--- title: "Samaritans — charity rating & review | CharityCompare" description: "Is Samaritans a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 90/100. Accounts 2025: income £28m · 77% on charitable activities. Reg 219432." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/samaritans retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:36:25.309Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Samaritans a good charity? Samaritans scores 90/100 (5 stars, Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£28m total income, 77% 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 · KT17 2AF | Reg [219432](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/samaritans) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.samaritans.org/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/219432) Donate ## How can you give to SAMARITANS? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official SAMARITANS form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.samaritans.org/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=219432) ## What does Samaritans do? Samaritans is a registered charity (no. 219432) working in mental health across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 77% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 5 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 — Samaritans hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=samaritans) **In short:** SAMARITANS scores 90 out of 100 (5 stars). 77% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns. ## What is Samaritans? Samaritans has a Clarity Score of 90 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 219432. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Mental health. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £28m, with 77% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 5 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 90/100 5★ · Exceptional Cause spend 77% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 100/100 Finance beacon Income £28m Latest year 2025 Reserves 5 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission £4.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 25% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does SAMARITANS compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers SAMARITANS scores higher than. Income band (£10m+)91stpercentile **Scores higher than 91% of 943 charities in its income band** · 90/100 vs 77 peer average (marker). Mental health charities87thpercentile **Scores higher than 87% of 46 charities in this cause** · 90/100 vs 80 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Samaritans'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 Samaritans'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. 93/100 | 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% | 5 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. | 90% | 9/10 pts · 3-year average | | Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 80% | 13% · 4/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 60/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 70% | 77% · 7/10 pts (3-year average) | | Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 50% | 25p per £1 income · 5/10 pts (3-year average) | ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 100/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 100% | 23,000 volunteers / 328 staff · 10/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Samaritans's Clarity Score? 90/100 total · Exceptional · 5 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 100/100 Accountability & Transparency 93/100 Financial Health 60/100 Financial Efficiency 100/100 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. 93/100 Reserves (months of cash)5 months · 15/15 pts Income stability / growth9/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets13% · 4/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 60/100 Program expense ratio77% · 7/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency25p per £1 income · 5/10 pts (3-year average) ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 100/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio23,000 volunteers / 328 staff · 10/10 pts ## How much does Samaritans raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £28m | — | | Total expenditure | £28m | — | | Charitable activities | £21m | 76% | | Fundraising | £6.7m | 24% | | Governance & admin | £499k | 2% | 76%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £28m spent - Charitable activities76% · £21m - Fundraising24% · £6.7m - Governance2% · £499k ## What trust indicators does Samaritans 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 328 employees · 23,000 volunteers (70:1 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 219432 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/219432) ### Trustees & officers - Philip Charles John William Cliff since 2019 - Keith Leslie since 2021 - Hester Mary Wain since 2021 - Dr Anushtayini Sivananthan since 2021 - Annie Kent since 2021 - Amanda Millar since 2022 - Andrew Donnell since 2022 - Richard Bartlett since 2023 - John Drew since 2023 - Ella Mae Harriet Dorfman since 2025 - Dr Rosie Jane Allister since 2025 - Christopher Knight since 2026 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 Samaritans'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 Samaritans? Overall score 90/100 (5★) Income £28m Cause spend 77% of expenditure Reg number 219432 Scope UK-wide Reserves 5 months Trustees 15 Accounts year 2025 Filing up to date ## How does SAMARITANS compare, and where else can you look? [Compare SAMARITANS with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=samaritans) [More mental health charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/mental-health) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where SAMARITANS sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [mental health charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/mental-health) - [health charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/health) - [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) - [Charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/london) - [mental health charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/mental-health/london) ### Similar mental health charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [CENTRAL LONDON SAMARITANS](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/central-london-samaritans) 100/100 · £4.5m - [MONEY AND MENTAL HEALTH POLICY INSTITUTE](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/money-and-mental-health-policy-institute) 98/100 · £1.1m - [SUICIDE & CO](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/suicide-co) 94/100 · £826k - [SPORT IN MIND](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/sport-in-mind) 93/100 · £1.0m ## How can you share Samaritans's rating? 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BadgeScore widget [♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 90/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/samaritans) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 90/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Samaritans's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Samaritans a good charity? + Samaritans scores 90 out of 100 (5 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 77% 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 Samaritans a legitimate charity? + Yes — Samaritans is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 219432). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/219432. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Samaritans's charity number? + Samaritans's charity number is 219432. 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 Samaritans's charity rating? + Samaritans scores 90 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars — Exceptional). 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 Samaritans have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Samaritans. 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 Samaritans? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 77% of Samaritans'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 Samaritans's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 23% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 25% of total expenditure at Samaritans. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Samaritans'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 Samaritans receive? + Samaritans reported £28m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable. Are Samaritans'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 Samaritans based? + Samaritans is listed at London · UK-wide · KT17 2AF and operates UK-wide, focused on mental health. How does CharityCompare score Samaritans? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Samaritans'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 Samaritans'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.