Got questions about Gift Aid? We have answers.

So we’ve asked you to make a Gift Aid declaration, and you don’t know what that is or how it works… don’t worry, you’re not alone! Have a read of our supporters’ most common questions.

I don’t live in the UK, can I still Gift Aid?

You need to be a UK taxpayer to make a Gift Aid declaration. You don’t need to live in the UK full-time, but you do need to pay tax in the UK and have a UK address.

If you’re one of our fantastic and much-needed supporters in the Republic of Ireland or further afield – we wish you could claim it on your donations too, but it’s not possible. Thank you so much, and keep being awesome!

I pay tax in the UK! But… what is Gift Aid, really?

Gift Aid is a way that the UK government gives UK charities free money. Gift Aid allows charities to reclaim the tax that donors have already paid on the value of their donations, which means your donations can be worth 25% more to ASN at no extra cost to you.

Can you give me an example?

Sure! Let’s say you donate £10 a month to ASN (thank you, you legend!). That’s £120 a year. The potential Gift Aid on your donation is 25% of that, or £30. To make a valid Gift Aid declaration, you just need to have paid at least £30 in income tax in the same tax year as you made the donations. Once you’ve made your Gift Aid declaration, we can claim that £30 back from the UK government and, voila, your £120 becomes £150 for ASN!

You don’t have to be a regular donor, or to have donated this year – we can claim Gift Aid on donations of any amount from up to four years ago as long as you paid enough tax that year to cover the Gift Aid. Every penny counts to ASN and the people we help, so if you can Gift Aid, please do!

Sounds amazing! But I don’t pay tax… I think?

There are some taxes that can’t be counted for Gift Aid, including Council Tax and VAT. But even if you’re not employed, you might still pay tax on your savings, a pension, Capital Gains, or Jobseeker’s Allowance. You can check the HMRC site for more info on which taxes qualify.

What’s the catch?

No catch! (Seriously, no catch).

Making a Gift Aid declaration means your donation is worth 25% more to us, and it won’t make you worse off in any way, tax-wise (if you pay tax at the higher rate, it might even help you out). See what we meant about free money?

There are just some things you need to be aware of before you tick the box:

• Gift Aid always refers to the UK tax year (6th April to 5th April the following year), not the calendar year.
• If there is any difference between the tax you’ve paid and the Gift Aid claimed on your donations, you are resonsible for paying any difference.
• A Gift Aid declaration made for one charity doesn’t apply to any others (you generous person you!). For us to claim Gift Aid on your donations to ASN, you have to make a Gift Aid declaration with us.
• A Gift Aid declaration is presumed current from the time you make it until you tell us otherwise. So please let us know if your tax status changes – just email us at [email protected].

What if I pay tax at a higher rate – can ASN claim more Gift Aid?

Sadly no, 25% is the most we can claim. But there might be something in it for you! If you let HMRC know what you donate, you should be able to claim back some tax, or even pay less PAYE tax – which might mean you could afford to donate a little extra. Win-win!

Click for more info on how this works from HMRC or the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

Yes, I’m in – I want ASN to get free money from the government!

Woohoo! Click here to make your Gift Aid declaration and help even more women to get the safe abortions they need. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

What if I still have questions?

No worries! Shoot us an email at [email protected] and we’ll do our best to help you out.