Maintaining a registered union
Keeping your union's information up to date with the Registrar of Unions and its ongoing responsibilities.
A registered union has obligations around how it is run and maintained, both under the Employment Relations Act 2000 (ERA) and the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 (ISA).
Annual membership returns
Under the ERA, every union must advise the Registrar of Unions of the number of members it has, as at 1 March each year. This information must be provided by 1 June. We will send you a reminder notification the month before your annual membership return is due to be filed. There is no fee for filing your annual membership return.
After 1 June each year, we produce a union membership return report.
If membership falls below 10 members
The membership of an incorporated society should not fall below 10 members (ISA).
We will check your union’s membership numbers each year and contact you if your membership numbers have dropped below this threshold.
Running an incorporated society and keeping its details up to date
For general information on running an incorporated society and keeping its details up to date on the register, please refer to the information on the Incorporated Societies Register website.
Annual financial statements and annual returns
Each year, every incorporated society must provide a copy of their annual financial statements to the Registrar of Incorporated Societies. At the same time societies must also complete an annual return. These records help to show that your society is still operating, and therefore, should remain on the Incorporated Societies Register.
Changes to union constitutions
Your society’s constitution must state how they can be amended. Any changes only take effect once the amendment has been registered with the Registrar of Incorporated Societies.
A union must ensure that any constitution change complies with both the ISA and the ERA.
Contact details that must be kept up to date
Every society must have a registered office and record that address on the Incorporated Societies Register. You must also record any change in this address on the register at least 5 working days before the change of registered office address is due to take effect.
You must also keep other contact details recorded on the register up to date, including:
- Address for communications
- Contact person details.
Officer details
Your society must record details of all officers on the Incorporated Societies Register. You must make sure it registers the following updates within 20 working days of becoming aware of the change:
- When a new officer is appointed or elected.
- When an officer ceases to act (for example, they resign or stand down at an Annual General Meeting).
- When an officer’s contact details change (for example, if they have changed their address).