---
title: "Plan International UK rating & legitimacy | CharityCompare"
description: "Is Plan International UK a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 76/100. Accounts 2025: income £62m · 86% on charitable activities. Reg 276035."
source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/plan-international-uk
retrieved: 2026-08-18T01:35:05.875Z
license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0"
---

Quick answer

## Is Plan International UK a good charity?

Plan International UK scores 76/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£62m total income, 86% of spending on charitable activities). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

London · UK-wide · EC1Y 8QE |
Reg [276035](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/plan-international-uk) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.plan-uk.org/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/276035)

Donate

## How can you give to PLAN INTERNATIONAL UK?

You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official PLAN INTERNATIONAL UK form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.

[Donate](https://www.plan-uk.org/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=276035)

## What does Plan International UK do?

Plan International UK is a registered charity (no. 276035) working in international aid across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 86% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 3 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been broadly stable over recent years. CharityCompare's Clarity Score rates the organisation only from public Charity Commission accounts — accountability, financial health, efficiency and community support — not the quality or impact of its programmes.

Summarised from public filings — Plan International UK hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=plan-international-uk)

**In short:** PLAN INTERNATIONAL UK scores 76 out of 100 (4 stars). 86% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

## What is Plan International UK?

Plan International UK has a Clarity Score of 76 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 276035. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: International aid. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £62m, with 86% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 3 months of operating costs. No major red flags from our filing review. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026.

Overall score

76/100

4★ · Good

Cause spend

86%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£62m

Latest year 2025

Reserves

3 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£7.5 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) ·
14% overhead · Website on register ·
Confidence: high

## How does PLAN INTERNATIONAL UK compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers PLAN INTERNATIONAL UK scores higher than.

Income band (£10m+)43rdpercentile

**Scores higher than 43% of 943 charities in its income band** · 76/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).

International aid charities53rdpercentile

**Scores higher than 53% of 618 charities in this cause** · 76/100 vs 75 peer average (marker).

## How reliable is Plan International UK's data?

Source

Charity Commission (England & Wales)

Accounts year

2025

Filing date

24 June 2026

Profile reviewed

17 July 2026

High confidence — complete filing data

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Clarity Score measures how clearly the charity accounts for money in those filings — not programme impact.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources:
[Charity Commission for England and Wales](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/),
[Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator](https://www.oscr.org.uk/) and
[Charity Commission for Northern Ireland](https://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/).
[Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/).

## What is Plan International UK'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
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Filing history (5 years) 100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts. | 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% | 15 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.

60/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 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. | 10% | 1/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 40% | 33% · 2/5 pts |

### Financial Efficiency

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

90/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 90% | 86% · 9/10 pts (3-year average) |
| Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 90% | 13p per £1 income · 9/10 pts (3-year average) |

### Community Support

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

0/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 0% | 12 volunteers / 244 staff · 0/10 pts |

[How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

## What is Plan International UK's Clarity Score?

76/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 stars

Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.

100/100

Accountability & Transparency

60/100

Financial Health

90/100

Financial Efficiency

0/100

Community Support

### Accountability & Transparency

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

100/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts

Trustee oversight15 trustees · 15/15 pts

Declared policies10/10 pts

### Financial Health

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

60/100

Reserves (months of cash)3 months · 15/15 pts

Income stability / growth1/10 pts · 3-year average

Liabilities to assets33% · 2/5 pts

### Financial Efficiency

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

90/100

Program expense ratio86% · 9/10 pts (3-year average)

Fundraising efficiency13p per £1 income · 9/10 pts (3-year average)

### Community Support

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

0/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio12 volunteers / 244 staff · 0/10 pts

## How much does Plan International UK raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total income | £62m | — |
| Total expenditure | £62m | — |
| Charitable activities | £52m | 84% |
| Fundraising | £9.8m | 16% |
| Governance & admin | £191k | 0% |

84%On charitable activities

## Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £62m spent

- Charitable activities84% · £52m
- Fundraising16% · £9.8m
- Governance0% · £191k

## What trust indicators does Plan International UK have?

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

- ✓ Accounts filed on time

up to date · last filing 24 June 2026

- — Trustee board size (3–12)

15 trustees on the Charity Commission register

- ✓ Workforce on register

244 employees · 12 volunteers (0:1 volunteer-to-staff)

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

[Check Fundraising Regulator →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/)

Official register

Reg 276035

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

[View on Charity Commission →](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/276035)

### Trustees & officers

- Meredith Niles since 2017
- Beverley Tew since 2019
- Emily Kate Middleton since 2019
- John Andrew Kerr since 2019
- Minal Shah since 2023
- Marie-France van Heel since 2023
- Sarah Ansah since 2023
- Cathy Ann Riley since 2024
- Michael Connelly Anderson since 2024
- Dr Nanna Chidi-Emmanuel since 2024
- Baroness Elizabeth Grace Sugg Chair · since 2025
- JOHN WILLIAM GOOD since 2025

100
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 →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/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.

## How have Plan International UK's finances changed over five years?

- Income
- Spending
- Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Cause spend plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission accounts

## What are the key facts about Plan International UK?

Overall score

76/100 (4★)

Income

£62m

Cause spend

86% of expenditure

Reg number

276035

Scope

UK-wide

Reserves

3 months

Trustees

15

Accounts year

2025

Filing

up to date

## How does PLAN INTERNATIONAL UK compare, and where else can you look?

[Compare PLAN INTERNATIONAL UK with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=plan-international-uk) [More international aid charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/international) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

### Where PLAN INTERNATIONAL UK sits

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

- [international charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/international)
- [poverty charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty)
- [human rights charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/human-rights)
- [health charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/health)
- [Charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/london)
- [international charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/international/london)

### Similar international aid charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

- [THE ZAHRA TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-zahra-trust) 100/100 · £5.9m
- [ORISON CHARITABLE TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/orison-charitable-trust) 100/100 · £2.8m
- [HELP THE NEEDY CHARITABLE TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/help-the-needy-charitable-trust) 100/100 · £2.6m
- [MAJLIS ANSARULLAH (UK) LTD](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/majlis-ansarullah-uk-ltd) 100/100 · £1.9m

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## Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Plan International UK's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Plan International UK a good charity? + Plan International UK scores 76 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 86% of its spending goes to charitable activities 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 Plan International UK a legitimate charity? + Yes — Plan International UK is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 276035). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/276035. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Plan International UK's charity number? + Plan International UK's charity number is 276035. 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 Plan International UK's charity rating? + Plan International UK scores 76 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars — Good). The Clarity Score V1 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 Plan International UK have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Plan International UK. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts. For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.

How much of my donation reaches Plan International UK? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 86% of Plan International UK'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 Plan International UK's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 13% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 14% of total expenditure at Plan International UK. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Plan International UK's chief executive is paid — where disclosure rules apply, senior pay appears in the trustees' annual report on the Charity Commission register.

How much income does Plan International UK receive? + Plan International UK reported £62m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable.

Are Plan International UK's accounts up to date? + Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is Plan International UK based? + Plan International UK is listed at London · UK-wide · EC1Y 8QE and operates UK-wide, focused on international aid.

How does CharityCompare score Plan International UK? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Plan International UK'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 17 July 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and Plan International UK'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.