Close an incorporated association

Your incorporated association can choose to close at any time.

Reasons for this can include:

• a lack of members
• a loss of interest
• the association's purpose is no longer valid.

You can also choose to change the structure of your association.

Read below to find out more. You can also watch the video.

Get a printable fact sheet PDF (258.6 KB).

How an association is closed

An association can be closed by member agreement at a special resolution. The government can also close an association if it stops operating.

Before you take any action, get advice from the compliance team.

Rules for dealing with assets

If you have assets, you must deal with them appropriately. For example, transfer them to another association.

Read more about transferring property and assets.

Get the transfer checklist.

Transfer checklist PDF (924.2 KB)
Transfer checklist DOCX (39.3 KB)

Get the dissolution checklist.

Dissolution checklist PDF (131.5 KB)
Dissolution checklist  DOCX (54.2 KB)

Association without assets

To close an association without assets, follow these steps:

Step 1. Hold a special general meeting (SGM) to present the resolution to dissolve.

At the meeting, members will:

• consider the resolution
• pay all bills
• decide on a suitable storage location for association records
• close bank accounts
• make sure any grants are acquitted.

Step 2. After the meeting, the public officer must:

• fill in a dissolution statutory declaration form in front of a witness aged 18 or older or
• contact the compliance team - they can draft a declaration for you.

Dissolution statutory declaration form PDF (158.6 KB)
Dissolution statutory declaration form DOCX (18.2 KB)

The declaration must state the correct legal name including "incorporated" or "inc".

Step 3. Email the declaration and a copy of the meeting minutes to associations.compliance@nt.gov.au.

A notice of intention to dissolve your association will be published in the NTG Gazette.

After 3 months, if there is no objection, a notice of dissolution is gazetted and your association will come to a formal end on the same day.

Association with assets

To close an association with assets, follow these steps:

Step 1. If you have assets valued at $25,000 or less, proceed to step 2.

If you have prescribed property, email associations.compliance@nt.gov.au with your request for consent to the transfer the property.

The request must include:

• the name of the association
• notice of the intention to dissolve
• request to transfer the prescribed property and where
• an indication on what assets are prescribed.

If approved, move to step 2.

Step 2. Hold a special general meeting (SGM) to present the resolution to close.

At the meeting, members will:

• consider the resolution
• pay all bills
• transfer assets - property must either go to:
  • another body with similar or charitable objectives
  • a local government council where the property is located.
• decide on a suitable storage location for the association's records
• close bank accounts
• make sure any grants are acquitted.

Step 3. Within 14 days of the resolution, the public officer must publish your association's intention to transfer its prescribed property in all of the below:

• Northern Territory (NT) newspaper where the association carries on its activities
• NTG Gazette by emailing gazettes.dcm@nt.gov.au.

The public officer must also submit a copy of these advertisements to the compliance team with the following forms.

Notice of resolution authorising transfer of property PDF (102.6 KB)
Notice of resolution authorising transfer of property DOCX (28.9 KB)

Notice of intention to transfer property of an association form PDF (11.4 KB)
Notice of intention to transfer property of an association form DOCX (28.8 KB)

Step 4. Once 28 days have passed from when the notice was published, your association may transfer all of its surplus assets.

Step 5. Once transferred, the public officer must submit the following form and submit it to the compliance team.

Completion of transfer of property of an association form PDF (13.8 KB)
Completion of transfer of property of an association form  DOCX (28.4 KB)

Contact

Contact the compliance team.