Co-operative or community benefit society
A mutual society registered by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), not by Companies House. It reports rule changes, submits annual returns and accounts, and pays FCA fees.
- Entiva fee to form
- $569
- Government fees to form
- £52
- Run plan
- $49 a month
- Steps to form
- 5
- Ongoing filings
- 3
- Ways to close
- 3
Who it suits, and what defines it.
Governed by the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014.
Who it suits
- Genuine co-operatives.
- Businesses run for the benefit of the community.
Key facts
- Registered by
- The FCA, not Companies House
- Registered office
- In Great Britain or the Channel Islands
- Members
- At least 3
- Application
- Signed by the secretary and three members
- Legal status
- A body corporate (own legal entity) once registered
- Registration fee
- £40 to £950, depending on the rules used
- Annual return
- AR30 and accounts within 7 months
- Law
- Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014
What the law requires.
6 rules, each in plain words.
A registration route
The society registers through the FCA Mutuals Society Portal, through a sponsoring body that uses model rules, or on the paper application form.
The FCA must be satisfied about its purpose
It must be a genuine co-operative, or its business must be run for the benefit of the community.
An annual return and accounts within 7 months
The AR30 is due within 7 months of the financial year end, and the deadline cannot be extended.
Accounts signed by two committee members and the secretary
Name and other changes registered with the FCA
A registered office in Great Britain or the Channel Islands
Northern Ireland societies fall under separate legislation.
How Entiva forms it.
5 steps. Entiva prepares and files each one, and collects every signature the law needs.
The steps
5 steps- 1Register the society with the FCA
The application is signed by the secretary and three members. FCA fee: £40 to £950, depending on the rules used.
- 2Pay the data protection fee
Paid to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) before processing personal data, unless exempt.
- 3Register for VAT
Needed once taxable turnover passes £90,000. Voluntary before that.
- 4Register as an employer for PAYE
Once the society employs staff.
- 5File the workplace pension declaration
Within 5 months of the duties start date.
Documents
5- Society rules
- FCA application for registration
- Sponsoring body's confirmation of model rules
- Founder members' resolution adopting the rules
- FCA acknowledgment of registration
Who takes part
4- The secretary signs the application and is identified
- Committee members are identified, with ID and proof of address
- The three members who sign the application are identified and verified
- Other members, at least 3 in total, are recorded and screened
What has to be filed, and when.
Entiva tracks every deadline from the day it is formed, and files before each one.
Every year, and as things happen
3 filings- File the FCA annual return (AR30)
Within 7 months of the financial year end. This cannot be extended
- Pay the data protection fee
Every 12 months, unless exempt
- Report and publish the gender pay gap
By 4 April each year, with 250 or more employees
The changes Entiva handles.
Each change is prepared, approved, signed and filed.
The most common changes
8 changes- Amend the society's rules
- Change the society's name
- Change the registered office
- Convert to a company
- Convert to a charitable incorporated organisation
- Convert to a Scottish charitable incorporated organisation
- Merge with another society
- Transfer engagements to another society
How it closes.
3 routes. The right one depends on whether it can pay its debts, and who starts it.
Instrument of dissolution
When the society is solvent and the members agree to close it.
- 1
Draft the instrument of dissolution
- 2
Members approve the instrument
- 3
Register the instrument of dissolution with the FCA
- 4
A 3-month challenge window runs
- 5
Distribute the property and lodge the section 126 certificate
- 6
Cancel the VAT registration
- 7
Close the PAYE scheme
Cancellation on request
For a society that has ceased trading, has minimal assets and liabilities, and is not insolvent.
- 1
Ask the FCA to cancel the registration
- 2
Cancel the VAT registration
- 3
Close the PAYE scheme
Insolvent winding up
When the society cannot pay its debts.
- 1
An insolvency practitioner is appointed
- 2
The practitioner sends the paperwork to the FCA
- 3
The society is dissolved
What Entiva does for you.
From the first filing to the last.
Co-operative or community benefit society
- Prepares the FCA application, which the secretary or authorised contact submits.Formation
- Prepares the AR30 annual return and accounts, and tracks submission within 7 months.Ongoing
- Prepares and submits the rules amendment under the secretary's authority.Changes
- Prepares the name change and sends it for FCA approval and registration.Changes
- Prepares the request to cancel for the secretary to sign.Closing
Build it with the API.
Every step on this page is an action in the Entiva API, with its documents, signatures and filing.
What it costs, item by item.
Every Entiva fee and every government fee, from forming it to closing it.
Forming it
$569one-off
- Government fees
- £52
Closing it
From $129
- Entiva fee
- Fixed, quoted first
- Government fees
- At cost
Included in the Run plan
- Registered office in the UK
- Company secretary
- File the FCA annual return (AR30)
- Routine changes
- Every deadline tracked
Extra, at a fixed fee
- Pay the data protection fee
- File the workplace pension declaration
- Report and publish the gender pay gap
- Amend the society's rules
- Change the society's name
- Change the registered office
- Convert to a company
- Convert to a charitable incorporated organisation
- Convert to a Scottish charitable incorporated organisation
- Merge with another society
- Transfer engagements to another society
Each extra is quoted before it starts, and nothing is done until you approve it.
Forming it
Entiva's formation fee is $569, one-off. Government fees are passed through at cost.
£40 to £950 depending on whether sponsoring-body model rules are used unchanged or amended, or own rules are drafted.
Tier 1 £52; tier 2 £78; tier 3 £3,763; £5 off by direct debit.
The registration threshold is £90,000.
Excludes steps marked only if needed.
Every year
The Run plan costs $49 a month ($588 a year).
Tier 1 £52; tier 2 £78; tier 3 £3,763; £5 off by direct debit.
Changes
Routine changes are included in the Run plan.
Closing it
Closing is a fixed-fee project, quoted before it starts.
Entiva fees are in US dollars. Government fees are in the currency each authority charges, passed through at cost when the filing is made. Taxes are separate.
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