Community interest companies: forms and step-by-step guides

A Community Interest Company (CIC) is a limited company, with special additional features, created for the use of people who want to conduct a business or other activity for community benefit, and not purely for private advantage.

This step-by-step guidance explains what you need to do to:

• Handy Hits and Tips befor completing your CIC application
• form a CIC online or by post
• form a community interest public limited company (plc)
• convert an existing company to a CIC
• convert a charitable company to a CIC
• convert an industrial and provident society (IPS) to a CIC
• convert a private company to a community interest plc
• convert a plc to a community interest plc
• change or specifying an asset-locked body in the articles of association
• alter clauses in the articles of association
• alter the object statement of a CIC
• change the status of a CIC to a community interest plc
• convert a CIC to a charitable company
• convert a CIC to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
• convert a CIC to an IPS
• arrange the voluntary dissolution of a CIC
• file an annual CIC report and accounts online or by post

It includes links to the appropriate forms, model constitutions (including the memorandum of association and articles of association) and model special resolutions.