Are you ready for Charities SORP 2026?

For professionals involved in charity accounts, understanding the latest SORP changes is essential to maintaining trust and confidence. A new ICAS course provides everything you need to know

Words: Fraser Allen

With charities under ever-increasing pressure to demonstrate transparency, accountability and robust reporting, scrutiny has inevitably sharpened around meeting the demands of the Charities SORP (Statement of Recommended Practice).

But while the clock for SORP 2026 compliance may be ticking away, the good news for anyone involved in charity financial reporting is that an upcoming ICAS CPD course provides you with everything you need to know.

Offered through our CPD partner BPP, Charities SORP 2026 – Accounting & Reporting by Charities covers all the key revised SORP requirements, preparing attendees for potential compliance issues, and helping to identify any reporting areas that require attention.

The course will be particularly valuable for those preparing, auditing or reviewing charity accounts, as well as trustees and finance leads seeking greater comfort and oversight. But it will also be useful for advisers seeking to support charities with informed conversations around reporting obligations.

“The key changes to SORP 2026 that all charity finance teams most need to understand are the new tiered requirements,” says course leader Stephen McAlpine. “This is likely to be the most challenging adjustment. We now have three income tiers, whereas previously there were only two. So essentially, there is a greater risk of getting something wrong. And with the new disclosures for trustees’ annual reports, some charities will have to provide a more detailed reserves policy with supporting calculations that anyone reading the accounts can be expected to understand.”

Reflecting the revised FRS 102 requirements, lease accounting and revenue recognition are also key changes. “They don’t affect all charities, but, when they do, they can have a big impact,” says Stephen.

Open book

“As a lecturer on charity accounting, and an auditor working with charities, I believe it’s good that the changes ushered in by SORP 2026 bring accounting to the fore, and encourage further discussions about transparency,” he adds. “And of course, by their very nature, charities tend to have a greater desire to be transparent, with the trustees keen to show that they are disclosing everything that donors and other stakeholders will be looking out for.

“At the same time, as someone involved in financial reporting for charities, I hate any changes to my routine,” says Stephen. “So I can very much relate to and empathise with finance teams and individuals adapting to these changes. Being able to look at compliance from different perspectives helps to bring the course discussions to life.”

The Charities SORP is central to transparent, high-quality charity reporting, which is why BPP has worked to create a course that seeks to provide everyone who takes part with a clear understanding of what the changes mean, and the reporting requirements that must now be met.

 “We now have three income tiers, whereas previously there were only two. So essentially, there is a greater risk of getting something wrong”

Stephen McAlpine

The course is delivered through a live online classroom, giving attendees the opportunity to interact, ask questions about their specific challenges, take part in discussion polls and breakout activity, and access helpful materials after the session.

These specialist technical updates are designed not only to help you raise the standards of financial reporting, but also to reduce uncertainty and contribute towards you delivering more effective forward planning. “The course gives everyone who participates practical insights and support for how to prepare for the changes,” says Stephen. “The clock is ticking away, and some charities are already preparing mock-ups of what their new accounts and trustee reports will look like. Some of them are also advising everyone involved that they may have to disclose more information than they have in the past.

“But I’d also say ‘don’t panic’,” he adds. “If you take part in the course you will have everything you need to adapt smoothly to the latest development.”