ClaimAuthority and accountabilityverified2020sContext

Authority and accountability · Claim record

The principal UK entities file public accounts: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain (1077961) reported total gross income of £130.21m (2021), £88.97m (2022), £100.90m (2023), £120.65m (2024) and £38.46m (2025); International Bible Students Association (216647) £71.81m–£40.58m over the same years; The Kingdom Hall Trust (275946) £133.23m (2021) then £25.77m–£30.92m; none reports government grant income.

Claim ID claim-authority-uk-charity-income-2021-2025Concerns 31 August 2025Context

The claim and its evidence

Context · 31 August 2025 Verified

The principal UK entities file public accounts: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain (1077961) reported total gross income of £130.21m (2021), £88.97m (2022), £100.90m (2023), £120.65m (2024) and £38.46m (2025); International Bible Students Association (216647) £71.81m–£40.58m over the same years; The Kingdom Hall Trust (275946) £133.23m (2021) then £25.77m–£30.92m; none reports government grant income. Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities, 31 August 2025Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities, 31 August 2025Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities, 31 August 2025

Show the evidence (3 sources)
Official public record Verified

Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities, “WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF BRITAIN (1077961) — overview and financial history”

31 August 2025 · Charity Commission

“Total gross income (FYE 31/08): 2021 £130.21m; 2022 £88.97m; 2023 £100.90m; 2024 £120.65m; 2025 £38.46m. Total expenditure: 2021 £61.42m; 2022 £82.01m; 2023 £133.85m; 2024 £111.08m; 2025 £78.17m. Activities: '1. Provision of facilities to assist full time ministers. 2. Producing material for Bible education … 3. Purchasing, building, and renovating properties for use by Jehovah's Witnesses as places of worship. 4. Humanitarian aid. 5. Distributing funds and goods to other entities with similar aims.'”

Register shows income from government grants/contracts as N/A in every year; FYE 2025 total income £38,463,325 and expenditure £78,172,336.

Provenance and verification note for Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities, WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF BRITAIN (1077961) — overview and financial history

Confidence note. Fetched the register pages via curl (WebFetch was refused with 403) and parsed the financial-history data table.

Corroborated by. src-cc-2025-0000-ibsa-216647, src-cc-2025-0000-kingdom-hall-trust-275946

Notes. Overview page: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/3966490. A Scottish registration also exists (OSCR SC046952; not opened).

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-cc-2025-0000-wtbts-britain-1077961

Official public record Verified

Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities, “INTERNATIONAL BIBLE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION (216647) — overview and financial history”

31 August 2025 · Charity Commission

“Total gross income: 2021 £71.81m; 2022 £63.47m; 2023 £40.41m; 2024 £50.02m; 2025 £40.58m. Total expenditure: 2021 £75.50m; 2022 £48.78m; 2023 £43.84m; 2024 £57.84m; 2025 £36.77m. Activities: 'Provide serviced facilities to support religious activity of Jehovah's Witnesses. Arrange for venues to host conventions for Bible education. Pay expenses for and take care of living arrangements for members of the Worldwide Order of Special Full-Time Servants of Jehovah's Witnesses.'”

FYE 31 August 2025 total income £40,581,061; expenditure £36,770,107.

Provenance and verification note for Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities, INTERNATIONAL BIBLE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION (216647) — overview and financial history

Confidence note. Fetched the register pages via curl and parsed the data table.

Corroborated by. src-w-2001-0115-governing-body-differs-legal-corporation

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-cc-2025-0000-ibsa-216647

Official public record Verified

Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities, “THE KINGDOM HALL TRUST (275946) — overview and financial history”

31 August 2025 · Charity Commission

“Total gross income: 2021 £133.23m; 2022 £30.92m; 2023 £25.77m; 2024 £27.92m; 2025 £30.30m. Total expenditure: 2021 £27.32m; 2022 £24.83m; 2023 £29.07m; 2024 £32.46m; 2025 £30.53m. Activities: 'To advance the Christian religion as practised by Jehovah's Witnesses by providing, maintaining, and at times acting as custodian trustee for places of worship in the United Kingdom.'”

FYE 31 August 2025 total income £30,298,548; expenditure £30,525,082. The 2021 spike (£133.23m, almost all 'donations and legacies') is unexplained on the register page and should not be interpreted without the accounts.

Provenance and verification note for Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities, THE KINGDOM HALL TRUST (275946) — overview and financial history

Confidence note. Fetched the register pages via curl and parsed the data table.

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-cc-2025-0000-kingdom-hall-trust-275946

Claim page

A direct link to this claim is https://jwtruth.org/evidence/claim-authority-uk-charity-income-2021-2025/. Every source above opens the original document or the best available copy. If you believe the wording, date or context is wrong, report an error.