What is Gift Aid and how do I sign up?
When you donate a bag of clothes to one of our shops, it can make us up to £25. With Gift Aid added, this bag could be worth up to £31, at no extra cost to you.
So how does Gift Aid work?
Gift Aid is a UK government scheme that allows charities to claim an extra 25p for every £1 you donate—at no extra cost to you! It’s a simple and effective way to make your donation go further and help charities like St Margaret’s Hospice raise even more funds to support their vital work.
Step One: Bag up any donations you wish to gift to St Margaret’s, and deliver to your local shop. This is where we will take the relevant details. If you have already signed up that’s fine, if you haven’t, you can complete step two.
Step Two: Sign up to Gift Aid! If you haven’t already, you just need to fill in a few details for us to Gift Aid your items, you only have to do this once.
Step Three: We then claim tax back. We can reclaim the basic rate of tax (currently 20%) on your donation. For every £1 you give, the charity gets an additional 25p.
Example: If you donate £10, the charity receives £12.50 with Gift Aid. The extra money comes from the tax you’ve already paid to HMRC, so it doesn’t cost you anything extra.
Eligibility:
To qualify for Gift Aid, you must:
- Pay UK Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax at least equal to the amount the charity will claim on your donations in the tax year
- Complete a Gift Aid declaration form, which confirms that your donations qualify for Gift Aid.
Important Notes:
- If your tax circumstances change, it’s essential to let the charity know
- Gift Aid can also be applied to the sale of goods donated to charity shops, turning the proceeds from your pre-loved items into additional support for the cause
- By simply ticking a box or signing a form, you can significantly boost the impact of your donation without spending a penny more. It’s an easy way to make a big difference!
How do I sign up to Gift Aid?
You must complete our Gift Aid form, which can be found below, to confirm that you are a UK taxpayer and eligible to apply Gift Aid to your donations.
What happens if I no longer pay income tax?
That’s fine, all you have to do is to contact us at [email protected] to let us know so we can exclude you from the Gift Aid system.
Do you have any questions about Gift Aid?
Then email our retail team at [email protected] or call them at 01823 353781 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm).