Some entities describe themselves as charities, and some of your dealings depend on it: a grant, a lease on concessional terms, a donation receipt or a supplier arrangement. Whether an entity is a registered charity is a matter of public record, held by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC).
This guide covers where to check, what the register shows, what it leaves out, and what to do when an entity stops being listed. It is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Where to check
The ACNC publishes the Register of Australian charities, which you can search by name or ABN. The same data is published as a file on data.gov.au, refreshed about weekly.
Search by ABN where you can. Charity names are often similar, and the ABN confirms you have the right entity.
What the register shows
A registered charity's entry shows its legal name, any other names it uses, its ABN, contact and address details, its website, its registration date, its size, and its purposes and beneficiaries. The ABN is the key: each registered charity has one.
What it does not show
- Whether the entity has tax concessions. Endorsements such as deductible gift recipient status are recorded separately. The ABN Lookup record for the ABN shows the endorsements the entity holds.
- Charities that have asked to be withheld. A charity can ask for some or all of its details to be withheld from the published register, so a registered charity may not appear.
- Why an entity left. A charity that is no longer listed may have been revoked, may have deregistered voluntarily, or may have asked for its details to be withheld. The register does not say which.
How to run the check
- Get the entity's ABN and search for it on the register.
- Confirm the legal name matches the entity you are dealing with.
- Note the registration date and the size shown.
- Check endorsements separately on ABN Lookup if they matter for what you are doing.
- Record what you checked, the date, and where you looked.
When an entity is no longer listed
If an entity you treated as a charity stops appearing:
- Do not assume the reason. Check with the entity and with the ACNC.
- Work out which dealings relied on its charity status, such as a grant, a lease term or a receipt.
- Decide what to pause or review, and record who decided and when.
- Note the date you found out, because dates often matter for tax and funding questions. Take advice where they do.
Equally, an entity that appears on the register for the first time is a change worth noting, because it can affect how you deal with it.
A short checklist
- Search by ABN, and confirm the legal name.
- Treat endorsements as a separate check.
- Remember a registered charity may be withheld from the register.
- Do not assume why an entity has left the register.
- Date and record each check, and re-check on a schedule.
For related checks, see how to check an ABN and how to monitor a company for changes.
How MonitorHQ helps
MonitorHQ checks the ACNC register for each monitored entity's ABN, and alerts you quickly when an entity is added to the register or is no longer listed. The register is published as a file refreshed about weekly, so an alert can lag a change by days. It does not report why an entity left, or anything about its annual reporting or governance. See charity register monitoring, or the accountants page for how practices use it.