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Business Risk Services
Our Business Risk Services team deliver practical and pragmatic solutions that support clients in growing and protecting the inherent value of their businesses.
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Corporate Finance and Deal Advisory
We offer a dedicated team of experienced individuals with a focus on successfully executing transactions for corporates and financial institutions. We offer an integrated approach, with our corporate finance specialists working seamlessly with tax and other specialists to ensure that every angle is covered.
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Economic Advisory
Our all-island Economics Advisory team combines expertise in economics and business with a wealth of experience across the public and private sectors.
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Forensic Accounting
We have a different way of doing business by delivering real insight through a combination of technical rigour, commercial experience and intuitive judgment. We take pride in delivering responsive and tailored solutions to all our clients, capitalising on the wealth of experience housed within our Belfast and wider Forensics team
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People and Change Consulting
The Grant Thornton People & Change Consulting practice works with clients on these issues as well as on all aspects of how they attract, retain, engage develop, deploy and lead their people.
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Restructuring
We work with a wide variety of clients and stakeholders such as high street banks, private equity funds, directors, government agencies and creditors to implement solutions which provide the best possible outcomes.
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Technology Consulting
Motivating and assisting our clients to pursue, maintain and secure the benefits of digital solutions is at the core of our Digital Transformation teams' agenda and goals. We work with business leaders to deliver efficient digital strategies and operating models that provide new or enhanced capabilities.
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Corporate and International Tax
Northern Ireland businesses face further challenges as they operate in the only part of the UK that has a land border with a country offering a lower tax rate.
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Employer Solutions
Our team specialises in remuneration and incentive planning and works closely with employers, shareholders and employees to ensure that business strategies are aligned and goals achieved in the most tax efficient, cost-effective manner.
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Entrepreneur and Private Client Taxes
Our team of experienced advisors are on hand to guide you through any decision or transaction ranging from the establishment of new business ventures, to realising value on exit, to succession planning and providing for loved ones.
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Global Mobility Services
Grant Thornton Ireland offer a different approach to managing global mobility. We have brought together specialists from our tax, global payroll, people and change and financial accounting teams across Ireland and Northern Ireland, while drawing on the knowledge and insights of our global network of over 143 offices of mobility professionals to provide you with a holistic approach to managing global mobility.
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Outsourced Payroll
Our outsourced service provides valued service to over 150 separate PAYE schemes. These ranging from 1 to 1000 employees, working for micro, SME and global employers. The service is supported by the integrated network of tax and global mobility teams and the wider Grant Thornton network delivering a seamless service. Experienced staff deliver a personal service built around your business needs.
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Tax Disputes and Investigations
Our Tax Disputes and Investigation team is made up of tax experts and former HMRC investigators who have years of experience in dealing with a variety of tax investigations. Our expertise and insight can guide you through all interactions, keeping your cost at a minimum while allowing you to continue with the day to day running of your business.
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VAT and Indirect Taxes
At Grant Thornton (NI) LLP, our team helps Northern Ireland businesses manage their UK and global indirect tax risks which, as transactional taxes, can quickly become big liabilities.
Charities must be aware of key matters
04 Jul 2017Firms and individuals who undertake the role of auditors or independent examiners to the charitable sector are taking note of revised guidance released by charity regulators throughout the UK.
Trustees of local charities will be well aware of the requirement for their organisation to register with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (‘CCNI’), and to date over 5,600 local charities have now successfully registered.
Once registered, charities must prepare annual financial statements in line with the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 and file these with the commission. Under that legislation all charities must subject their financial statements to some form of independent review, the extent of which will vary dependent on the size of the organisation.
In broad terms, the accounts of charities with income of less than £500,000 require an independent examination, and those with income greater than £500,000 require a full statutory audit.
For those that undertake the independent review however, the regulated nature of the sector means that they have obligations beyond solely reporting to the members of the organisation - and that landscape is changing.
In addition to providing their opinion to the members of the charitable organisation, charity auditors and independent examiners have a statutory duty under charity law to report matters of “material significance” to the relevant regulator as soon as they become aware of it.
A full list of the matters can be found on the websites of each charity regulator. They include instances of breaches of law or the charity’s governing documents, breach of orders or directions issued by a charity regulator or internal control and governance deficiencies.
Two new matters were added to the list in April 2017. From 1 May 2017, regardless of the financial year end date of the entity under review, an auditor or independent examiner must report to the regulator where conflicts of interest and related party transactions which have not been correctly accounted for or disclosed. They must also report any instance of a modified audit report or qualified independent examiner’s report being issued.
The list of reportable matters set out by the regulators is not exclusive, and the independent examiner or auditor is required to report any other matters that they judge to be of such a nature that they consider them materially significant. The guidance issued does not remove the duty of an auditor or independent examiner to report to any other relevant bodies where appropriate. It also doesn’t discharge them from any statutory obligations to report under other regimes, such as the Companies legislation.
It remains the responsibility of the charity trustees to maintain adequate governance procedures and internal controls to manage the charity’s operations. , They must be aware of the matters of material significance and the associated duty placed upon their auditor or independent examiner to report such matters to the regulator.