals.

What is International Bible Students Association's charity rating? +

International Bible Students Association scores 95 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars — Exceptional). The Clarity Score (method v1.1) sums four pillars from UK regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). Stars use the same bands as those labels — 90+ is 5★ Exceptional. It is not an impact ranking.

Does International Bible Students Association have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for International Bible Students Association. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (none flagged on this profile). For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.

How much of my donation reaches International Bible Students Association? +

Across the recent disclosed accounts used for this score, 100% of International Bible Students Association's total spending went to charitable activities (3-yr avg across disclosed years). That is the closest official figure to "how much of your donation reaches the cause" — it is an average across all spending in the filing, not a pound-by-pound breakdown of an individual gift.

What are International Bible Students Association's overheads? +

Across the recent disclosed accounts used for this score, fundraising costs were about 0% of total expenditure and fundraising plus separately reported governance figures amount to about 0% of expenditure (2023–2025, disclosed years); these categories can overlap, so this is not a distinct total of all administration costs at International Bible Students Association. The register does not show individual salaries; senior pay is disclosed in the trustees' annual report and accounts.

How much income does International Bible Students Association receive? +

International Bible Students Association reported £41m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: declining.

Are International Bible Students Association's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-08). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is International Bible Students Association based? +

International Bible Students Association's registered contact address is in Chelmsford (CM2 8FW). It tells the regulator it operates in England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, with a focus on international aid.

Where does International Bible Students Association's money come from? +

International Bible Students Association reported £41m total income for the year ending 31 August 2025. The largest sources were donations and legacies £40m (98%), other income £878k (2%), investments £96k (0%). Legacies (gifts in wills) contributed £7.8m.

Can I claim Gift Aid on a donation to International Bible Students Association? +

The register records International Bible Students Association as registered with HMRC for Gift Aid, so a UK taxpayer can usually add 25p to every £1 they give by making a Gift Aid declaration.

Are International Bible Students Association's trustees paid? +

International Bible Students Association's annual return for the year ending 31 August 2025 reports that one or more trustees received payments or other benefits. Charity law allows this only in limited circumstances; the trustees' annual report should explain it.

When was International Bible Students Association registered as a charity? +

International Bible Students Association was entered on the register on 18 November 1964. It is also a company registered at Companies House (company number 00136726).

How does CharityCompare score International Bible Students Association? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in International Bible Students Association's regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 points — filing history, trustees, policies), Financial Health (30 — reserves, income trend, debt), Financial Efficiency (20 — cause spend and fundraising cost, on a graduated scale) and Community Support (10 — volunteer-to-staff ratio). An open statutory inquiry scores 0. The score measures reporting on paper, not programme impact. CharityCompare is free for donors, takes no commission on donations, and scores cannot be bought.

How often is this page updated? +

This profile was last updated on 6 September 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and International Bible Students Association's most recent accounts cover 2025. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.