Attorney General announces charity amnesty program

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Hawaii Department of the Attorney General is offering a 60-day amnesty period to help delinquent charitable organizations return to good standing.

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The program runs July 1 through Aug. 31 and allows eligible charities to complete overdue registration and annual filing requirements while having applicable late fees and penalties waived.

“Hawaii’s charitable organizations provide essential services and strengthen communities throughout our state,” said Jill Fukunaga, charities program administrator for the department’s Tax and Charities Division.

“This amnesty period gives legitimate charitable organizations a meaningful opportunity to correct past filing problems and registration issues and return to good standing,” she added.

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To qualify, organizations must submit all overdue filings, pay current registration and filing fees, provide any requested documentation, and correct any outstanding reporting deficiencies by the Aug. 31 deadline.

The attorney general’s office said the program applies only to eligible registration, filing and payment delinquencies and does not cover cases involving fraud, misuse of charitable assets or other violations of law.

Organizations can check their registration status through the department’s online charities registry.

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