Conflict of Interest Declaration Form
Declares an interest before it becomes a problem, and says what you will do about it.
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| Name | [name] |
| Role | [role] |
| Declared on | October 14, 2026 |
1. The interest
[what the interest is, and whose — including family and close associates]
2. What I propose to do
[how you will keep yourself out of the decision]
3. Declaration
I confirm that the above is complete and accurate as far as I am aware, and that I will declare any change to it in writing as soon as I become aware of it.
| Place | [place] |
| Date | October 14, 2026 |
What is a Conflict of Interest Declaration?
A conflict of interest declaration is a signed statement in which someone sets out an interest — financial, personal, or through a connected person — that could influence a decision they take part in, and says how it will be handled. It matters because it moves the interest out of private knowledge and onto the record before the decision, which is the only point at which it can still be managed rather than investigated.
Employees complete one on joining and at least annually. Board members, trustees and councillors complete one before any meeting where a relevant item appears. Procurement panels, grant assessors, recruitment panels, examiners, clinicians and researchers use event-driven declarations tied to a single decision. The trigger is simple: you are about to take part in a decision that could benefit you, a family member, a business you have an interest in, or an organisation you also serve. Declaring is expected even where you are certain it would make no difference.
The rule that bites depends on what you are. Company directors have statutory duties to declare interests in proposed transactions — check the section of the companies legislation that applies to you and the wording of your articles. Charities answer to their regulator: the Charity Commission in England and Wales, the ACNC in Australia, the Canada Revenue Agency's guidance, and equivalents elsewhere. Public bodies have codes of conduct and registers of interests set by statute. Listed companies have related-party rules. Find the specific rule before designing the form, because it usually dictates what must be recorded.
Declaring does not clear the conflict. It is the first step. What follows is a decision by someone else about whether you withdraw from the discussion, abstain from the vote, are excluded from the papers, or may continue with the interest noted. A declaration also does not authorise a transaction that needs board or member approval, and it does not replace the register of interests where one is required. If you are unsure whether an interest is disclosable, disclose it — an unnecessary declaration costs nothing.
What to put in a Conflict of Interest Declaration
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Issuing organisation | For example: Maple Grove Homeowners Association |
| Organisation address | For example: 1420 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
| Name | For example: Sarah Chen |
| Role in the organisation | For example: Operations Manager |
| The interest | For example: My brother is a director of Delgado Logistics Inc., which has tendered for our delivery… |
| Value involved optional | For example: Contract worth approximately 18,00,000 a year |
| What you propose to do about it | For example: I will take no part in scoring the tenders, will not see the other bids, and will leave… |
How to write a Conflict of Interest Declaration
Describe the interest, not the category
Ticking 'financial interest' tells the reader nothing they can act on. Write what it actually is: 'My brother-in-law is a director and shareholder of one of the three companies invited to tender for the catering contract.' Include the organisation's name, the nature of your connection, when it started and any money involved. The test is whether a reader who knows none of the background could assess the risk from your sentence alone.
Cover connected people, not just yourself
Most schemes extend to a spouse or partner, children, parents, siblings and members of your household, and to businesses in which any of them hold a position or a meaningful stake. They usually also cover other roles you hold: a second board seat, a consultancy, a trusteeship, a professional partnership. Read your organisation's definition of connected person before completing the form, because it is wider than most people assume.
Tie the declaration to a specific decision
An annual return catches standing interests; it does not catch the tender that arrived in March. When an item touches a declared interest, declare it again at the meeting, before the discussion, and ask for it to be minuted. 'Declared at the start of item 6 and left the room for the discussion and the vote' is the sentence that protects both you and the decision.
Propose how it should be managed
Do not leave the mitigation blank for someone else to invent. Suggest the action that fits the size of the interest: no involvement in scoring, withdrawal from the room for that item, a different approver for the invoice, an independent second reviewer. The chair or the compliance owner decides, but a declaration that arrives with a proposal is dealt with in one exchange rather than three.
Sign it, date it and get it registered
An unsigned or undated declaration is close to worthless, because the whole point is showing what was known and when. Send it to the named holder of the register rather than to a line manager's inbox, confirm it has been recorded, and keep a copy. Then update it when circumstances change — a new directorship, a relative joining a supplier — rather than waiting for the next annual cycle.
Common mistakes
- Declaring only financial interests and omitting a friendship, a former employer or a second trusteeship, which is where most successfully challenged decisions actually come apart.
- Writing the interest as a single vague word such as 'supplier', so the person assessing it cannot tell whether a recusal is needed and defaults to doing nothing.
- Declaring after the vote rather than before it, which turns a manageable interest into a decision that may have to be taken again.
- Agreeing the mitigation informally in the corridor, leaving nothing in the minutes to show the conflicted person took no part.
- Filing the form in a personal drive rather than the central register, so it cannot be produced when an auditor, funder or regulator asks what was declared and when.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a conflict of interest?
Any interest that could reasonably be seen to influence how you act in a role — money, a relationship, a rival loyalty, or a benefit to someone connected to you. The test in most codes is the perception of a reasonable outsider, not your own confidence in your objectivity. That is why an interest can be worth declaring even when you are certain it would change nothing.
Do I have to declare a conflict if I am not involved in the decision?
Standing declarations are usually required regardless of whether a decision is live, because the register exists to show what was known in advance. If you have no involvement in a specific decision, say so on the form. Recording an interest and managing it are separate steps: the record costs nothing and removes any later argument that the interest was concealed.
What is the difference between a conflict of interest and a conflict of loyalty?
A conflict of interest usually involves personal benefit, financial or otherwise. A conflict of loyalty arises when you owe duties to two bodies — sitting on two boards that deal with each other, for instance — with no personal gain at all. Many charity and public-sector codes treat both the same way for declaration purposes. Check the wording your own code uses.
Can I still vote after declaring an interest?
That depends on the rules of the body and the size of the interest, and it is not your decision to make alone. Some constitutions require withdrawal from the room, some allow participation in discussion but not the vote, and some permit a vote where the interest is remote. Check the articles, bylaws or code of conduct, and record the outcome in the minutes.
How often should conflict of interest declarations be updated?
Annually as a minimum for standing declarations, immediately whenever something changes, and again at any meeting where a relevant item is on the agenda. Annual-only regimes fail predictably, because the interest that matters usually arises in month four. Many organisations put a standing declarations item at the top of every board and committee agenda for exactly this reason.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.