Sending documentation to OSCR - remember your file size

Every year, Scottish charities must provide us with:

• their Annual accounts
• a Trustees’ Annual Report
• an External scrutiny report, and
• an online annual return.

You should use OSCR Online to do this. When you are uploading a file using OSCR Online, it cannot be larger than 8mb in total. These limits also apply to many email providers, who have similar levels of restriction. 

Most of the documentation you are required to submit requires a signature. In these instances, you should scan the signed document so it becomes a PDF file, then send it to us. 

You can avoid having documents that are too large by scanning them with a lower ‘dots per inch’ (dpi) setting. A document should still be legible if it is scanned between 300-600 dpi. When you are scanning at a lower dpi, remember to check the document on your computer screen to make sure that the text can be read easily. Also, you should scan it in as a greyscale document, as this will reduce file size. If you are not sure how to select these settings on your scanner, please refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.

There are quite a few benefits to making sure your files are appropriately sized, such as:

• a reduction in storage, which can save money
• faster emailing
• quicker uploading/downloading on your website.

If you have a PDF file that is already too large, there are ways in which it can be compressed to reduce file size. One way to do this is to use Adobe Acrobat DC. A free 7 day trial of this software can be found here.

Not sure what the submission deadline is for your charity? Log in to OSCR Online to check.