Nicaragua: NPOs’ Annual Obligation Filing of Financial Statements for Fiscal Year-End 2025

Published on Jan 30, 2026

Bertha Argüello and Lizbeth Zapata, experts in Compliance from ARIAS Nicaragua, present this article with guidelines and deadline for the filing of Financial Statements corresponding for Fiscal Year-End 2025 by Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) with the Ministry of the Interior.

The General Directorate for Registration and Control of Non-Profit Organizations ("DGRC-OSFL” by its acronym in Spanish) under the Ministry of the Interior ("MINT” by its acronym in Spanish) has reiterated the legal obligation for all duly registered Non-Profit Organizations ("NPOs”) in Nicaragua to submit their Financial Statements for the fiscal year-end 2025. This obligation is based on Article 22 of Law No. 822, the Tax Concertation Law, Article 44 of Law No. 1115, the General Law on the Regulation and Control of NPOs, as well as Article 34, sections 7, 13, and 24 of the Prudential Regulations for NPOs, and Article 11, section 4 of the NPO Regulations on Anti-Terrorism Financing.

NPOs must submit their Financial Statements as of the close of the fiscal year-end no later than February 28, 2026. This obligation includes the physical filing of the documentation with the DGRC-OSFL as well as uploading the financial and donation information on the institutional web portal provided by MINT for this purpose, within a period of 3–5 days following the physical filing.

This obligation to submit the Financial Statements applies to all NPOs, regardless of size, operational volume, or funding source. However, additional requirements apply to NPOs whose income received and/or executed during the fiscal year equals or exceeds fifty million córdobas (C$50,000,000.00), in these cases, NPOs must also submit a Financial Statement audit or program/project audit, accompanied by a compliance report on findings.

The main documents to be submitted to the DGRC-OSFL include, but are not limited to:

  • Cover letter for the Financial Statements, duly signed by the Legal Representative of the NPO (president or vice president).
  • Financial Statements certified by a Licensed Public Accountant ("CPA” by its acronym in Spanish), including all supporting appendix.
  • Balance Sheet, along with the comparative balance from the previous period, including variations and explanatory notes.
  • Income Statement, as well as the comparative statement from the previous period, including variations and explanatory notes.
  • Detailed Trial Balance.
  • Cash Flow Statement prepared using the direct method.
  • Statement of Changes in Equity, showing the variations that occurred during the fiscal year.
  • Fixed assets, including furniture, equipment, and vehicles.
  • Properties, indicating whether they are registered, in the process of registration, or if none are owned, in which case an explanatory letter with supporting documentation must be provided.
  • Details of income, other income, expenses, and other expenses.
  • Details of donations received, whether in cash or in-kind, as well as donations granted to other NPOs or entities, where applicable.

NPOs must also submit a detailed report of the projects and/or activities carried out during 2025, in accordance with the formats established by the DGRC-OSFL. This report should include, among other aspects:

  • Donor name and country of origin of the donation.
  • Project name, description, and objectives.
  • Period and place of execution.
  • Budgeted, disbursed, executed amounts, and pending balances.
  • Institutions or organizations with which coordination occurred.
  • List of beneficiaries for each executed project, including individuals, legal entities, institutions, or other NPOs.

Additionally, a report on projects or activities to be executed during 2026 must be submitted.

NPOs that offer higher education or educational services must submit additional information for each branch or educational facility, including:

  • Number of enrolled students per program or modality.
  • Number of scholarship recipients, with the corresponding list.
  • Exact address of each educational center, branch, or campus.

As part of the compliance process, NPOs must also submit:

  • Accounting books, General Ledger and Journal.
  • Copies of agreements signed with donors, if any.
  • Property clearance certificates, issued by the Property Registry, with the corresponding fiscal stamp.
  • Vehicle registration certification, with the corresponding fiscal stamp.
  • Copy of the tax declaration filed with the DGI, when the portal is available, if the portal is not yet enabled, it must be submitted later.
  • Valid tax identification copy.

Finally, failure to submit Financial Statements on time and in proper form empowers the DGRC-NPO to request clarifications, require additional information, and apply the administrative sanctions provided under Law No. 1115 and other applicable regulations.

Possible sanctions include fines, administrative intervention, suspension of activities, and even revocation of legal status, depending on the severity and repetition of non-compliance. A fine of five thousand córdobas (C$5,000.00) to ten thousand córdobas (C$10,000.00) will be imposed in favor of the State for each breach of obligations or for engaging in prohibited acts under Law No. 1115 and its Regulations. In the case of recurrence, the fine will be doubled.


The information provided by ARIAS® is presented for informational purposes only. This information is not legal advice and is not intended to create, and does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Readers should not act upon this information without seeking advice from professional advisers.