--- title: "The Royal British Legion charity rating | CharityCompare" description: "Is The Royal British Legion a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 84/100. Accounts 2024: income £161m · 73% on charitable activities. Reg 219279." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-royal-british-legion retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:51:12.743Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is The Royal British Legion a good charity? The Royal British Legion scores 84/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£161m total income, 73% 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 · SE1 1AA | Reg [219279](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-royal-british-legion) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/219279) Donate ## How can you give to THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=219279) ## What does The Royal British Legion do? The Royal British Legion is a registered charity (no. 219279) working in armed forces across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 73% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 7 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 Royal British Legion hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=the-royal-british-legion) **In short:** THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION scores 84 out of 100 (4 stars). 73% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns. ## What is The Royal British Legion? The Royal British Legion has a Clarity Score of 84 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 219279. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Armed forces. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £161m, with 73% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 7 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026. Overall score 84/100 4★ · Good Cause spend 73% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 100/100 Finance beacon Income £161m Latest year 2024 Reserves 7 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission £3.4 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 28% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION scores higher than. Income band (£10m+)72ndpercentile **Scores higher than 72% of 943 charities in its income band** · 84/100 vs 77 peer average (marker). Armed forces charities76thpercentile **Scores higher than 76% of 84 charities in this cause** · 84/100 vs 74 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is The Royal British Legion's data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2024 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 The Royal British Legion'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% | 16 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 | 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% | 7 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. | 60% | 6/10 pts · 3-year average | | Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 80% | 7% · 4/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 45/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 60% | 73% · 6/10 pts (3-year average) | | Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 30% | 30p per £1 income · 3/10 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% | 55,000 volunteers / 1774 staff · 10/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is The Royal British Legion's Clarity Score? 84/100 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 83/100 Financial Health 45/100 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 oversight16 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies10/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 83/100 Reserves (months of cash)7 months · 15/15 pts Income stability / growth6/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets7% · 4/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 45/100 Program expense ratio73% · 6/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency30p per £1 income · 3/10 pts (3-year average) ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 100/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio55,000 volunteers / 1774 staff · 10/10 pts ## How much does The Royal British Legion raise and spend? Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £161m | — | | Total expenditure | £174m | — | | Charitable activities | £126m | 72% | | Fundraising | £48m | 28% | | Governance & admin | £910k | 1% | 72%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2024) · £174m spent - Charitable activities72% · £126m - Fundraising28% · £48m - Governance1% · £910k ## What trust indicators does The Royal British Legion 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) 16 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 1774 employees · 55,000 volunteers (31:1 volunteer-to-staff) Fundraising Regulator Not listed as member 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 219279 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/219279) ### Trustees & officers - ELIZABETH BUTLER since 2018 - DEBBIE SORKIN MA MBA since 2018 - PAUL HARRIS since 2025 - Helen Owen since 2020 - Monica Risam since 2020 - Lynda Atkins DL Chair · since 2025 - James Lambert since 2023 - Philip Davies since 2023 - Steven Lee since 2023 - Paul Astruc since 2023 - Jan Buxton since 2024 - Major James Sibbald 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 The Royal British Legion'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 The Royal British Legion? Overall score 84/100 (4★) Income £161m Cause spend 73% of expenditure Reg number 219279 Scope UK-wide Reserves 7 months Trustees 16 Accounts year 2024 Filing up to date ## How does THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION compare, and where else can you look? [Compare THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=the-royal-british-legion) [More armed forces charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/armed-forces) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [armed forces charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/armed-forces) - [poverty charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty) - [homelessness charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/homelessness) - [disability charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/disability) - [Charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/london) - [armed forces charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/armed-forces/london) ### Similar armed forces charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [ROYAL NAVAL SAILING ASSOCIATION](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/royal-naval-sailing-association) 99/100 · £782k - [THE ROYAL AIR FORCES ASSOCIATION - CORPORATE BODY](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-royal-air-forces-association-corporate-body) 98/100 · £22m - [ARMY FLYING MUSEUM LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/army-flying-museum-limited) 96/100 · £1.3m - [CARE OF POLICE SURVIVORS](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/care-of-police-survivors) 93/100 · £661k ## How can you share The Royal British Legion's rating? 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Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our [methodology](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). BadgeScore widget [♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 84/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-royal-british-legion) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 84/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does The Royal British Legion have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about The Royal British Legion's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is The Royal British Legion a good charity? + The Royal British Legion scores 84 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 73% 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 Royal British Legion a legitimate charity? + Yes — The Royal British Legion is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 219279). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/219279. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is The Royal British Legion's charity number? + The Royal British Legion's charity number is 219279. 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 Royal British Legion's charity rating? + The Royal British Legion scores 84 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 The Royal British Legion have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Royal British Legion. 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 Royal British Legion? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, 73% of The Royal British Legion'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 Royal British Legion's overheads? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 27% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 28% of total expenditure at The Royal British Legion. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Royal British Legion'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 Royal British Legion receive? + The Royal British Legion reported £161m total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable. Are The Royal British Legion'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 Royal British Legion based? + The Royal British Legion is listed at London · UK-wide · SE1 1AA and operates UK-wide, focused on armed forces. How does CharityCompare score The Royal British Legion? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Royal British Legion'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 Royal British Legion'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.