Supporting charity finance teams across a changing sector
Specialist Accountants for Charities across Liverpool, Manchester and beyond
Get in touch with us today by calling us on 0161 399 0121 (Manchester), 0151 303 3122 (Liverpool) or emailing us at info@uhy-williamsoncroft.com to learn more about us, and what we can do for your charity or not-for-profit organisation.
Audit, tax and advisory support built around how your charity actually operates
Accountancy & Audit Services for Charities and Not-for-Profits
Charity finance teams across the North West are managing the same pressures at once: restricted and unrestricted fund reporting, trustee scrutiny, Charity Commission thresholds, and funders who expect increasing transparency for the same or shrinking level of grant income. Add in VAT complexity where trading and charitable activities sit side by side, and the reporting burden on a small finance team can be considerable.
UHY Williamson Croft provides audit, tax and advisory support to charities and not-for-profit organisations across Merseyside and Greater Manchester, backed by the wider technical resource of the UHY Hacker Young network, which works with more than 300 charity and NFP clients across the UK. We take the time to understand your organisation’s structure, funding mix and governance arrangements, rather than treating your charity as a standard company audit.
Practical support at every stage of your charity's financial year
How we help finance directors and trustees
Not every charity needs the same level of scrutiny. Under the Charities Act 2011, charities with gross annual income above £1 million currently require a statutory audit – rising to £1.5 million for financial years ending on or after 30 September 2026. Many smaller charities can instead opt for an independent examination. We help trustees establish which threshold applies now and how the change will affect them, then deliver the right level of assurance efficiently – examining accounting records, internal controls and SORP compliance, and giving trustees and funders confidence in the numbers behind the annual report.
Charities live and die by the clarity of their fund accounting. We help finance teams track restricted grants, endowments and unrestricted reserves separately and transparently, so that trustees can demonstrate funds have been spent in line with donor intent and SORP requirements – and so that year-end reporting doesn’t become a reconciliation exercise.
Many charities combine VAT-exempt charitable activity with taxable trading income – shop sales, event fees, sponsorship or consultancy work carried out through a trading subsidiary. Partial exemption calculations, and the structuring of trading subsidiaries to protect the charity’s core activities from tax and liability exposure, are a regular part of our advisory work with not-for-profit clients.
Trustees carry legal and moral responsibility for their charity’s finances, often without a finance background to draw on. We work alongside boards and finance committees to explain what the numbers mean in practice, flag governance or internal control weaknesses early, and help trustees meet their statutory obligations with confidence rather than uncertainty.
Mergers between charities, the transfer of activities to a new structure, or the formation of a trading subsidiary all carry risk if the financial position isn’t properly tested beforehand. Our transaction services team carries out detailed due diligence, identifying issues in advance and providing practical recommendations to manage them.
Financial irregularities can surface in any organisation, but the reputational stakes for a charity – and the scrutiny from donors, funders and the Charity Commission – are especially high. Our forensic accounting team investigates suspected fraud or mismanagement discreetly and thoroughly, helping trustees respond appropriately and protect the organisation’s standing.
Gift Aid, corporation tax exemptions, and the tax treatment of trading income all affect how much of a charity’s income reaches its beneficiaries. Our tax team advises on the reliefs and structuring options available, so that funding is protected and compliance obligations are met without unnecessary cost.
HELPING YOU PROSPER
Looking for a first-class service for your charity or not-for-profit organisation?
We’re a Manchester and Liverpool-based firm, which means we understand the local funding landscape, the regional funders and grant-making trusts, and the community organisations that make up the North West’s charity sector.
Since December 2025 we’ve operated as part of the UHY Hacker Young network – one of the UK’s most established names in charity and not-for-profit audit, working with more than 300 charity and NFP clients nationally. That gives our clients access to a wider pool of technical resource and sector specialists when needed, while keeping the personal, partner-led relationship that’s always been central to how we work.
Get in touch with us today by calling us on 0161 399 0121 (Manchester), 0151 303 3122 (Liverpool) or emailing us at info@uhy-williamsoncroft.com to learn more about us, and what we can do for your charity or not-for-profit organisation.
