A guide to Gift Aid

What is Gift Aid?

Gift Aid is a tax relief allowing UK charities to reclaim an extra 25% in tax on every eligible donation made by a UK taxpayer.

What do I have to do?

When you donate, you’ll be asked to confirm whether or not you are a UK taxpayer. Please note that Gift Aid can only be reclaimed on donations made by individuals who pay UK income or capital gains tax at a rate at least equal to the amount reclaimed on their donations in the current tax year. If in doubt, please contact our helpdesk via help@justgiving.com.

How can I change my Gift Aid status?

To make things easier in future, your Gift Aid status will be saved for the next time you donate. You can review this status each time you donate at the ‘Review and donate’ stage of the donation process.

Gift Aid should not be claimed when:

• Making a donation in return for tickets (raffles, events and auctions) or goods and services (including ‘experience’ days). This is because they are not ‘freewill’ gifts – you are getting something in return for your donation. If we decide a donation has been incorrectly marked as eligible for Gift Aid, we can’t submit it.
• Making a donation on behalf of someone else or a group of people. For example, if a friend gives you £10 which you donate to your Fundraising Page using your own card and details. Even if your friend is a UK taxpayer, the donation is not eligible because HMRC needs to know the details of the person actually contributing the funds.
• Making a donation on behalf of a company. You can only make Gift Aid declarations on your own taxpayer status when spending your own money. However, a company can claim tax relief on the donation when donating directly to the charity.
• Making a donation to a family member who’s taking part in an event and their charity is contributing to the cost. For example, if you’re donating to a close family member who is doing an overseas trek and the charity is paying for the cost of their trip.

If you are unsure or would like further information please check www.gov.uk for advice about Gift Aid prior to uploading your donation.

Benefits to higher-rate taxpayers

If you pay tax at the higher rate, you can reclaim tax relief on your gross donation at 20% (i.e. the difference between the higher rate of tax at 40% and the basic rate at 20%). Your JustGiving account keeps an accurate record of your donations to help you claim tax relief if you need to. Simply print out a copy of your donation history and attach it to your tax return.

What if I am not a UK taxpayer?

The Gift Aid scheme is unique to the UK. If you are not a UK taxpayer, you can still make a donation through JustGiving, but your donation will not be eligible for Gift Aid.

What if I don’t live in the UK?

A person living overseas can still claim Gift Aid provided that they are a UK taxpayer and can satisfy the Gift Aid declaration in the donation process.

What if my donation isn’t eligible for Gift Aid?

If your donation isn’t eligible for Gift Aid we’ll still send it to your chosen charity, after deducting our 5% transaction fee. But since over 85% of donations through JustGiving are eligible for Gift Aid, the charities we work with still raise more money with us.