Registered charities are required to keep financial and operational records. This page provides examples of the types of records a charity may need to keep.
This is a non-exhaustive list. We encourage charities to keep any additional records relating to financial and operational matter.
See our guidance for more information about charity record-keeping.
Financial records
A financial record explains your charity’s financial activities (transactions), and financial position and performance.
Examples of financial records include:
- general account books – including general journal and general and subsidiary ledgers
- cash book records – including receipts and payments
- account information – including GST and Business Activity Statements (BAS), accounting records, balance sheets, and profit and loss statements
- banking records – including bank and credit card statements, deposit books, cheque butts and bank reconciliations
- creditors’ records – including creditors ledger, invoices and paid bills
- debtors’ records – including debtors ledger, invoices and receipts
- details of any contracts – including service agreements, office equipment leases, property rental agreements
- details of any grant payments and acquittals
- tax invoices and other relevant tax records
- stock records
- records of expenses – for example, motor vehicle expenses
- records of payments relating to employees – including ‘pay as you go’ (PAYG) withholding, superannuation and fringe benefits provided
- assets list or register
- emails, letters and other communication about finance – for example, an email about repaying unspent grant funds
- details on overseas accounts and transactions – including records of any accounts and transactions related to overseas activities.
Operational records
An operational record is any information about your charity’s activities that shows it complies with the ACNC Act, the ACNC Regulations, and tax law, and that it continues to be a charity or continues to be entitled to be registered as a particular subtype, for example, as a Public Benevolent Institution (PBI).
Some examples of basic operational records include:
- governing documents – such as a constitution, rules or trust deed
- meeting minutes – such as board meeting and annual general meeting (AGM) minutes. See our holding meetings factsheet and our templates for meeting minutes and AGM minutes.
- operating policies and procedures
- annual reports, donor reports or other reports – for example, on results of programs, projects or services
- strategic plans and program plans
- details of people and partners – information about staff, volunteers, board members, and contractors, including recruitment, performance reviews and training information
- operating policies and procedures – including risk management, safeguarding people, cash handling, code of conduct, work safety and more
- monitoring and evaluation reports
- contracts and agreements – including employment, funding and other agreements
- memoranda of understanding
- media releases – such as those released by your charity, and discussing its activities
- charity promotional materials – including pamphlets, posters
- any other records to show your charity is working towards its charitable purpose – this includes electronic, written or multimedia records, for example a short film about your charity’s project.