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The Army Dependants' Trust

Charity rating & review

62/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
62 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Quick answer

Is The Army Dependants' Trust a good charity?

The Army Dependants' Trust scores 62/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£2.1m total income, 98% 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.

Torquay · UK-wide · TQ5 8TA Reg 1064522 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does The Army Dependants' Trust do?

The Army Dependants' Trust is a registered charity (no. 1064522) working in armed forces across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 98% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 176 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 — The Army Dependants' Trust hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: THE ARMY DEPENDANTS' TRUST scores 62 out of 100 (3 stars). 98% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

What is The Army Dependants' Trust?

The Army Dependants' Trust has a Clarity Score of 62 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1064522. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Armed forces. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £2.1m, with 98% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 176 months of operating costs. 1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Overall score

62/100

3★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

98%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

75/100

Finance beacon

Income

£2.1m

Latest year 2024

Reserves

176 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£54.4 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 3% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How does THE ARMY DEPENDANTS' TRUST compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE ARMY DEPENDANTS' TRUST scores higher than.

Income band (£1m–£5m)12thpercentile

Scores higher than 12% of 2,776 charities in its income band · 62/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

Armed forces charities21stpercentile

Scores higher than 21% of 84 charities in this cause · 62/100 vs 74 peer average (marker).

How reliable is The Army Dependants' Trust's data?

Source
Charity Commission (England & Wales)
Accounts year
2024
Filing date
Profile reviewed

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, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Open Government Licence v3.0 .

What is The Army Dependants' Trust'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.

75/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for THE ARMY DEPENDANTS' TRUST
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% 8 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

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

0% 0/10 pts

Financial Health

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

40/100

Financial Health metrics for THE ARMY DEPENDANTS' TRUST
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

0% 176 months · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth

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

70% 7/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

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

100% 0% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for THE ARMY DEPENDANTS' TRUST
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 98% · 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% 2p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

0/100

Community Support metrics for THE ARMY DEPENDANTS' TRUST
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

0% Not reported · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

What is The Army Dependants' Trust's Clarity Score?

62/100 total · Needs improvement · 3 of 5 stars

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

75/100
Accountability & Transparency
40/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
0/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

75/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight8 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies0/10 pts

Financial Health

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

40/100

Reserves (months of cash)176 months · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth7/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets0% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio98% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency2p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

0/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratioNot reported · 0/10 pts

How much does The Army Dependants' Trust raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings

THE ARMY DEPENDANTS' TRUST revenue and expenses for 2024
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £2.1m
Total expenditure £2.0m
Charitable activities £2.0m 98%
Fundraising £44k 2%
Governance & admin £22k 1%
98%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2024) · £2.0m spent

  • Charitable activities98%
  • Fundraising2%
  • Governance1%

What trust indicators does The Army Dependants' Trust 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)

    8 trustees on the Charity Commission register

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

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

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 1064522

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • BRIGADIER CHRISTOPHER COLES CBE since 2017
  • Colonel Newton Astbury since 2016
  • Colonel Michael SYKES OBE since 2017
  • Brian Alvin since 2017
  • Brigadier Melissa Emmett MBE since 2024
  • Christopher Palmer OBE since 2024
  • Nikki Peterson since 2024
  • Maj Gen Jonathan Chestnutt CBE Chair · since 2026
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.

How have The Army Dependants' Trust's finances changed over five years?

£0k £600k £1200k £1800k £2400k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £1,846k Spending 2020: £1,825k Cause spend 2020: £1,802k Income 2021: £1,910k Spending 2021: £1,093k Cause spend 2021: £1,069k Income 2022: £1,960k Spending 2022: £2,019k Cause spend 2022: £1,990k Income 2023: £2,054k Spending 2023: £1,841k Cause spend 2023: £1,801k Income 2024: £2,103k Spending 2024: £2,025k Cause spend 2024: £1,981k
  • 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 The Army Dependants' Trust?

Overall score
62/100 (3★)
Income
£2.1m
Cause spend
98% of expenditure
Reg number
1064522
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
176 months
Trustees
8
Accounts year
2024
Filing
up to date

Where THE ARMY DEPENDANTS' TRUST sits

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

Similar armed forces charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

How can you share The Army Dependants' Trust's rating?

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How do you add The Army Dependants' Trust's rating to your site?

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What red flags does The Army Dependants' Trust have?

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about The Army Dependants' Trust's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is The Army Dependants' Trust a good charity? +

The Army Dependants' Trust scores 62 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 98% 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 The Army Dependants' Trust a legitimate charity? +

Yes — The Army Dependants' Trust is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1064522). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1064522. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is The Army Dependants' Trust's charity number? +

The Army Dependants' Trust's charity number is 1064522. 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 The Army Dependants' Trust's charity rating? +

The Army Dependants' Trust scores 62 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Needs improvement). 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 The Army Dependants' Trust have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Army Dependants' Trust. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (1 filing concern(s) noted 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 The Army Dependants' Trust? +

According to its 2024 regulator filing, 98% of The Army Dependants' Trust'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 The Army Dependants' Trust's overheads? +

According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 2% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 3% of total expenditure at The Army Dependants' Trust. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Army Dependants' Trust'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 The Army Dependants' Trust receive? +

The Army Dependants' Trust reported £2.1m total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable.

Are The Army Dependants' Trust'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 The Army Dependants' Trust based? +

The Army Dependants' Trust is listed at Torquay · UK-wide · TQ5 8TA and operates UK-wide, focused on armed forces.

How does CharityCompare score The Army Dependants' Trust? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Army Dependants' Trust'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 The Army Dependants' Trust's most recent accounts cover 2024. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.