The Fundraising Regulator’s income rose by more than a quarter last year after it raised the cost of the voluntary levy paid by organisations that spend £100,000 or more a year on fundraising activities.
The regulator’s latest accounts for the financial year ending 31 August 2025 showed it had a total income of £3.7m, up from £2.9m the year before.
Of this, £3.07m – 83% of the total income – was sourced from the fundraising levy, with £523,000 coming from the registration of small charities and non-charity organisations engaging in fundraising, along with £74,000 of interest.
The levy increase, which began being introduced from September 2024 and was finalised in September 2025, generated £700,000, from the almost £2.4m raised the previous year.
Income from registrations increased by £125,000, from £398,534 last year to £523,244 this year.
The levy amount that a charity pays ranges from £180 for charities with a fundraising expenditure of between £100,000 and £150,000 to £22,500 for those spending more than £50m a year.
Due to the two-stage implementation phase of the levy increases, the regulator’s income is likely to rise again in next year’s accounts, since the second rise has not yet been accounted for.
The registration fee, which is paid by organisations that spend less than £100,000 a year on fundraising but want to use the regulator’s fundraising badge, increased from £50 to £60 in September 2024.
Levy collection rates ‘remain high’
In a statement in the accounts, the regulator’s chair Lord Toby Harris said that despite the “challenging economic context” charities are operating within, levy payment rates have “remained high”.
The regulator collected around 98% of levy income during the year, which it said in its accounts report was “consistent with the high levels seen over the previous five years”.
It added that registration levels continued to rise, with more than 7,000 charities now registered.
This rise in levy income also helped the regulator record a surplus of £118,945 in 2024/25, having reported a deficit of £363,747 in the previous year.
The regulator said the surplus was better than had been anticipated, as it had planned for a £292,000 deficit in 2024/25. “Income was higher than planned while expenditure came in on budget, resulting in a small surplus,” its report said.
