WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF BRITAIN

Registered charity 1077961 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as WATCH TOWER SOCIETY · also registered in Scotland as SC046952 (OSCR)

1. Provision of facilities to assist full time ministers. 2. Producing material for Bible education, publishing, importing, exporting, recording, translating, producing Bible literature.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.

Causes: Overseas Aid/famine Relief · Religious Activities · Get email alerts

Latest income

£38.5m

Latest spending

£78.2m

Registered

1999

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a deficit of £37.8 million for the year ended 31 August 2025, resulting in total unrestricted funds decreasing to £195.1 million. The trustees confirm that the current reserves level of £184 million (excluding fixed assets and social investments) is in line with their stated policy to hold approximately 12 months of running expenditure. Despite the deficit, the trustees and auditors consider the going concern basis of accounting to be appropriate due to the strong balance sheet and consistent income base.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: approximately 12 months running expenditure (held: £184.0m)

“The Society’s reserves policy is to hold approximately 12 months running expenditure, as well as an appropriate amount for each country it assists.” — page 7

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Xeinadin Audit Ltd. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Reserves position vs the charity's own policy moved from "above" (FY2024) to "within" (FY2025).

Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.

Regulator actions

Fundraising Regulator: Watchdog reports on investigation into Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain (04/08/2023)

press release: The Charity Commission has today published a report of its inquiry into Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain.

Official record

In the news

Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).

Watchdog reports on investigation into Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain gov.uk · 04/08/2023

Corporate structure

Registered company of the charity Companies House 03858051

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

TRYTHALL, Liam Paul — director, appointed 28/02/2025on trustee list
THOMPSON, Benjamin Scott — director, appointed 28/02/2025on trustee list
FAIRALL, Joel Bruce — director, appointed 01/11/2024on trustee list
SAMUELS, Luke Stephen — director, appointed 16/08/2024on trustee list
THOMAS, Luke — director, appointed 01/02/2024on trustee list
LLEWELLYN, Andrew Jeffery — director, appointed 11/03/2015on trustee list
LI, Robert — director, appointed 11/03/2015on trustee list

Official officers record.

Property (HM Land Registry)

23 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (17 freehold); recorded price paid £42.6m. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

CQC provider record: Watch Tower Bible And Tract Society Of Britain — Deregistered, 1 registered location, last inspected 06/06/2013.charity number confirmed by CQC CQC record

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/08/2025)

Total income

£38.5m

Total spending

£78.2m

Reserves (reported)

£184.2m

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~28.3 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 0.0% of total income — below the median for charities its size (3.8%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Received assets from another charity (29/06/2016) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

Robert Lichair
Andrew Jeffery Llewellyn
Benjamin Scott Thompson
Joel Bruce Fairall
Liam Paul Trythall
Luke Stephen Samuels
Luke Thomas

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Northern Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/08/2025	£38.5m	£78.2m
31/08/2024	£120.7m	£111.1m
31/08/2023	£100.9m	£133.8m
31/08/2022	£89.0m	£82.0m
31/08/2021	£130.2m	£61.4m

Common questions

Is WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF BRITAIN financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a deficit of £37.8 million for the year ended 31 August 2025, resulting in total unrestricted funds decreasing to £195.1 million. The trustees confirm that the current reserves level of £184 million (excluding fixed assets and social investments) is in line with their stated policy to hold approximately 12 months of running expenditure. Despite the deficit, the trustees and auditors consider the going concern basis of accounting to be appropriate due to the strong balance sheet and consistent income base. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Xeinadin Audit Ltd.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with INTERNATIONAL BIBLE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION.

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION income £40.6m
THE SOCIETY OF THE FAITH (INCORPORATED) income £201k
CHRISTS TEMPLE OF RESURRECTION MINISTRIES TRUST income £212k
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF CHRIST CHURCH DORE income £403k
UNITED KINGDOM WORLD EVANGELISM TRUST income £411k
PARISH OF EAST HAM, HOLY TRINITY income £345k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF BRITAIN	£38.5m	—	within	—	no doubt
INTERNATIONAL BIBLE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FY2025	£40.6m	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE SOCIETY OF THE FAITH (INCORPORATED) FY2025	£201k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
CHRISTS TEMPLE OF RESURRECTION MINISTRIES TRUST FY2025	£212k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF CHRIST CHURCH DORE FY2025	£403k	—	above	—	no doubt
UNITED KINGDOM WORLD EVANGELISM TRUST FY2024	£411k	—	unclear	—	no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.