Associations information statement

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Not for profit

Every incorporated association must submit an association’s information statement (AIS) every year.  The AIS is a short online form that asks basic questions about an incorporated association’s operations to confirm that it is still active and eligible to remain incorporated.

Why an incorporated association must complete an Associations's Information Statement

Incorporated associations have an obligation under section 156 of the Associations Incorporation Act 2015 (the Act) to provide information to the Commissioner. Completing the AIS is the way that associations meet this obligation.
The information provided in the AIS helps confirm that it is still active, eligible to be incorporated and has held its Annual General Meeting (AGM).

When an incorporated association does not submit its information statement for two or more years, we may believe it is no longer operating and take action to cancel its incorporation.

What we ask for

The AIS asks questions about the incorporated association, its activities and some basic financial information to help confirm that the incorporated association is operational and complying with its obligations.

Associations do not need to provide copies of meeting minutes, financial reports or details of the association’s members or committee of management as part of completing the AIS.

To find out what you will be asked and how to complete the AIS, please refer to the Guidance on completing an AIS.

When to submit

Information statements must be submitted within six (6) months after the end of an association’s financial year. Associations and clubs can choose their own financial year, so the due date for submitting the statement may differ between groups. For example: 

Information statement due dates
Association’s financial year ends on: Info statement due by:
1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023 31 March 2024
1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023 30 June 2024
1 May 2023 to 30 April 2023 31 October 2024

 

How to submit

To complete an AIS, you will need to log in to AssociationsOnline.  Ensure you have an AssociationsOnline user account that is linked (connected) to the incorporated associations you are authorised to act for.

For further information on how to create an AssociationsOnline user account, linking and using AssociationsOnline, please refer to our Help for using AssociationsOnline webpage.

Correcting errors

If you identify a material error in the AIS, your association has submitted, an Information Statement Form will need to be completed with the corrected information. Foward the form in an email requesting the amendment to infostatements@demirs.wa.gov.au

Exemptions

Associations that are also charities registered with the Australian Charities and Not for Profits Commission (ACNC) may be exempted from providing the AIS if they submit the ACNC’s information statement by the due date.

To be exempted, when completing the ACNC’s statement, the incorporated association should:

  • Ensure that the reporting period in the ACNC’s statement matches with the association’s financial year end date stated in its rules and recorded with Consumer Protection;
  • answer 'Yes' when asked if your charity is an incorporated association, and after selecting WA as the state in which your association is incorporated provide the incorporated association registration number (IARN); and
  • complete all questions in the State and Territory reporting section (do not leave any answers blank)

Note: Exempted incorporated associations must continue to notify Consumer Protection of any changes to their name, rules (also called the constitution), status and contact addresses.

Guidance on completing the AIS

The following will help you find the information you need to have on hand and how to complete the AIS.

Section A: Incorporated associations particulars

This section of the AIS asks for basic information about your incorporated association.

1. The financial year end that the AIS relates

State the association’s financial year end that the AIS relates to. You can check the financial year end from the association’s rules.

2. Incorporated associations registration number (IARN)

Your IARN is the unique 9-digit number issued upon the association’s incorporation. You will find it recorded on its certificate of incorporation.

It is not the 11-digit ABN issued by the Australian Business Register.

This response will be pre-filled when completing the form in AssociationsOnline.

3. The incorporated association’s name

You should enter the incorporated association’s formal name as it appears on its Certificate of Incorporation. This response will be pre-filled when completing the form in AssociationsOnline.

4. Contact address

The contact address is the address the public can use to contact the incorporated association. The address can be a physical or postal address in Australia.

This response will be pre-filled when completing the form in AssociationsOnline and must be checked.  If the address displayed is incorrect, you will need to amend the data shown.

5. Associations’ email address

We suggest the association use a general email address that multiple management committee members can access rather than a specific person's. Doing this ensures that someone in the association can access emails from Consumer Protection if a key contact person is away or leaves the association.

This response will be pre-filled when completing the form in AssociationsOnline and must be checked. This response will be pre-filled when completing the form in AssociationsOnline and must be checked.  If the address shown needs to be corrected, you must amend the data shown.

6. Address for Service

The association’s Address for Service is where official notices and legal correspondence are sent. The Address for Service can be a physical or postal address in Australia.

An association’s Address for Service is also included in the Associations Extract that members of the public can purchase.

This response will be pre-filled when completing the form in AssociationsOnline and must be checked.  If the address shown needs to be corrected, you must amend the data shown.

7. The associations main objects or purposes

You will be asked to select a classification for the association's main objectives or purposes.  The categories are derived from the purposes for which an association is eligible for incorporation, which are set out in the Act.

If the association’s purpose fits into more than one category, choose the option that best fits.

Section B: Reporting and regulatory obligations

This section of the AIS asks for basic information about your incorporated association’s regulatory obligations.

8. Does the association have at least six members

This question asks if the incorporated association has six or more members during the reporting period.

When considering the number of members, the associations should count all members irrespective of whether they have voting rights and confirm the amount from their membership register.

Associations must have at least six members with voting rights to remain eligible for incorporation.

9. What date was the annual general meeting (AGM) held?

The association must hold an AGM annually and within six months of the association's financial year ending.

The AGM cannot be held before the association’s financial year ends.

10. What was the association’s total revenue* in the financial year?

Revenue is the total income received or earned by the association from carrying out its ordinary activities before any deduction of expenditure. Revenue can be referred to by different names, such as sales, membership fees, subscriptions, interest, dividends and government and other grants and donations.  

*Revenue is usually shown as the top line item in an income (profit and loss) statement.

To answer this question correctly:

  • State the total revenue figure from the association's financial statements for the reporting period.
  • Enter the amount in whole dollars (no cents), rounding up or down to the nearest dollar if required.
  • Do not enter dollar signs, commas, or decimal places.
  • Enter a zero (‘0’) if there was no revenue received during the reporting period.

11. Is the association registered with the Australian Charities Not-for-profit Commission (ACNC)?

Associations established with a charitable purpose or pursuing charitable activities may register with the ACNC to receive certain tax concessions. Incorporated associations can check if they are registered by using the 'Find a charity search' on the ACNC's website at www.acnc.gov.au

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